A green and cheep strategy to prepare highly fluorescent carbon dots from Ocimum sanctum was developed. The synthesized non toxic carbon dots were employed for the detection of the Pb2+ ions and live cell imaging. Limit of detection (LOD) of Pb2+ ions is 0.59 nM. The Pb2+ ions are also detected in triple negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB 468 cells) and real water samples.