Dried basil, its benefits and preparation
Dried basil has great health benefits. In folk medicine, tea is made from it, which has a sedative effect, and it also helps to remove stones from the kidneys and bladder. If you consume dried basil with red beans or peas, then the body produces a large amount of happiness hormones and stimulates the restoration of nerve cells. Read about:basil - health benefits and harms!
If you add dried basil to warm water, you can use it to rinse your mouth. This basil decoction has an analgesic and stretching effect, which helps in the treatment of ulcers and wounds in the mouth. A warm solution is good for sore throat, and if you wet it with tissue and apply it to the joint, it will relieve inflammation and pain. Dried basil is used in aromatherapy to treat asthma and tuberculosis.
In Japan, China and India, dried basil is used in the preparation of masks for the face and hands, as well as in the treatment of skin diseases, since this spice contains antifungal agents.
In cooking, dried basil is used as a seasoning; it is added to meat sauces and salad dressings. This spice is very aromatic, so it is added to the pastry dough, as well as to marinades for salting fish. Dried basil is found in almost all Italian dishes. This seasoning is widely used in French, English and Greek cuisine.
Cooking dried basil
Dried basil can be made at home. To do this, the harvested crop must be washed well, then the leaves must be separated from the stems. Chop the stems and place them in an electric dryer.
The leaves cannot be crushed, otherwise all essential oils will evaporate during drying. It is better to dry the leaves whole and grind them just before use.
Basil is dried at a temperature of 36ABOUTC - 45ABOUTC. The leaves will be ready for storage in 10-12 hours and the stems will need to be left in the dryer for two days. Half an hour before the end of drying, you can set the maximum temperature that your dryer can maintain. If you set the maximum temperature from the very beginning, then basil stalks will burn. After drying, whole basil leaves can be stored indoors for up to seven years without losing their taste. If the leaves are crushed before storage, they will lose their properties after two weeks.