Objective: Plant cell culture technology is an attractive alternative source to whole plants for the production of valuable secondary metabolites. Elicitors are used to stimulate secondary metabolite product formation in plant cell cultures by reducing the process time for increased culture volumes and high product concentrations. Methods: Secondary metabolites viz., phenols, alkaloids and terpenoids were quantified in cell cultures of Ocimum basilicum L., Ocimum sanctum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. elicited with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and chitosan (treatments alone and in combination) and compared with non elicited cell cultures, callus cultures and field grown plants of the same. Results: Quantification studies showed total phenols to be the highest in leaves (90 days old) of all three Ocimum species. Total alkaloids and terpenoids were observed as the highest at the combined elictor treatment MeJA 25 μM + chitosan 200 mg/L (8 h) for O. basilicum, individual elicitor treatment MeJA 25 μM (48 h) for O. sanctum and chitosan 50 mg/L (24 h) for O. gratissimum. Conclusion: This study will serve as a platform for attempts aimed at production, screening and characterization of many economically important individual secondary metabolite compounds on an industrial scale from the three Ocimum species.