Cinnamon Basil Plant

Taste

• Cinnamon basil, a variety of the common sweet basil, tastes like normal basil with a slight cinnamon flavor. Many varieties of basil, including cinnamon basil, have a pleasant flavor and are popular additions to many styles of cooking, including Thai, Vietnamese and Italian foods.

Look

• According to the National Gardening Association, cinnamon basil grows relatively tallish compared to other basils and has slightly darker foliage and flowers. The plant grows green leaves with purplish veins, which makes an attractive garnish and garden addition.

Uses

• Besides its uses in several types of cooking, as a garnish and as an attractive garden plant, Purdue University notes that basil makes a very popular oil. Cinnamon basil is especially popular for use as an essential oil in Bulgaria, and its medicinal uses include treatment of headaches, coughs, warts, constipation, diarrhea, kidney problems and worms. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cinnamon basil also produces essential oil more efficiently than other basil varieties.

Basil Care

• Cinnamon basil does not require any special care compared to standard basil. Gardeners can maintain basil crops relatively easily in a variety of environments, especially since it does well as an indoor potted plant. The National Gardening Association recommends planting basil in an area with good drainage and full sunlight. Basil needs constant moisture but does not like overly saturated soil. The University of Minnesota recommends planting basil in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. A layer of mulch over the surface of the dirt helps keep weeds at bay, and applying 5-10-5 fertilizer a couple of times per year will help keep the plant healthy.

Harvesting

• Gardeners harvest basil leaves by simply trimming fresh leaves off the plant. Although it works to just cut basil off as needed for cooking, the National Gardening Association recommends harvesting basil just as it starts to bud. The plant's leaves contain the most flavor at this time, so it is a good time to harvest basil and freeze it to store for cooking throughout the year. The University of Minnesota recommends clipping basil stems just above a pair of leaves to encourage new growth on the plant or pulling off a few individual leaves as needed