Even if you grow basil in your backyard, a cup of fresh basil leaves still won’t provide you with a significant source of vitamins and minerals aside from vitamin K (83% of your daily value). Vitamin K helps your blood to clot. You’ll get a little vitamin C and A, some B vitamins, beta carotene, iron, potassium, and calcium. Dried basil might be a good source of fiber, providing almost 2 grams per tablespoon. It’s also a good source of iron with 4 milligrams and provides 64% of vitamin K.
Basil has phenolic and flavonoid compounds such as quercetin and epicatechin that make this spice healthy, according to a 2023 article in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. Researchers isolated specific peptides in basil and found they have antioxidant and ACE-inhibiting properties. ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) plays a role in constricting your blood vessels, and people with high blood pressure are prescribed ACE inhibitors to relax their blood vessels. Basil might have the same effect on high blood pressure, but you might need to turn to other forms of the herb for this effect.