pancakes的部落格

甜羅勒(Sweet Basil，Ocimum basilicum)

唇形科(Lamiaceae)羅勒屬(Ocimum)

學名：Ocimum basilicum

中文名：甜羅勒

圖1：甜羅勒(Ocimum basilicum)#1

【生理活性】

栽種於土耳其的甜羅勒，根據研究花朵的精油主要由草蒿腦(Estragole，58.26%)、檸烯+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%)組成，葉子的主成分是草蒿腦(52.6%)、檸烯(13.64%)、外-乙酸小茴香酯(exo-fenchyl acetate，10.99)和α-水芹烯(4.15%)，而莖部大多是由蒔蘿油腦(Dillapiole，50.07%)和草蒿腦(15.91%)組成#2。

民俗療法

傳統上，甜羅勒葉子和花視為滋補或驅蟲藥。泡茶有助於緩解痢疾、噁心和脹氣。甜羅勒精油能治療痙攣、鼻炎、倦怠和感冒，並作為蜜蜂、螞蟻和蛇咬傷的急救藥，還有排解無聊和舒緩受驚等用途。另可治牙痛、咳嗽、耳痛和腸胃疾病，如和樟腦一起使用可治流鼻血，內服則用在治療膀胱炎、腎炎和內痔。其浸泡液對頭痛、痛風、關節炎、發燒、耳炎和蛇咬的緩解有幫助。羅勒籽浸泡液可治淋病、長期腹瀉和痢疾。#3

抗氧化

體外研究顯示#4，甜羅勒的酒精萃取物具有抗氧化力，另一研究則證明酒精和水萃取物可增加抗氧化酵素的活性#5。整株甜羅勒精油也展現抗氧化力，能有效抑制亞麻油酸(linoleic acid)的氧化#6。另一篇探討5種萃取物抗氧化力的研究表示，甜羅勒的乙酸乙酯、丁醇和水萃取物有非常優異的抗氧化力#7。

抗菌

甜羅勒精油可抑制臨床上具有抗藥性的大腸桿菌#8，且可能還有預防細菌發展抗藥性的效果。莖皮的酒精、甲醇和水萃取物都能抑制多種細菌和白色念珠菌#9，細菌包括金黃色葡萄球菌、綠膿桿菌、表皮葡萄球菌和痢疾志賀氏桿菌(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，整株甜羅勒精油可抑制多重抗藥性的葡萄球菌屬、假單胞菌屬 (Pseudomonas)和腸球菌屬(Enterococcus)細菌。

抗發炎、止痛

在小鼠實驗發現#11，200 毫克/公斤體重劑量的甲醇萃取物有止痛功效，效果和阿斯匹靈相當。另一關於甜羅勒精油的研究#12，50、100 和200 毫克/公斤體重劑量能緩解小鼠因醋酸引起的疼痛，減少腹部收縮扭動現象。甜羅勒浸泡酒(tincture)在大鼠抗發炎的研究#13，結果顯示能有效抑制白血球數量、吞噬細胞活性和單核球(monocyte)數值，降低發炎反應。

抗癌

甜羅勒精油在體外實驗發現可抑制多種癌細胞的增生#14，例如人類口腔癌細胞和小鼠白血病細胞，最有效情況下，在濃度0.0362 mg/ml時即能抑制半數小鼠白血病細胞。另一篇研究描述#15，精油能抑制人類子宮頸癌和喉癌細胞，以及小鼠纖維母細胞的增生。

降血糖、降血脂

甜羅勒水萃取物能抑制大鼠腸道內蔗糖酵素、麥芽糖酵素和澱粉酵素(分解糖分助吸收)活性，具有減少糖攝取，改善糖尿病的潛力功效#16。還可緩解高血脂大鼠的血脂情況#17，施以0.5 g/100 g體重劑量萃取物治療的大鼠，24小時後血液中總膽固醇、三酸甘油酯和壞膽固醇分別減少56%、63%和68%。

護肝、抗血液毒性

使用山羊肝的體外研究指出#4，甜羅勒葉的酒精萃取物可有效減少因化學毒物造成的肝損傷，維持抗氧化酵素的活性，達到護肝成效。此外，甜羅勒葉的甲醇萃取物能減少小鼠因苯(benzene)誘發的血液毒性#18，持續4周每日口服100 毫克/公斤體重劑量萃取物的小鼠血液品質指標明顯較好，細胞死亡數也變少。

改善胃潰瘍和十二指腸潰瘍

整株甜羅勒的酒精和水萃取物都能有效治療大鼠的胃潰瘍和十二指腸潰瘍#19，口服500毫克/公斤體重劑量萃取物的大鼠，經48小時後，潰瘍指數、潰瘍程度和潰瘍區域相較於對照組，都顯著減少，且水萃取物效果優於酒精萃取物。另一在1989年發表於民族藥學期刊的研究描述#20，整株甜羅勒的粉末以及水和甲醇萃取物可減少大鼠胃潰瘍指數，甲醇萃取物還可抑制胃酸分泌並增加己糖胺(hexosamine)濃度。(己糖胺增加可提高胃黏膜防禦力，幫助潰瘍癒合)

鎮靜、安眠和抗癲癇

腹部注射整株甜羅勒精油的小鼠觀察到有明顯鎮靜、安眠以及抗癲癇功效#21，結果顯示劑量1.2 mL kg有顯著鎮靜效果，在0.2 mL/kg則有明顯安眠功效，劑量2.2 mL/kg甚至能將睡眠時間增加1倍，而在0.4 - 0.8 mL/kg時，即可有效減少因藥物strychnine、picrotoxin或pentylene tetrazole誘發的抽慉(convulsion)反應並拉長潛伏期，擁有抗癲癇潛力。另一篇2009年發表的研究也有相似結果#22，不過對於因strychnine引發的抽慉，緩解效果並不明顯。

增加記憶

酒水萃取物經實驗證實#23，可增加小鼠的記憶維持(memory retention)和記憶提取(memory retrieval)能力，結果顯示腹腔注射萃取物400 mg/Kg劑量時有最佳功效，若更高劑量則效果降低。

降低缺血性中風發生風險

小鼠在強迫腦缺血前先口服100和200mg/kg劑量的甜羅勒乙酸乙酯萃取物，結果可大幅減少因腦缺血導致的腦梗塞和氧化反應，並恢復抗氧化物活性，減少短期記憶和動作協調的傷害，預防中風發生#24。

降低生育毒性

重金屬鎘會使大鼠睪丸中毒，導致型態異常、造精低落和生殖細胞死亡等症狀，甜羅勒葉的水萃取物可緩解鎘造成的毒性、減少細胞死亡數以及降低睪丸損傷#25。

可能風險

在大鼠14天的口服毒性實驗#26，酒水萃取物的半數致死劑量在5 mg/kg以上，持續45天每日口服500 mg/kg時，除了紅血球和血小板數有明顯下降外，並未觀察到其它任何負面影響。大鼠實驗顯示#27，連續15天口服甜羅勒葉的酒水萃取物364 mg/kg或624 mg/kg能使大鼠的發情週期和動情間期(diestrus)明顯增加，發情前期(proestrus)、發期情(estrus)和發情後期(metestrus)顯著減少，這些現象會造成排卵平率降低並抑制排卵，減少受孕機會，所以甜羅勒葉的酒水萃取物可能有潛在避孕功效。含草蒿腦55%以上的甜羅勒精油，口服超過8毫升即有可能使6歲以下兒童致死#28。

【芳療功效】

2009年時在國際臨床與實驗催眠期刊(International Journal Of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis)曾發表一種治療恐懼和創傷後壓力症候群(PTSD)的新療法#28-29，患者在催眠期間，吸聞特定氣味，並建立安全感和自我控制(self-control)連結，治療期間藉由吸聞改善病徵。結果一位37歲患有廣場恐懼症和恐慌攻擊的男性，經過3個月催眠嗅聞甜羅勒精油的治療後，成功擺脫藥物治療，且在1年追蹤中每月只需再嗅聞甜羅勒精油1-2次。另一位51歲患有PTSD的退休老兵，有失落、焦慮、失眠和想自殺等症狀，經催眠吸嗅甜羅勒精油6個療程後，健康大幅改善，治療1年後也未觀察到復發跡象。

一項14人參與歷時3周的臨床實驗顯示#28, 30，吸聞含有薄荷、甜羅勒和永久花的精油後感覺可減輕精神疲憊，實驗組減輕幅度大於對照組(玫瑰水)。

甜羅勒精油也有抗痘潛力，體外實驗發現2%甜羅勒精油製成的乳液可有效抑制痤瘡丙酸桿菌(Propionibacterium acnes)的生長#31。

【料理應用】

乾燥的甜羅勒添加進牛肉排加工或料理過程中，皆能有效抑制油脂氧化，減少氧化物形成，在加工過程便預先添加會比料理時再加的效果還好#32-33。甜羅勒葉的酒水萃取物富含迷迭香酸，加入吐司可作為天然防腐劑，並有卓越的抗氧化力#34。

含有檸檬草或甜羅勒水萃取物的雞腳凍，研究顯示能提高雞腳凍強度、熱穩定性和彈性，使雞腳凍更完美，兩種香草萃取物的最佳效果都出現在濃度2 ml/100 g乾明膠凍時，其中檸檬草效果又優於甜羅勒#35。根據過去研究的推測#35，多酚成分藉由氫鍵和蛋白質的疏水作用構成互相連接的橋樑，有助於蛋白質交聯成明膠，但濃度過高時多酚會聚集包圍在蛋白質表面，反而使交聯效果變差。

生鮮或乾燥的甜羅勒廣泛應用在地中海料理，常加進沙拉、披薩、蔬菜、湯品、肉類、海鮮和番茄料理#2。其他和起司、雞蛋、蒜頭、橄欖油和義式料理也是絕配，使用時在上桌前添加即可。

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