Many of us know bay leaves as an essential ingredient in the kitchen to enhance the taste of various dishes. But do you know the health benefits you can achieve from it? Surprisingly, the list encompasses benefits for digestive health, cancer prevention, hair health, assistance with menstrual issues, and much more. This page is dedicated to bay leaves, and you can explore all the related facts here.
Bay Leaf: A Magical Seasoning Ingredient
Laurel leaf, popularly known as bay leaf, is obtained from a sweet bay tree in the Mediterranean. It is widely used in making pickles, marinating, and adding flavors to stuffing and stews. They give a delicate fragrance; however, they are bitter.
Considering the elements of bay leaves, around 2% of them are essential oils, mostly cineole. The nutritional value of bay leaves includes nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, water, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, C, and A, Potassium, Thiamine, Niacin, Riboflavin, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Sodium, Phosphorous, Zinc, Selenium, and Manganese. The radiant and dry bay leaves are mostly added to the dishes when cooking is initiated. Once the dish is ready, the bay leaves are removed from it. In some places, they are also sold in the form of powder.
Bay leaves are popular for various health benefits, including cooking. They are also used in preparing various medicines and in certain spiritual activities.
How are bay leaves used?
Bay leaf is one of the common spices easily visible in kitchens. It is mostly available in dry form and used as a whole dry leaf in cooking. However, fresh leaves and dried powders are also available to use in the kitchen for preparing recipes like fish, soups, sauces, stews, etc. Apart from this, the essential oil obtained from the bay leaves has been used since ancient times in preparing medications as they are rich in functional properties like anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-ulcerogenic, hypoglycemic, etc. The essential oil obtained from bay leaves is also used in the form of a natural insect repellent to obtain relief from bites and stings.
What are the health benefits of bay leaves?
Bay leaf is an ingredient that reduces the intake of calories and increases antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and fiber in your food. Let’s check the list of the health benefits you can receive from adding bay leaves to your diet.
1. Helps with digestive issues
To your surprise, bay leaves can be beneficial for your gastrointestinal system. It stimulates urination and vomiting when any toxic ingredient is consumed. It helps reduce the toxicity in the body in both ways. The bay leaves also possess organic compounds that help ease an upset stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and other symptoms related to Celiac disease. Digestive benefits from bay leaves; it can be consumed in the form of oil and tea.
2. Beneficial for respiratory health
The bay leaf essential oil is used for obtaining relief from respiratory health issues by applying it to the chest. It is also used in aromatherapy to deal with phlegm and other harmful bacteria that lead to several respiratory issues. The antibacterial properties obtained from the leaves can help reduce coughing from the chest area.
3. Improves the heart condition
Bay leaves help you with essential organic compounds like rutin and caffeic acid. Both compounds are important for the health of your heart. When suffering from heartburn, having bay leaf tea can be a good solution. Rutin obtained from bay leaves makes your capillary walls strong, and caffeic acid removes the bad cholesterol from the body.
4. Helpful for the treatment of Cancer
Bay leaves serve you with an amazing blend of organic compounds and antioxidants like catechins, parthenolide, linalool, phytonutrients, etc. This combination protects the body from any negative impact of free radicals. The free radicals can harm the healthy cells in the body and convert them into cancerous cells. And bay leaves prevent your body from the formation of cancerous cells.
5. Manages diabetes
Bay leaves have a direct connection with regulating blood sugar levels. So, if you are having a chance of developing diabetes or you are already suffering from it, consuming bay leaves regularly can help you reduce the insulin levels and manage it as well.
Apart from all these, bay leaves are also helpful in other health issues like stress and anxiety, hair fall and dandruff, menstrual cramps, sleep disorders, insect bites, kidney stones issues, cognitive impairment and oxidative brain injury, genetic mutations, inflammation and pain, immune issues, etc.
What are the side effects of bay leaves?
Bay leaf oil, or bay leaf, is usually safe for nearly everyone when taken in food volumes. But consuming the entire leaf through the mouth can be dangerous. It is not possible to digest the leaf and hence remains in the digestive system. This can result in congestion in the throat, piercing of the intestine’s lines, etc. One shouldn’t also include bay leaf essential oil in cooking, as it is strictly used for inhalation or application on skin or wounds.
It is surely beneficial for managing diabetes; hence, if consuming bay leaf to reduce insulin levels, one needs to constantly monitor the blood sugar levels regularly.
When bay leaf is combined with particular medications or anesthesia, it interferes with the function of the central nervous system during or after any surgery. When any surgery is scheduled, the consumption of bay leaves needs to be stopped a minimum of 15 days prior to the surgery.
No doubt, there are many health benefits to consuming bay leaves, and pregnant women and lactating mothers should avoid their consumption.
Conclusion
Bay leaf is an amazing ingredient for cooking various flavor dishes like stew and soups. However, one should constantly monitor its dosage to prevent any potential health risks. The leaves are generally added to dishes but should also be removed before enjoying meals. There is no advised dosage for the leaves or its essential oil, but it is highly recommended to consult any doctor before using its products or the leaves themselves.
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