Bay leaves are one of the most popular spices in almost every kitchen. Soups, stews, meat dishes, and marinades are unthinkable without them. Bay leaves and gastronomy are almost inseparable. They are not just a spice. Bay leaves are a precious herb, full of beneficial chemical compounds and essential oils, and bay leaf tea is a source of health for the body. What are the benefits of bay leaf tea that you can get?
The bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), a member of the Lauraceae family produces well-known bay leaves. The bay tree is native to the Mediterranean region. It grows in other warm and mild climates. Depending on the region, there are different species of laurel trees: California, India, Mexico, and Turkey. All species of laurel have similar beneficial properties.
Laurel trees are evergreen plants with a dense and pyramidal crown, growing up to 10–15 m tall. The leaves are lanceolate and equilateral. The flowers are small, yellowish flowers clustered in the leaf axils. It has dark green, elliptical stone fruits with a large seed inside. All parts of the laurel tree contain fragrant essential oils.
The usual dried bay leaves sold in supermarkets are suitable for making tea or a bay leaf decoction. You can pick fresh leaves for tea if you have a scented bay tree on your windowsill.
The Beneficial of Bay Leaf and Its Properties
Bay leaves contain vitamins A, B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), and C, as well as minerals like calcium, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc. They are rich in chemical compounds with antioxidant and antiseptic properties. In addition to their general health benefits and immunity-boosting effects, bay leaves are effective in helping with other ailments.
- The organic compounds in bay leaves are very effective in relieving stomach upsets, improving food digestion, and soothing irritable bowel syndrome. Benefits include the health of the entire digestive tract and helping to remove toxins from the body.
- It has a preventive effect and reduces the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Powdered bay leaf capsules or bay leaf tea can lower blood sugar levels.
- The rutin and caffeic acids in bay leaves help to strengthen the walls of the blood vessels in the heart and reduce bad cholesterol.
- Bay leaves contain natural calming agents to help calm down and relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. These properties of bay leaves are a natural treatment for insomnia. A few drops of bay leaf extract mixed with water can help you fall asleep.
- Certain compounds in bay leaves inhibit nitric oxide production. This helps prevent inflammatory processes in the body.
Health-Boosting Bay Leaf Tea
You can brew a cup of bay leaf tea daily. It has a positive effect on the overall health of the body. Make this tea for a cold, runny nose, or cough, and have other benefits of bay leaf tea.
Ingredients:
- Two dried or 3-4 fresh bay leaves,
- 500 ml of water.
Place the bay leaves in a container. The leaves release more essential oils if being soaked a little beforehand. Pour the water over and simmer over high heat for 3–5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and leave it to stand for about 4 minutes. Strain the tea and enjoy.
Bay leaf tea has a bitter, slightly pungent taste (comparable to extra-robust black tea). Bay leaf tea is suitable for drinking with milk (regular or vegetable), honey, lemon, or other favorite additives. However, do not add it excessively so as not to overpower the natural flavor of the bay leaf tea.
Bay Leaf Water
You can obtain all the health benefits of drinking bay leaf water. A glass in the morning and at least a couple of glasses a day will help prevent digestive problems and improve metabolism and weight control. It will help to control health problems such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and joint pain. It will boost immunity and help prevent colds.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 bay leaves,
- 1 liter of water.
Place the crushed bay leaves in boiling water, cover, and leave to stand overnight. Strain the water from the leaves and drink it the next day.
Caraway and Bay Leaf Tea: A Homemade Remedy for Digestion
If your stomach has issues with digestion and your digestive system is on strike, try a bay leaf and caraway tea. Caraway has been used in folk medicine to treat digestive diseases. Their effect enhances the substances in bay leaves that stimulate metabolism and activate the release of liver enzymes.
Ingredients:
- two bay leaves,
- one teaspoon of caraway seeds,
- one cup of water.
Add all the ingredients to the boiling water and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes more. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave to stand for about 10 minutes. Strain and drink.
You can make this tea even more effective by adding peppermint, fennel, and licorice alongside bay leaves and caraway. The preparation is the same as the previous one, except you put five ingredients in the pot instead of two.
Cinnamon and Bay Leaf Tea Benefits: Improves Slimming
For those looking for an effective way to shed extra kilos, a combination of bay leaves and cinnamon may be just what you need. The benefits of bay leaf tea and cinnamon tea combination are effective in burning fat and preventing the accumulation of fat in the body. It improves the absorption of nutrients, lowers “bad” cholesterol, increases “good cholesterol,” and balances the metabolism.
Ingredients:
- one cinnamon stick or one teaspoon of cinnamon powder,
- 3-4 bay leaves,
- one teaspoon of honey (optional),
- 3-4 glasses of water.
First, boil the water, then add the bay leaves and cinnamon. Boil everything together over low heat for 10-20 minutes. When the tea is ready, strain it, add honey (as wanted), and drink it.
Clove and Bay Leaf Tea: Relieves Joint Pain
If you suffer from back pain related to spinal pathologies or rheumatic joint diseases, bay leaf and clove tea may help. The benefits of bay leaf tea with clove are anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
Ingredients:
- two dried bay leaves,
- three cloves,
- 300 ml of water.
Cover the bay leaves in a saucepan with water and boil for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cloves to the pot, cover, and leave to stand for 10–15 minutes. Strain the tea before drinking. Drink this tea twice a day for up to 10 days.
Bay Leaf Syrup: for Coughs
One of the most effective natural cough remedies is bay leaf syrup, which you can make at home. This remedy is also effective for very severe coughs and dry coughs.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water,
- 6 tablespoons of brown sugar,
- 6 bay leaves,
- 1 lemon.
First, bring the water to a boil. Then add the bay leaves and boil for about 6 minutes. Switch off the heat, cover the pot, and let it stand until cold. Once the liquid has cooled, strain it, add the sugar, squeeze in the lemon juice, and stir everything thoroughly. Pour the syrup into a clean, airtight container and refrigerate it for 3–4 days. Use the syrup 3 to 5 times a day, one tablespoon at a time.
Bay Leaves for Skin and Hair Beauty
Studies have shown that bay leaves have anti-fungal properties. They can protect the skin against infections and irritation. The antioxidants in bay leaves protect the skin from free radical damage and delay aging.
Laurel leaf hydrolat and essential oil are common ingredients in skin and hair care products. Regular consumption of bay leaf tea can help skin health and beauty. Poultices of cooled bay leaf tea treat problematic skin, wounds, and irritations. Use bay leaf water as a tonic for troublesome skin. It is furthermore appropriate for men after shaving.
Bay leaves have properties that work wonders for the hair! They moisturize the scalp, prevent dandruff, strengthen the hair, reduce hair loss, and promote growth. Soak the bay leaves in water, strain, and rinse your hair with it. Use this water for rubbing the scalp.
How to Consume Bay Leaf Tea and Its Possible Side Effects
Bay leaves are safe to take. In most cases, they do not cause any unwanted side effects. The main recommendation is not to eat the leaves directly, as their texture is rough, spongy, hard to chew, and complicated to digest.
Do not consume high quantities of bay leaf tea daily, as it can cause excessive drowsiness.
There are not sufficient studies published on the effects of bay leaves during pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, it is preferable to use bay leaves only as a spice in food during this period of life.
If you are using bay leaf tea to treat a specific medical condition, drink it until the illness improves. Make sure not to use it longer than three weeks.
Other Benefits of Bay Leaves
- Inhalations: evaporating bay leaf essential oil relieves symptoms of respiratory ailments and stuffy noses and treats sinusitis.
- Natural repellent: the lauric acid in the leaves repels insects. In addition, crushed bay leaves mixed with a little olive oil soothe symptoms caused by stings and bites.
- Natural incense and air freshener: the smoke and scent of 2-3 bay leaves crushed on a plate purify the air in the room and eliminate unpleasant odors.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/bay-leaf-health-benefits
https://www.healthshots.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/9-potential-health-benefits-of-bay-leaf/
https://www.healthifyme.com/blog/benefits-of-bay-leaf/
https://www.tea-and-coffee.com/blog/bay-leaf-tea-benefits
https://healthyplanbyann.com/tea-for-good-digestion/
Associative photos from © Canva.
