ତୁଳସୀ ପୂଜନ ଦିବସ ଉପଲକ୍ଷେ

Prof DrViyatprajna Acharya
Medical Biochemist
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Many of us might be knowing that if flowers are plucked an evening before, then not to make it “Baasi” i.e. unfit for Pooja, we are asked to put 2 leaves of Tulasi (Basil). Well, the scientific facts are lost behind this practice and reduced to a superstition. I’d been intrigued by all our so-called superstitions, because most of the practices were suggested by very learned Vedacharyas or Ayurvedic experts, but with time they have lost their original intention.
Now coming back to Tulsi, being a researcher in Biochemistry and most of my research works hovering around Oxidative stress and antioxidants, I was attracted towards this superstition. Most of us are aware that Tulsi is a very good antioxidant, but how many of us know that Tulsi plant gives out oxygen day in and day out! Not just Tulsi but Peepal plant that is usually married to a banyan tree also gives out oxygen 24×7.
Usually plants do photosynthesis during daytime and take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen but at night they too transpire like us.
Since I came to know about this fact about Tulsi, not 2 leaves but a generous twig I took out and kept with the flowers. On the top I sprinkled little water and closed the mouth of the polythene bag loosely. Usually the Tagar flowers wilt within 6-7 hours but they stayed fresh for more than 24 hours!!
I didn’t extend the experiment further because this lesser mortal is also afraid of God’s wrath…Kahin ye bolke shraap naa de de ki, ek evening allow kiya toh Tulsi daal ke 3 din se same flowers diye ja rahi hai😋 (Since I allowed for one evening this lady is going on offering me old flowers).
Jokes apart, Botanist may take benefit out of this small experiment.
But I wondered why it is worshipped when so many other plants are there and in nature not a single plant is without use!
To this some subjective findings I would like to add. When I was sprinkling some pesticides on some plants for Miley bugs, few drops fell on my Tulasi plants and lo! within a couple of days they wilted and died. On the contrary, I have seen my Mother-in-law taking good care of this sacred plant and always filled with devotion and love for the shrub and giving little extra care to them, the shrub actually grows manifold when she’s around. I decipher it to be a sensitive plant. Many people will share their thoughts on a similar note. Even we can kill a plant by using harsh words for them.
The healing powers of Tulsi are not unknown to us. Though me and my husband are both allopathic doctors, while raising our both daughters as infants and toddlers, hardly we have used antibiotics for cold and fever. The moment they caught cold, I used to give them a decoction of Tulsi, ginger and honey (ginger in less quantity) and they used to recover well.
Post-COVID era, people are developing cough and cold is lingering for months, not responding to different antibiotics, yet it is responding to the above decoction well.
However, I am against the commercial preparations as on storage the antioxidant property over storage may be lost and in the long run, after opening the container, may actually lead to formation of pro-oxidants, causing more harm than good.
A little effort on this celebration day, to rear more Tulsi plants in our close vicinity, with love and care and using the leaves and stalks at the time of need judiciously, is the main purpose of this day. People should not be over-enthusiastic or selfish to pluck all the leaves to heal themselves (a common notion of our society) and before plucking leaves, ask for permission from the plant as it is a very sensitive shrub. Let’s not forget our ancient science and just mechanically observe the day.
Let peace prevail.
=Shubhamastu=
#Tulasi #TulasiPujan #healingpowerofnature #Biochemistry #drvpacharya #medbiochem_guru