Botanical Name

Ocimum gratissimum L. [Lamiaceae]

Specimen Type

Herbarium Sheet [Preserved Specimen]

Collector

Peter Thonning

Collection Date-s

1799 – 1803

Collection Location

Ada [Ghana: Greater Accra Region]

Colonial Context

Danish Gold Coast of Africa 1663–1935

Annotations Determinations and Type Specimen Status

On sheet: HB. VAHLII Ocymum guineense Thonning e Guinea Ocymum viride Willd.?

Ocimum gratissimum L. rev. O.Sebald Stuttgart 1986

IDC microfiche foto: Isert et Thonnig nr. 71 II 6-7

Remark: The data on the locality is taken from Hepper F.N. (1976) The West African Herbaria of Isert and Thonning

Ocimum guineense Schumach. and Thonn. HOLOTYPE. Beskr. Guineiske Pl.: 264 (1827)

Ownership and Collection Management History

Thonning 23; ex herb. Martin Vahl

Common Names

Sylu (Accra dialect) [Schumacher/Thonning]

Historical Cultural and Traditional Knowledge

[Hepper (1976) p. 65:] "Grows frequently in the neighborhood of Ada. In some places near the coast some few plants are grown for the sake of medicinal use but these are in general stunted." "For most of their illnesses the natives take various baths; most of these are connected with fetish and work only along with a superstitious faith but some plants e.g. the present act with actual aromatic ingredients. The most important use of this plant is in a malignant bilious fever connected with jaundice; which is very prevalent near R. Volta after inundation of the river. One uses generally the tepid decoction both for drinking and bathing 4 times a day. It is used in the same way in common jaundice. In sudden frenzy or swooning without preceding illness one drips the expressed sap into the nose eyes and mouth for expelling the sirsa (spirit or ghost) which is thought to have attacked the sick person. I have successfully treated old bone-injury and strongly running eruptions or the so-called salt flux by the external use of a decoction of the unripe fruit of Hibiscus esculentus together with this plant [i.e. Ocimum gratissimum] and laxative agents. Th."

Source

Herbarium C NHMD

NHMD Herbarium C Catalogue Number

C10004209

C10004209

Copyright Owner

Natural History Museum of Denmark

Copyright License

CC BY 4.0 (images) and CC0 (metadata)