This aromatic shrub, which is commonly used as a bouquet garni to flavor our handmade dishes, has a variety of additional benefits… The laurel, formerly regarded by the Greeks and Romans as an appetite stimulant and body booster, will swiftly become one of our most valuable health allies!

What exactly is a laurel?

The laurel, also known as the noble laurel due to its translation from the Latin Laurus nobilis, is a shrub with little requirements other than heat and sunlight, which it then knows how to transfer so well to culinary preparations. Logically, it is mostly in the earth around the Mediterranean. It is distinguished by its dark green, dense, and robust leaves, which are frequently employed in the creation of garden hedges. Less often known, the bay leaf produces spherical, black berries in the spring that, when dried, have the same flavor attributes as the leaves.

However, while bay laurel is an important aromatic plant in French cuisine, it is also well-known for its therapeutic benefits and is often employed in herbal medicine.

Bay leaf’s therapeutic properties

Laurel has traditionally been used to alleviate stomach problems.

It promotes the release of gastric juices in the stomach, ensuring proper digestion and preventing fermentation.

It is also used as an antibacterial, which is why it is found in many marinades.

The laurel would also be an excellent expectorant in the event of bronchitis, and its powder would help to reduce fever.

Laurel essential oil (which should never be taken internally) is frequently used in ointments to treat muscle aches and pains. Its action would also help with rheumatic aches. A bath with leaf decoctions is also supposed to relieve hurting limbs.

The laurel sauce, applied as a leaf poultice, would alleviate the discomfort associated with wasp or bee stings.

The laurel sauce would also have fascinating urinary system characteristics because it would tone the bladder and, according to Dioscorides (1st century AD), eradicate kidney stones. Still, Discoride claims that its bark can help with liver problems.