甜罗勒(Sweet Basil，Ocimum basilicum)
唇形科(Lamiaceae)罗勒属(Ocimum)
学名：Ocimum basilicum
中文名：甜罗勒
【生理活性】
栽种于土耳其的甜罗勒，根据研究花朵的精油主要由草蒿脑(Estragole，58.26%)、柠烯+β-水芹烯(Limonene+β-phellandrene，19.41%)、小茴香酮(Fenchone，10.10%)和α-水芹烯(α-Phellandrene，4.37%)组成，叶子的主成分是草蒿脑(52.6%)、柠烯(13.64%)、外-乙酸小茴香酯(exo-fenchyl acetate，10.99)和α-水芹烯(4.15%)，而茎部大多是由莳萝油脑(Dillapiole，50.07%)和草蒿脑(15.91%)组成#2。
民俗疗法
传统上，甜罗勒叶子和花视为滋补或驱虫药。泡茶有助于缓解痢疾、恶心和胀气。甜罗勒精油能治疗痉挛、鼻炎、倦怠和感冒，并作为蜜蜂、蚂蚁和蛇咬伤的急救药，还有排解无聊和舒缓受惊等用途。另可治牙痛、咳嗽、耳痛和肠胃疾病，如和樟脑一起使用可治流鼻血，内服则用在治疗膀胱炎、肾炎和内痔。其浸泡液对头痛、痛风、关节炎、发烧、耳炎和蛇咬的缓解有帮助。罗勒籽浸泡液可治淋病、长期腹泻和痢疾。#3
抗氧化
体外研究显示#4，甜罗勒的酒精萃取物具有抗氧化力，另一研究则证明酒精和水萃取物可增加抗氧化酵素的活性#5。整株甜罗勒精油也展现抗氧化力，能有效抑制亚麻油酸(linoleic acid)的氧化#6。另一篇探讨5种萃取物抗氧化力的研究表示，甜罗勒的乙酸乙酯、丁醇和水萃取物有非常优异的抗氧化力#7。
抗菌
甜罗勒精油可抑制临床上具有抗药性的大肠杆菌#8，且可能还有预防细菌发展抗药性的效果。茎皮的酒精、甲醇和水萃取物都能抑制多种细菌和白色念珠菌#9，细菌包括金黄色葡萄球菌、绿脓杆菌、表皮葡萄球菌和痢疾志贺氏杆菌(Shigella dysenteriae)等，效果以甲醇萃取物最好，水萃取物最差。其他研究指出#10，整株甜罗勒精油可抑制多重抗药性的葡萄球菌属、假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)和肠球菌属(Enterococcus)细菌。
抗发炎、止痛
在小鼠实验发现#11，200毫克/公斤体重剂量的甲醇萃取物有止痛功效，效果和阿斯匹灵相当。另一关于甜罗勒精油的研究#12，50、100和200毫克/公斤体重剂量能缓解小鼠因醋酸引起的疼痛，减少腹部收缩扭动现象。甜罗勒浸泡酒(tincture)在大鼠抗发炎的研究#13，结果显示能有效抑制白血球数量、吞噬细胞活性和单核球(monocyte)数值，降低发炎反应。
抗癌
甜罗勒精油在体外实验发现可抑制多种癌细胞的增生#14，例如人类口腔癌细胞和小鼠白血病细胞，最有效情况下，在浓度0.0362 mg/ml时即能抑制半数小鼠白血病细胞。另一篇研究描述#15，精油能抑制人类子宫颈癌和喉癌细胞，以及小鼠纤维母细胞的增生。
降血糖、降血脂
甜罗勒水萃取物能抑制大鼠肠道内蔗糖酵素、麦芽糖酵素和淀粉酵素(分解糖分助吸收)活性，具有减少糖摄取，改善糖尿病的潜力功效#16。还可缓解高血脂大鼠的血脂情况#17，施以0.5 g/100 g体重剂量萃取物治疗的大鼠，24小时后血液中总胆固醇、三酸甘油酯和坏胆固醇分别减少56%、63%和68%。
护肝、抗血液毒性
使用山羊肝的体外研究指出#4，甜罗勒叶的酒精萃取物可有效减少因化学毒物造成的肝损伤，维持抗氧化酵素的活性，达到护肝成效。此外，甜罗勒叶的甲醇萃取物能减少小鼠因苯(benzene)诱发的血液毒性#18，持续4周每日口服100毫克/公斤体重剂量萃取物的小鼠血液品质指标明显较好，细胞死亡数也变少。
改善胃溃疡和十二指肠溃疡
整株甜罗勒的酒精和水萃取物都能有效治疗大鼠的胃溃疡和十二指肠溃疡#19，口服500毫克/公斤体重剂量萃取物的大鼠，经48小时后，溃疡指数、溃疡程度和溃疡区域相较于对照组，都显著减少，且水萃取物效果优于酒精萃取物。另一在1989年发表于民族药学期刊的研究描述#20，整株甜罗勒的粉末以及水和甲醇萃取物可减少大鼠胃溃疡指数，甲醇萃取物还可抑制胃酸分泌并增加己糖胺(hexosamine)浓度。(己糖胺增加可提高胃黏膜防御力，帮助溃疡愈合)
镇静、安眠和抗癫痫
腹部注射整株甜罗勒精油的小鼠观察到有明显镇静、安眠以及抗癫痫功效#21，结果显示剂量1.2 mL kg有显著镇静效果，在0.2 mL/kg则有明显安眠功效，剂量2.2 mL/kg甚至能将睡眠时间增加1倍，而在0.4-0.8 mL/kg时，即可有效减少因药物strychnine、picrotoxin或pentylene tetrazole诱发的抽慉(convulsion)反应并拉长潜伏期，拥有抗癫痫潜力。另一篇2009年发表的研究也有相似结果#22，不过对于因strychnine引发的抽慉，缓解效果并不明显。
增加记忆
酒水萃取物经实验证实#23，可增加小鼠的记忆维持(memory retention)和记忆提取(memory retrieval)能力，结果显示腹腔注射萃取物400 mg/Kg剂量时有最佳功效，若更高剂量则效果降低。
降低缺血性中风发生风险
小鼠在强迫脑缺血前先口服100和200mg/kg剂量的甜罗勒乙酸乙酯萃取物，结果可大幅减少因脑缺血导致的脑梗塞和氧化反应，并恢复抗氧化物活性，减少短期记忆和动作协调的伤害，预防中风发生#24。
降低生育毒性
重金属镉会使大鼠睪丸中毒，导致型态异常、造精低落和生殖细胞死亡等症状，甜罗勒叶的水萃取物可缓解镉造成的毒性、减少细胞死亡数以及降低睪丸损伤#25。
可能风险
在大鼠14天的口服毒性实验#26，酒水萃取物的半数致死剂量在5 mg/kg以上，持续45天每日口服500 mg/kg时，除了红血球和血小板数有明显下降外，并未观察到其它任何负面影响。大鼠实验显示#27，连续15天口服甜罗勒叶的酒水萃取物364 mg/kg或624 mg/kg能使大鼠的发情周期和动情间期(diestrus)明显增加，发情前期(proestrus)、发期情(estrus)和发情后期(metestrus)显著减少，这些现象会造成排卵平率降低并抑制排卵，减少受孕机会，所以甜罗勒叶的酒水萃取物可能有潜在避孕功效。含草蒿脑55%以上的甜罗勒精油，口服超过8毫升即有可能使6岁以下儿童致死#28。
【芳疗功效】
2009年时在国际临床与实验催眠期刊(International Journal Of Clinical&Experimental Hypnosis)曾发表一种治疗恐惧和创伤后压力症候群(PTSD)的新疗法#28-29，患者在催眠期间，吸闻特定气味，并建立安全感和自我控制(self-control)连结，治疗期间藉由吸闻改善病征。结果一位37岁患有广场恐惧症和恐慌攻击的男性，经过3个月催眠嗅闻甜罗勒精油的治疗后，成功摆脱药物治疗，且在1年追踪中每月只需再嗅闻甜罗勒精油1-2次。另一位51岁患有PTSD的退休老兵，有失落、焦虑、失眠和想自杀等症状，经催眠吸嗅甜罗勒精油6个疗程后，健康大幅改善，治疗1年后也未观察到复发迹象。
一项14人参与历时3周的临床实验显示#28,30，吸闻含有薄荷、甜罗勒和永久花的精油后感觉可减轻精神疲惫，实验组减轻幅度大于对照组(玫瑰水)。
甜罗勒精油也有抗痘潜力，体外实验发现2%甜罗勒精油制成的乳液可有效抑制痤疮丙酸杆菌(Propionibacterium acnes)的生长#31。
【料理应用】
干燥的甜罗勒添加进牛肉排加工或料理过程中，皆能有效抑制油脂氧化，减少氧化物形成，在加工过程便预先添加会比料理时再加的效果还好#32-33。甜罗勒叶的酒水萃取物富含迷迭香酸，加入吐司可作为天然防腐剂，并有卓越的抗氧化力#34。
含有柠檬草或甜罗勒水萃取物的鸡脚冻，研究显示能提高鸡脚冻强度、热稳定性和弹性，使鸡脚冻更完美，两种香草萃取物的最佳效果都出现在浓度2 ml/100 g干明胶冻时，其中柠檬草效果又优于甜罗勒#35。根据过去研究的推测#35，多酚成分藉由氢键和蛋白质的疏水作用构成互相连接的桥梁，有助于蛋白质交联成明胶，但浓度过高时多酚会聚集包围在蛋白质表面，反而使交联效果变差。
生鲜或干燥的甜罗勒广泛应用在地中海料理，常加进沙拉、披萨、蔬菜、汤品、肉类、海鲜和番茄料理#2。其他和起司、鸡蛋、蒜头、橄榄油和义式料理也是绝配，使用时在上桌前添加即可。
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作者：cofactor412