Table 2 shows the mineral composition of fresh, steamed and dried Ocimum gratissimum leaf. The fresh leaf was low in sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and copper, but high in manganese and zinc. There was a significant loss in mineral content of the steamed leaf compared with the fresh sample (p = 0.02, 0.03). Drying on the other hand seemed to significantly concentrate the minerals (p = 0.001, 0.02) compared with the fresh sample.