Laurus nobilis
English: Bay laurel, Sweet laurel, Laurel, Sweet bay,
Family: Lauraceae.
Botany: an evergreen shrub or small tree, admired for its beauty and aromatic leaves since Greek and Roman times. Currently, the plant is both cultivated and collected from the wild in Turkey, Algeria, Belgium, France, Greece, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, the Canary Islands, Central America, and the southern United States.
The reported life zone of bay laurel is 8 to 25 degrees centigrade with an annual precipitation of 0.3 to 2.2 meters and a soil pH of 4.5 to 8.3. Best development occurs in full sun and deep soils. The plant can withstand several degrees of frost.
Cultural
Bay laurel is the true laurel of Greek and Roman mythology. A poet laureate is an accomplished poet, and the Roman poet, Ovid, retold the story of the Greek nymph, Daphne, who was transformed into a laurel tree by her father, Peneus, so that she could avoid the amorous pursuit of the god, Apollo. (Cupid had shot an arrow into the fair maiden's heart so that she would not love Apollo.) Thereafter, Apollo wore a wreath of laurel to show his love for Daphne. Laurel has always symbolized victory and merit, and a baccalaureate (baca lauri, Latin for "laurel berry") still is a symbol of accomplishment. The leathery leaves of the laurel tree were used by ancient Greeks and Romans to crown their victors. Bay laurel has been credited with magical properties, like protecting from witches, the devil and lightning.
Chemistry
The oil of laurel, accumulated in the palisade and mesophyll cells of leaves, reaches a content of 1 to 3ø% on a fresh-weight basis. There appears to be a seasonal periodicity in oil synthesis and accumulation with significant oil increases in leaves occurring during early summer and maximizing in mid-summer. The main constituent of the essential oil includes 1,8-cineole, - and -pinene, sabinene, l-linalool, eugenol, eugenol acetate, methyleugenol,
l--terpineol acetate, -phellandrene, plus other esters and terpenoids. The high concentrations of oil catechins in bay laurel leaves are maintained by drying.
An essential oil from mountain laurel, Umbellularia californica Nutt (Laurales), an aromatic tree native to California and Oregon in the United States, has been used as both a condiment and as an insecticide. Umbellulone, a chief constituent of this plant's essential oil, is a mucous irritant and has shown toxicological properties. Safrole, another constituent in the essential oil, has carcinogenic and hallucinogenic activity.
The dark to bright green leaves are very fragrant, and after drying they are broken, cracked, or cooked to release the characteristic aroma. Dried leaves are used as a flavoring for soups, fish, meats, stews, puddings, vinegars, and beverages. Oil of bay or oil of laurel leaves, the essential or volatile oil obtained by steam distillation, and an oleoresin have replaced dry leaves in some food preparations. Several varieties and leaf forms of bay laurel are available for growing as ornamentals. The plant can readily be sheared into distinctive shapes and is adaptable to outdoor gardens and container growth. Leaves and branches are used for garlands and wreaths.
Uses: the esssential oil is used by the cosmetic industry in creams, perfumes, and soaps.
Homeopathy
Stage 10: baccalaureate, accomplishment in study, crowning victors in sports and war.
Silverseries: poet laureate, an accomplished poet, nymph Daphne.
General
Antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic in large doses, emmenagogue, narcotic, parasiticide, stimulant, stomachic and insect repellent.
Body
Earaches.
Abortion.
Rheumatism.
Skin rashes.
DD: Cinnamomum cassia: “bay leaf” in India, cassia tree
DD: Kalmia latifolia: Mountain laurel.
DD: Kalmia angustifolia: Sheep laurel.
DD: Prunus laurocerasus: Laurocerasus, Cherry laurel.
DD: Magnolia grandiflora: Bull bay.
DD: Myrica pennsylvanica Loisel: Bayberry,
DD: Gordonia lasianthus Ellis: Loblolly bay.
DD: Pimenta racemosa (Myrtaceae): oil of bay, bay rum tree, West Indian bay tree.