Synonym: Ocimum sanctum
English name: holy basil
Chuukese name: warung
Kosraen name: aring
Pohnpeian name: kadiring
Yapese name:lamar
Danna Robert: Warung is mixed with fish in coconut milk soup. Often grown outside of homes. The flowers are used in mwarmwars (head garlands). The flowers are also added to coconut oil that is used on the skin. Put in boiling water to steam treat fever. If you have a fever with running nose, put leaves in a cloth, pound it, and then squeeze the juice directly into the nose. Used in love magic. Pick a stem with leaves and flower early in the morning, young ones. Talk to it using a special phrase, secret words including the name of the young man whose attention you want to attract. I do not know the secret words, maybe only some. Put the flower behind your ear, or in your hair. You can hide it in your hair wrap, it need not be seen in order for it to work. That guy, you talked about, will come. He will talk to you that same day. Even he does not like you. The rest is then up to you. Do not tell people that you know the secret words, because then people will suspect you of doing magic. No one will admit to knowing the secret words.
22 May 2000: Leaves are used to treat head and chest colds. Water is brought to a boil, then removed from heat. The patient is placed under a layering of bed sheets with the pot of hot water covered. The patient uncovers the pot and puts the leaves in the water. The patient then steams under the sheets breathing the vapors produced by the Ocimum sanctum.
Cultural usage: Kadiring is useful in many ways..the leaves are used for cooking. The leaves are also used for curing head aches and colds umwulap (steam bath).
Seed: not observed [Instructor's note: Plant is a prolific producer of seeds, propagation is by seedlings found at base of plant. Cuttings do not root.]
Anything else: strong odor
Cultural usage: the leafs are edible.
Location collected: COM National Campus
Date collected: December 10, 1999
Collected by: Stephan Carlos
Genus species: Ocimum sanctum
Family name: Lamiaceae
Growth form: Shrub
Growth location: terestrial
Growth environment: cultivated garden
Growth zone: tropical
Average height: two to three meters
Stem: woody, smooth
Growth Form: Herbaceous Shrub
Growth Enviroment: Terestrial
Growth Zone: Tropical
Average height: 2 or 3 meter
Leaf Arrangement: opposite arrangement
stipule: Absent
Petioles: 5 mm
Leaf blade: The leaf is ovate and its margin is Serrate and the leaf is dark green to green in color
Inflorescence: Raceme type..there are more than 3 numbers of flowers.
Floral Bracts: The bracts are caudiform in shape and numerous in number.
Flowers: flowers are borne on terminal verticle, 5-7 mm in length . It has both female and male parts.
Calyx: There are 5 calyx and it is greenish in color.
Corolla: There are 5 petals , Bilabiate in shape and covered with scattered hairs. White petals.
Stamens: There are 4 stamens. Filament length is 1 mm. filament color is white.
Ovary: Absent
Style: It has single style and the color is white.
Friut: None
Seed: Plant is a prolific producer of seed..the seed is very small . White in color.
Stem: stem are covers with minute hairs. Woody stems
Anything else: strong odor