There are two kinds of Basil that are widely used in Ayurvedic medicine and have been scientifically shown to reduce inflammation and swelling. It is suggested that they could have potential in arthritis treatment.

At the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's annual event, Mr Vaibhav Shinde from Poona Collage of Pharmacy presented results of studies on the varieties Ocimum tenuiflorum and Ocimum americanum, which are used in Ayurvedic treatment of bronchitis, bronchial asthma, skin diseases, arthritis, inflammation and fever.

Extracts of Ocimum tenuiflorum were shown to relieve swelling by up to 73%, 24 hours after treatment, and similar results happened to Ocimum americanum. Meanwhile, results for both plants were similar to those happened to diclofenac - an anti-inflammatory drug that is widely used in the treatment of arthritis.