Bay Laurel

Description

Evergreen plant, perenne.

Stem

This can vary from a small bush to a big tree, even more than 10 metres high; it is evergreen, with more or less smooth bark.

Leaves

Thick and leathery, oval in shape, up to 10 centimetres long; glossy dark green on the upper surface and a lighter, matt green on the underside; the edges are wavy. They have a strong spicy smell.

Flowers

Small and greenish-yellow in colour. Laurel flowers in March - April.

Fruits

Consisting of small black berries, shiny, the size of a cherry: they contain a single seed and ripen in October - November.

Exposure

Full sun, sheltered from the wind, in rich soil, moist and well drained.

Propagation

By cuttings 10 centimetres long, taken in late summer and placed in a well-heated and very humid propagating frame.

Growth

Once the plant has grown stronger, transplant it at intervals of 120 centimetres, sheltered from the cold. It can also be grown in a pot, but below -15°C, bring it indoors.

Harvesting

The leaves can be picked all year round, but the best are taken between July and August; the fruits are picked when fully ripe in October-November.

Storage

Leave the leaves to dry in the shade in an airy place, protecting them from dust and humidity; the fruits are dried in a sheltered place or in an oven at a not very high temperature. Leaves and fruits are kept in hermetically sealed glass jars.

Properties

Aromatic, aperitive, digestive, stimulant, slightly antiseptic. It should be noted that all laurels, except the culinary one, are poisonous. IN THE KITCHEN: Widely used in good cooking: its aroma, which also stimulates the appetite and aids the digestive enzymes, is indispensable in the bouquet of herbs for stews, soups and sauces, as well as an addition to marinades, salt cod, potato soups, pâtés, stuffings, game and poached fish: remove the leaves before serving.

Beauty

A fresh decoction of laurel added to the bath brings relief to aching limbs.

Health

Recommended as an aperitive and digestive; secondary but not negligible is also its soothing action against coughs and bronchitis. It is also widely used externally in ointments: the oil from the berries is used against rheumatic pains and bruises.

Curiosity

Laurel has been known since the most ancient times; in Greece as in Rome it was a symbol of peace and of victory, both military and sporting, which is why it is also called “Lauro Nobile”. In ancient Greece it was sacred to Apollo, god of music and poetry and lord of the oracle of Delphi: there, according to some ancient accounts, the first of the six temples later erected was built entirely of laurel branches. It is also said that the Pythia who delivered the oracle fell into a trance after inhaling the smoke of the burnt leaves: in large doses the plant can indeed have mildly hypnotic effects. Laurel was also sacred to Asclepius, god of medicine and son of Apollo: for centuries the plant was used against many diseases, especially the plague. Even today it is hung in houses to freshen the air and placed in flour containers and among dried figs against harmful insects