Basil seeds have been used traditionally in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, They definitely a healthy seed worth adding to your diet.
The basil seeds that are used for eating are the seeds from the sweet basil plant, Ocimum basilicum. They are also called Thai basil seeds, falooda, sabja, subza, selasih or tukmaria.
This is different from the holy basil plant, Ocimum tenuiflorum, which is also called tulsi.
Sweet basil seeds are a similar size as chia seeds. The difference is basil seeds are completely black and tear-shaped, whereas chia seeds are typically mottled shades of grey with brown and have a more rounded shape.
Like chia, basil seeds become gelatinous when soaked in water. They are used in drinks in many Asian countries for thickening as well as for health.