for Body, Mind, Heart, AND SOUL! – your SV Ayurveda Newsletter Oct 30, 2025, #42, Vol 15

Are you ready to discover one of Mother Nature’s most potent most divine plants? You might say: well, there are so very many divine plants with amazing therapeutic benefits… True! But wait till you re-discover Holy Basil, aka: Tulsi, through Vaidya Mishra’s Shaka Vanshiya Ayurveda perspective…

In this podcast episode, Vaidya Mishra expounds the total properties of the Tulsi plant, and narrates the beautiful stories that go along with its manifestation. This chapter is from his Dravyaguna Course. Stay tuned to find out more about the upcoming digital release of this course and how you can sign up.

Incomparable Tulsi 

for

Immunity

&

Shakti

The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word tulsi (pronounced tulasi) is “beyond compare.” More than any other plant in Vedic culture, the Tulsi plant is known for her divinity. Tulsi is sometimes called “surasa” (liked by the gods) and “devadundubhi” (that which carries a divine vibration).

The legend goes that Tulsi was once an extremely beautiful yet very difficult young woman who would not accept any man as husband unless he was 100% perfect! The story goes that her resolve to marry only he who would prove to be divine in all his attributes brought her to God.

The Bhagavad-Gita speaks of many paths to God, amongst which is also the path of renunciation (sannyasa). All paths lead to ultimate truth. It is said that in her quest for the most divine partner, Tulsi chose the path of renunciation (“neti neti” – not this, not this).

Her super-high standards of perfection made it impossible for her to find the right match on the earthly plane and her father was distressed, for he knew that only in the Aditattwa, the original pure field of Silent Being – Purusha Vishnu – would there be a man with this degree of perfection. Tulsi engaged in sacrificial acts – tapas – and worshipped Vishnu with such purity of heart and devotion that even though he was not available for marriage, he appeared to her and made her a promise. He assured her that his divine influence would always accompany her, and no one would be able to contact him without first remembering her… Tulsi was thus reborn as the tulsi plant that carries innumerable healing divine properties. To this day, every household who seeks the blessings of God, has and maintains a Tulsi plant at the entrance.

Let’s explore the countless balancing and healing properties of this sacred plant.

Tulsi Is Good For

The Heart AND The Mind

Did you know that Tulsi supports the emotional, physical and vibrational heart? Our connection to the “light of our soul” lies in our hearts. Tulsi is so connected to the universal soul, or God, that her presence in our homes, our lives, ushers in that divine universal vibration, which directly strengthens the emotional and physical heart. This is why Bhava Prakash gives tulsi the classification of “hridya” – that which gives a long, healthy life to the heart by delivering prana to the heart.

When the heart’s vibration is pranically elevated, the mind gets anchored and recharged, and it becomes easy for the mind to stay connected to the light of the soul. Because of this, the senses are not able to easily overtake the mind, since the mind becomes anchored in the pure field of Being vibrating in the heart. This is one of the reasons why tulsi is an important part of Vaidya Mishra’s Samadhi Set.

Countless SVA followers use the Samadhi set before yoga, prayers, or meditation. It helps them settles down by unclogging the vibrational and physical channels, supplying more prana, and the divine healing herbs, so the experience of meditation or yoga or more complete. 

Tulsi opens the heart to the field of Being. The light of Being illuminates the mind and gives it strength. The strong, peaceful mind is able to fully enjoy its yogic state of sama-dhi, balanced intellect radiating bliss. 

But the Tulsi plant also carries very powerful properties for the physical body and health. 

“Shakti” – Spiritual Strength

The physical properties of any herb affect the physical elements of the body, while its subtle vibrational qualities work in the vibrational gaps of the physiology, where all transformations in the body take place. The gaps or sandhis carry burners or centers of transformative energy. These gaps is where the intelligence of the body is located. Whenever you ingest or transdermally absorb an herb that is rich in divine intelligence, like tulsi, you naturally activate the gaps (or burners) in the physiology. The vibration of the tulsi plant is purifying for these gaps and makes them more intelligent.

The word is Sanskrit for this property is dipani. Any herb that is dipani increases the flame in one or more of the gaps of the physiology. This can be done by cleaning the gap (removing blocks to the flow of prana in the gap), or by directly supplying more agni. Tulsi does both.

Tulsi has ushna virya (heating thermogenic property) which delivers agni-rich prana to the burners, especially the jataragni (burner of the stomach) to ignite the digestive flame. And tulsi also has a divine vibration which travels directly to all the gaps throughout the physiology.

This divine quality helps it to remove any hidden vibrational blocks and to clean the gaps in the physiology. This makes the agnis (flames) stronger throughout the body, including the agnis in the mind and the liver.

When the body’s subtle transformational powers are reset by tulsi, the body is able to receive and connect with universal energy optimally. Tulsi is thus an ideal herb for restoring and maintaining spiritual shakti in times of distress. It purifies and elevates us through its physical and vibrational cleansing properties. 

Bactericidal Effect of Tulsi

Bhava Prakash uses two words, “apetarakshasi” and “bhutaghni,” to give emphasis to the bactericidal property of tulsi.

The word, bhutaghni, in Sanskrit means “bactericidal.” Bhuta, in Ayurveda, denotes microscopic bacteria or living entities that are invisible to the naked eye, but the terms also refers to spirits – which can be a hidden nuisance as well! The word, “apetarakshasi,” also means “bactericidal.” Rakshasa is another name for disease spreading micro-organisms in Ayurveda.

The divine chemical make-up of the tulsi plant creates an unwelcome environment for such infectious organisms. The bitter taste (tikta rasa) of tulsi is also an important factor in killing bacteria (or at least making it very difficult for them to thrive). For this reason, tulsi has been used to boost the immune system and fight colds for centuries. The combination of being bactericidal, increasing agni (digestion) and connecting the mind to the light of the soul makes this an ideal herb for strengthening immunity. In terms of doshas, it pacifies high kapha and vata. It can be pitta aggravating, so it should be used with caution by high pitta individuals. 

Traditionally, Tulsi is used in dry or fresh form. Either as full leaves or powder. Given its heating and drying properties, and how they may impact the pitta dosha, Vaidya Mishra introduced transdermal and transmucosal alternative delivery forms of Tulsi. Now you can get ALL the balancing and healing properties of this divine plant, without the risking imbalancing the doshas.

9 uses of Tribindu

1) Use it to help support your sinus pathways and discourage potential bacterial growth in your oral cavity - apply on a scarf, wrap around your mouth and nose and gently inhale

2) Spray it in your room – on your couch, pillows, carpet, desk, or just in the air, to clean and refresh the air. You can also use an essential oil diffuser and squirt 2-3 times into the water and then plug it in for sustained delivery.

3) Apply a small amount on your feet and massage in: when you have fatigue, poor circulation, cold hands and feet, the Tribindu will warm you up right away, enhancing circulation and thermogenesis.

4) Apply on sore achy muscles before and also after exercise to mobilize and evacuate toxic build-up and ease the flow of toxins to support enhanced mobility

5) Support your overall circulation and thermo-genesis, specially in cold weather, when you have to go out – apply on hands and feet before putting on gloves and socks.

6) Use it to ease away tension and stress from your neck and shoulder areas – spray 2-3 times and massage in. You can also use it on your lower or upper back areas

7) Use it to ward off insect bites or to soothe itchiness from bites: spray on insect bites or mosquito bites and massage – do not spray on an open wound or bite.

8) Spray on joints – knees, elbows, wrists, ankles, finger joints, etc, morning and evening, to help maintain healthy joints free from toxic accumulation, and enhance mobility. Spray and gently massage.

9) You can also use the Tribindu to help ward off infections, for example, apply on your nails and fingers after clipping them.

Whichever way you use it, it is a great and safe household remedy to keep close by – rain or shine within or without!

CAUTION: According to BhavaPrakash, tulsi is ushna (heating), 

katuka (pungent) and dipani (flame enhancing). For anyone who has a high pitta constitution this can cause burning or other pitta related problems, so use in moderation. In fact, Bhava Prakash warns that tulsi is dahapittakrit – increasing pitta and aggravates burning in the body.

Tulsi should be used in moderation, according to the specific state of balance of the person in order to avoid this problem.

Also, because it is bitter, tulsi should not be used during pregnancy as it may cause miscarriage, unless it is used under the doctor’s supervision. Bitter herbs stimulate the liver to detoxify itself and can transfer too much amavisha (reactive toxins) into the blood, causing a miscarriage.

Take Vaidya Mishra “With You” – Everywhere You Go!

if you ever had the opportunity to meet Vaidya Mishra in person, or have encountered him via his many youtube videos or online courses, then you know what we mean! We all want to have him travel with us in this earthly journey, to help us in our decisions along the way, through the timeless wisdom and knowledge of SV Ayurved. And now we can! If you have not discovered our podcast channel yet, we invite you to look it up and explore the timeless teachings of SVAyurveda, as well as fabulous talks by other SVAyurveda doctors and educators.

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