The green leafy herb has a history steeped in folklore. In India, it was used to ward off evil and was considered sacred. Europeans in the Middle Ages thought that basil caused the spontaneous generation of scorpions and that even smelling basil could lead to an unfortunate case of scorpions in one’s brain. That said, should a scorpion sting you, folklore recommends basil as a cure… which could lead to more scorpions and more stings, but there you go.