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Basil (lemon)

Húng quế chanh

Ocimum × citriodorum

Lemon basil

Lamiaceae · Lá · Leaves · Steam-distilled

Botanical illustration of Ocimum × citriodorum, whose leaves yield Basil (lemon) essential oil
Basil (lemon) essential oil, extracted from the leaves of Ocimum × citriodorum. Botanical illustration, Lê Mai Library.

Safety

Teratogenicity · Skin sensitization

Potentially teratogenic due to citral content. Avoid undirected oral use during pregnancy.

Low risk of skin sensitization. Citral can produce sensitization reactions on patch testing above 0.5 percent.

Oral: caution with diabetes medication, as citral lowers insulin and glucose in animal studies. Caution with drugs metabolized by CYP2B6.

Avoid on hypersensitive, diseased or damaged skin, and on children under 2 years.


Usage guidelines

Maximum dermal level
1.4 percent
Oral dose in pregnancy
Maximum 99 mg daily
Basis
Citral 42.2 percent

Chemistry

Volatile constituents
Geranial23.3 – 25.1 %
Neral16.0 – 17.1 %
Nerol13.0 – 15.3 %
Linalool5.0 – 7.8 %
(E)-α-Bisabolene5.3 – 6.2 %
Geraniol4.3 – 4.7 %
(E)-β-Caryophyllene3.8 – 4.5 %
Menthol3.8 – 4.4 %
Borneol1.7 – 2.7 %
Germacrene D2.4 – 2.6 %

Botanical source

Ocimum × citriodorum is a hybrid of Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum americanum, with a distinct lemon note from citral.

The oil is steam-distilled from the leaves. Limited availability.

Family Lamiaceae. Lemon basil leaves are common in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, where the plant is called hung que chanh.


Notes

High oxidation potential. Store in dark, sealed, refrigerated container. Add an antioxidant to preparations containing lemon basil.