LAURUS Nobilis
LARACEAE 
Plant families important in hot,
the Lauraceae are often aromatic, they are trees or shrubs evergreen.
It consumes the fruit of Persea americana (see avocado) or the bark of Cinnamomum (see cinnamon).
The laurel (or bay leaf sauce) is native to Asia Minor, is usually a small tree, dioecious (separate to sex,) branches pointing upwards, rather dense foliage and evergreen, the leaves are alternate, somewhat farms and have a ripple on their board, the result is a bay black.
If the bay is now best known as a spice rather common, there was a time where he was revered, enshrined in the Apollon Solar, emblem of victory in Greece as in Rome, he could not, as the olive tree, used for any secular use, it does not even burned on the altar.
For many it was a magic plant, it is consumed in green crackling even for Christians is a beneficial plant and is blessed with "Palm".
COMPOSITION AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
The leaves, when they were crushes, a strong smell aromatic blend of eucalyptus and cinnamon, in effect, the essential oil (see glossary) (ET) they contain (1 to 3% dry weight) contains 30 to 70% of cineole (eucalytol) but also terpenoids (see glossary) (linalool, geraniol, eugenol, pinene, terpinene and phellandrene).
The leaves also contain alkaloids (see glossary) aporphinoïdes and sesquiterpene lactones (see glossary).
Lactones laurel can induce allergic dermatitis as well as those of the arnica of chysanthèmes, chamomile and many other Asteraceae.
The fruit (berry) laurel is rich in oil
(17 to 25%), solid at ordinary temperatures bay butter (fats, C12 = lauric acid).
This oil is the balsamic ET it contains similar composition of leaves.
USES
The leaf, which dries very good flavor to many dishes and sauces are used sparingly or it communicates bitter foods (it's due to the presence of lactones and possibly alkaloids). It may be regarded as a digestive stimulant, but conversely, his enthusiasm and persistence in the mouth of the odor of eucalyptol can cut the appetite and thus enters into the composition of herbal medicines referred to slimming.
Apart from the issue of saturation of taste buds is a spice that helps digestion (by stimulating digestive secretions), which combats flatulence and epigastric bloating.
The bay laurel was the same culinary use than the leaf, dried, on the grate, like nutmeg, harvested in autumn, it is rich in fat and can extract the oil after crushing berries and prolonged boiling followed by sieving the mixture, still warm. The oil floats and freezes, dried in a water bath, after mixing with an equal weight of lard, one obtains the real butter bay, old popular ointment formerly used on sprains, painful joints and muscles knotted, boils and felons. The pure oil repelling mosquitoes, it is applied directly on the skin, crushed leaves would calm insect bites.
Used internally, it promotes the infusion of leaves: 10 to 20 grams of leaves for a liter of water to improve digestion or contaire appetite. Externally, the decoction (see glossary): 50 g of leaves for a liter of boiling water is useful for the debridement of wounds and burns, insect repellent or as a liquid to kill external parasites in animals.
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