Basil Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Basil (Ocimum basilicum), sweet basil, is a bushy annual of the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to tropical regions of India and Southeast Asia and grown as a kitchen herb around the Mediterranean and in gardens worldwide for at least two thousand years. It grows 30 to 60 centimeters with square stems and glossy, oval, slightly cupped bright green leaves 3 to 7 centimeters long; cultivars range from tiny-leaved Greek basil to purple-leaved and lemon- or cinnamon-scented forms. Spikes of small white or pinkish two-lipped flowers appear in summer. The leaves smell sweetly of clove and anise, the signature of pesto and Thai curries. We extract the dried leaf.