Fact Check: Can holy basil decoction treat brain tumours?

Hyderabad: A Facebook reel is making rounds on social media claiming that a decoction of holy basil along with black pepper can treat any kind of tumour, including brain tumours.

The post further claims that drinking a decoction of boiled 20-40 basil leaves twice a day will kill the entire tumour.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

What is a tumour?

In simple words, a tumour is a solid mass of tissue that forms when abnormal cells group together. Tumours can affect bones, skin, tissue, organs and glands. Tumours could be benign and cancerous. Benign tumours are non-cancerous but still require proper treatment and removal. But cancerous or malignant, tumours can be life-threatening and require proper healthcare supervision and treatment at the earliest.

Can holy basil decoction cure tumours?

No, it can’t. According to a study, “Antioxidants and other bioactive compounds in basil leaves show important potential anti-cancer activity at the dosage of 4 mg/mL as an aqueous extract or essential oil up to 200 µg/mL could slow-down tumour growth and progression with regards to cell death and viability inhibition.”

It should be noted that you can only process the anti-tumorous properties only by using the aqueous extracts and essential oils of holy basil. But there is no scientific evidence to back that it can potentially kill existing or growing brain tumours or any tumour.

We reached out to Dr S Vijay Mohan, MD, senior consultant physician, Care Hospitals, and the HoD for the Department of Internal Medicine, to debunk the claim.

He said, “No, if the right medicine is used on the tumours in early stages, it may result in a significant tumour regression but this effect may not be seen in advanced tumours. Radiotherapy is another useful modality that can be used to reduce the size of some tumours.”