Smoking Tulsi: A Historical Herb's Modern-Day Use

Tulsi is one of the few herbs in our blends whose history is genuinely ancient and genuinely documented.

What it is

Ocimum tenuiflorum, also called holy basil, is a member of the mint family grown across the Indian subcontinent. It holds a sacred place in Hindu practice, is planted in courtyards and temple grounds, and appears throughout Ayurvedic texts going back thousands of years. It is used in cooking, brewed as tea, and grown as a household plant.

Taste and smoke

Tulsi smokes with a distinctive warmth. Slightly spicy, with a minty undertone and a clove-like note underneath. The aroma is closer to a kitchen herb than a flower, which sets it apart from most of what goes into smoking blends.

It is assertive without being harsh, which is why it works as a structural herb rather than a top note. In a blend it holds things together.

In our blends

Tulsi is in two of ours. Solar, our daytime blend, where the peppery warmth plays against calendula and lemon balm. And Venus, where it gives a floral blend more backbone than it would otherwise have.

Tea Tokes blends are tobacco-free and nicotine-free. 21+.