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Holy basil and mood: grade C

Limited evidence. Direction: No effect.

C LimitedIndustry-fundedShort-term only

Educational guidance, not medical advice

Why this grade

Rubric condition met: One RCT null on mood measures (secondary outcomes); N needs a meta-analysis or two adequate independent null RCTs

In the 8-week Holixer trial, POMS-A total mood disturbance did not differ from placebo, and no PROMIS-29 subscale, including anxiety, differed either. These were secondary outcomes in one industry-funded trial, which is too little for an N grade, so the grade is C with no direction of benefit.

How we grade evidence

Studies this grade rests on

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of an Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) extract (Holixer(TM)) on stress, mood, and sleep in adults experiencing stress.

Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of an Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) extract (Holixer(TM)) on stress, mood, and sleep in adults experiencing stress Front Nutr, 2022. PMID 36185698

Result not recorded
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm parallel-group trial (8 weeks)
Sample
n = 100
Population
Adults aged 18-65 experiencing stress for over a month and current sleep problems (PSS 14 or higher)
Funding
Natural Remedies Pty Ltd (maker of the Holixer extract), which also supplied the capsules

Search and history

Search (): (holy basil[tiab] OR tulsi[tiab] OR "Ocimum sanctum"[tiab] OR "Ocimum tenuiflorum"[tiab]) AND (stress[tiab] OR anxiety[tiab] OR mood[tiab]) AND (randomized[tiab] OR placebo[tiab])

  • Graded C (proposed): Proposed in the monograph draft
  • C to C (approved): Editor sign-off November 13, 2026: grade matches the editor-approved final page