Bay leaves come from the bay laurel plant, Laurus nobilis and are the same ones that Romans used to make crowns. At that time, the Romans believed that if you put bay twigs on the head it would make you smarter. While it may not make you smarter, the aromatic smell of the bay certainly would be pleasant. However, to get the health benefits, it's best not to wear it on the head but take supplements, tea or make a poultice from the leaves.
Nutrition Facts
Bay leaf has many vitamins and nutrients. While one gram of bay leaf contains 7 percent of the daily value for manganese, 4 percent of your daily requirement for iron, 2 percent of the daily value for vitamin A and 1 percent for calcium, magnesium, folate and vitamin C, it's not as power packed as you'd expect. For instance, it takes about 12 medium sized fresh bay leaves to make up on gram, so unless you're taking a supplement in pill form, it will be hard to meet your daily requirement by just adding bay leaf. However, it will make your dishes taste delicious and add a little extra nutrition while doing that.
Protects the Body from Cancer
There are studies, which show that bay laurel may be a significant cancer fighter. It contains many of the chemicals that help protect the body from cancer as well as phytonutrients, such as parthenolide, shown to rob cervical cancer cells of the ability to proliferate.
Helps Prevent Heart Disease
The caffeic acid, rutin, alicylates and other phytonutrients in the bay leaf also may be helpful in preventing cardiovascular disease. You find these leaves used liberally in Mediterranean dishes, which may be another reason that type of diet promotes heart health.
Anti-inflammatory Health Benefits
Other phytonutrients also play a role in health. The parthenolide contained in a bay leaf is an anti-inflammatory and used to treat arthritis, as well as other conditions. Bay leaf is also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
A study done at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad showed that when researchers treated some mice with 200 mg of extract from bay leaf it accelerated wound healing. Other studies show that the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of the bay leaf fight Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureaus, Aspergillus fumigates and Streptococcus pyogenes. Bay leaf is often an ingredient in chicken soup and this may be another reason that chicken soup is good for what ails you.
Controls Blood Sugar and Lowers Cholesterol
A very recent study completed at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Maryland, by the Department of Agriculture used 40 participants and divided them into groups of 10. The groups received a placebo or 1, 2, or 3 grams of bay leaf daily for 30 days. While the placebo group had no significant change in cholesterol or serum glucose, those given bay leaf had a 21 to 26 percent reduction in serum glucose levels, a 32 to 40 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), 25 to 34 percent reduction of triglycerides and an increase in the good cholesterol (HDL) of 20 to 29 percent. Not only was it beneficial for diabetics, it also proved that bay leaf is heart healthy too.
While the studies continue on the health benefits of bay leaf, you can use it in your cooking without any fear of side effects, but be aware, that's only true for the Laurus nobilis bay leaf and not the California bay, Umbellularia californica or Kalmia latifolia. These plants are not true bay leaf plants and may have some harmful side effects without any of the same health benefits.
