Bay (Laurus Nobilis) Research

Latin Name: Laurus nobilis

Family: Lauracae

Bay leaf, or laurel, has been used since ancient times as an analgesic, for stomach complaints, and to treat certain skin infections.  Its strong aroma can help as an insect repellent and to improve mental concentration.

RESEARCH

The listings of research below represent a compilation of scientific articles found on the species, with a very brief overview description of each article/study.  Research found is catalogued by therapeutic action.  This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use.

GENERAL

• In this review of research, essential oils from the family Lauraceae family have shown significant antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities.  From:  Damasceno, C. S. B., Higaki, N. T. F., Dias, J. D. F. G., Miguel, M. D., & Miguel, O. G. (2019). Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils in the Family Lauraceae: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Planta medica. 

• Tisserand, R. & Young, R. (2014).  Essential Oil Safety.  Second Edition.  Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.

• Petersen, D. (2015). Aromatherapy materia medica.  Essential oil monographs.  American College of Healthcare Sciences.

• Lis-Balchin, M.  (2006). Aromatherapy science, A guide for healthcare professionals.  Pharmaceutical Press:  London.

• WebMD. (n.d.). Bay.  Retrieved in November, 2015.  Retrieved from www.webmd.com.

• An overview of the scientific studies on bay was provided.  From:  Patrakar, R., Mansuriya, M., & Patil, P. (2012). Phytochemical and pharmacological review on Laurus nobilis. International journal of pharmaceutical and chemical sciences, 1(2), 595-602.

SAFETY

• Potentially toxic constituents of essential oil include methyl eugenol and phellandrene.
• Potential contact sensitivity from ketones in essential oil (ACHS, 2015).
• Essential oil  not recommended during pregnancy due to potential spasmolytic action on the uterus (Lis-Balchin, 2006).
• Essential oil not recommended for young children (Lis-Balchin, 2006).
• Internal use in excess (of 2 drops) of the essential oil can act as a narcotic (Petersen, 2015).
• The whole bay leaf cannot be digested and can wound the digestive tract – it should not be swallowed (WebMD, n.d.).
• Bay may interfere with anesthesia used in surgery by slowing the CNS.  Do not take pre-surgery (Web-MD, n.d.).
• Bay should not be taken for those using narcotic drugs, or for pain or sedative drugs used to relax the CNS (Web-MD, n.d.).
• Avoid above normal spice amounts during pregnancy and lactation.  From:  Rouhi-Boroujeni, H., Rouhi-Boroujeni, H., Khoddami, M., Khazraei, H. R., Dehkordil, E. B., & Rafieian-Kopaei, M. (2017). Hypolipidemic herbals with diuretic effects: A systematic review. In Biol. Sci (Vol. 8, pp. 21-28).

ANALGESIC

• The analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of Laurus nobilis essential oil was comparable to the drugs morphine and piroxicam.  From:  Sayyah, M., Saroukhani, G., Peirovi, A., & Kamalinejad, M. (2003). Analgesic and anti‐inflammatory activity of the leaf essential oil of Laurus nobilis Linn. Phytotherapy Research, 17(7), 733-736.

ANTIOXIDANT

• Essential oils from white wormwood, rose-scented geranium and bay laurel were tested against Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli found in food.  Rose geranium was the most antimicrobial and all three showed antioxidant potential.  From:  Rafiq, R., Hayek, S. A., Anyanwu, U., Hardy, B. I., Giddings, V. L., Ibrahim, S. A., … & Kang, H. W. (2016). Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils from Artemisia herba-alba Asso., Pelargonium capitatum× radens and Laurus nobilis L. Foods, 5(2), 28.
• The extract of Laurus nobilis may be useful in trapping and destroying extracellular pathogens by neutrophils extracellular traps (antioxidant activity).  From:  Bendjersi, F. Z., Tazerouti, F., Belkhelfa-Slimani, R., Djerdjouri, B., & Meklati, B. Y. (2016). Phytochemical composition of the Algerian Laurus nobilis L. leaves extracts obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction and investigation of their antioxidant activity. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 28(3), 202-210.
• Laurus nobilis showed antioxidative activity and lipid peroxidation activity.  From:  Simić, M., Kundaković, T., & Kovačević, N. (2003). Preliminary assay on the antioxidative activity of Laurus nobilis extracts. Fitoterapia, 74(6), 613-616.
• Laurus nobilis (bay), salvia officinalis(sage), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), origanum vulgare (oregano), and coriandrum sativum (coriander)  demonstrated antimicrobial, antioxidant activity, with oregano being the strongest.  From:  Baratta, M. T., Dorman, H. D., Deans, S. G., Biondi, D. M., & Ruberto, G. (1998). Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of laurel, sage, rosemary, oregano and coriander essential oils. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 10(6), 618-627.
• Laurel nobilis essential oil showed antioxidant activity via radical scavenging and laurel essential oil as well as the 1, 8-cineole inhibited the α-glucosidase.  From:  ŞAHİN BAŞAK, S., & Candan, F. (2013). Effect of Laurus nobilis L. essential oil and its main components on α-glucosidase and reactive oxygen species scavenging activity. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 12(2), 367-379.
• Laurus nobilis demonstrated strong antioxidant activity.  From:  Elmastaş, M., Gülçin, I., Işildak, Ö., Küfrevioğlu, Ö. İ., İbaoğlu, K., & Aboul-Enein, H. Y. (2006). Radical scavenging activity and antioxidant capacity of bay leaf extracts. Journal of the Iranian Chemical Society, 3(3), 258-266.
• Wild Laurus nobilis (bay) and Foeniculum vulgar (fennel) plants showed greater antioxidant and radical scavenging activity than the cultivated plants.  From:  Conforti, F., Statti, G., Uzunov, D., & Menichini, F. (2006). Comparative chemical composition and antioxidant activities of wild and cultivated Laurus nobilis L. leaves and Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum (Ucria) coutinho seeds. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 29(10), 2056-2064.
• Free radical-scavenging potential and lipid oxidation inhibition was measured and demonstrated antioxidant properties of Laurus nobilis.  From:  Muñiz-Márquez, D. B., Martínez-Ávila, G. C., Wong-Paz, J. E., Belmares-Cerda, R., Rodríguez-Herrera, R., & Aguilar, C. N. (2013). Ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from Laurus nobilis L. and their antioxidant activity. Ultrasonics sonochemistry, 20(5), 1149-1154.
• Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Laurus nobilis was measured.  From:  Dall’Acqua, S., Cervellati, R., Speroni, E., Costa, S., Guerra, M. C., Stella, L., … & Innocenti, G. (2009). Phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of Laurus nobilis L. leaf infusion. Journal of medicinal food, 12(4), 869-876.
• The extracts from basil and bay possessed the highest antioxidant activity.  Other herbs tested included parsley, juniper, aniseed, fennel, cumin, cardamom, and ginger.  From:  Hinneburg, I., Dorman, H. D., & Hiltunen, R. (2006). Antioxidant activities of extracts from selected culinary herbs and spices. Food chemistry, 97(1), 122-129.
• The in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of Laurus nobilis were demonstrated.  From:  Kaurinovic, B., Popovic, M., & Vlaisavljevic, S. (2010). In vitro and in vivo effects of Laurus nobilis L. leaf extracts. Molecules, 15(5), 3378-3390.

ANTICANCER / ANTI-TUMOR

• The extracts of O syriacum (oregano), L nobilis (bay), and S triloba (sage) showed antiproliferative, antitumor activity to adenocarcinoma of breast cells.  From:  Al-Kalaldeh, J. Z., Abu-Dahab, R., & Afifi, F. U. (2010). Volatile oil composition and antiproliferative activity of Laurus nobilis, Origanum syriacum, Origanum vulgare, and Salvia triloba against human breast adenocarcinoma cells. Nutrition Research, 30(4), 271-278.  Link:   http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2010.04.001
• Laurus nobilis constituents were highly cytotoxic against the ovarian cancer cells.  From:  Barla, A., Topçu, G., Öksüz, S., Tümen, G., & Kingston, D. G. (2007). Identification of cytotoxic sesquiterpenes from Laurus nobilis L. Food chemistry, 104(4), 1478-1484.

CYTOTOXIC

• Sesquiterpene lactones in Laurus nobilis induced apoptosis.  From:  Fang, F., Sang, S., Chen, K. Y., Gosslau, A., Ho, C. T., & Rosen, R. T. (2005). Isolation and identification of cytotoxic compounds from Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis). Food Chemistry, 93(3), 497-501.

ANTIMICROBIAL / ANTIBACTERAIL / ANTIFUNGAL / ANTIVIRAL

• Thyme, cinnamon, bay, clove, almond (bitter), lovage, pimento, marjoram, angelica and nutmeg, and geranium showed strong inhibitory action against multiple bacteria.  From:  Deans, S. G., & Ritchie, G. (1987). Antibacterial properties of plant essential oils. International journal of food microbiology, 5(2), 165-180.
• Twenty-five bacteria species and one fungal species were tested against laurel, sage, rosemary, oregano, and coriander and the oils showed a high degree of inhibition against them all, with the oregano being the strongest.  From:  Baratta, M. T., Dorman, H. D., Deans, S. G., Biondi, D. M., & Ruberto, G. (1998). Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of laurel, sage, rosemary, oregano and coriander essential oils. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 10(6), 618-627.
• Laurus nobilis and Juniperus oxycedrus demonstrated significant antiviral activity against Herpes HSV-1 in vitro.  From:  Loizzo, M. R., Saab, A. M., Tundis, R., Statti, G. A., Menichini, F., Lampronti, I., … & Doerr, H. W. (2008). Phytochemical analysis and in vitro antiviral activities of the essential oils of seven Lebanon species. Chemistry & biodiversity, 5(3), 461-470.
• Thyme, mint, and bay showed activity against food poisoning bacteria: Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus.  From:  Aktuğ, Ş. E., & Karapinar, M. (1986). Sensitivity of some common food-poisoning bacteria to thyme, mint and bay leaves. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 3(6), 349-354.
• Black pepper, bay, aniseed, and coriander were tested  against 176 bacterial isolates from the oral cavities of 200 individuals. Black pepper was 75% antibacterial, bay leaf was 53.4%, aniseed was 18.1%, and coriander did not show any antibacterial activity.  From:  Chaudhry, N. M., & Tariq, P. (2006). Bactericidal activity of black pepper, bay leaf, aniseed and coriander against oral isolates. Pak J Pharm Sci, 19(3), 214-218
• Oregano (Origanum syriacum), thyme (Thymbra spicata), lavender (Lavandula stoechas), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and laurel (Laurus nobilis), inhibited growth of tomatoe fungus.  From:  Soylu, E. M., Soylu, S., & Kurt, S. (2006). Antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of various plants against tomato late blight disease agent Phytophthora infestans. Mycopathologia, 161(2), 119-128.
• Chenopodium ambrosioides, Cymbopogon martinii (palmarosa), Cymbopogon nardus (citronella), Syzygium aromaticum (clove), and Pimenta racemosa (bay) were the most antifungal  on the eight tested strains.  From:  Delespaul, Q., de Billerbeck, V. G., Roques, C. G., Michel, G., Marquier-Viñuales, C., & Bessière, J. M. (2000). The antifungal activity of essential oils as determined by different screening methods. Journal of essential oil research, 12(2), 256-266.
• Nine plant spice essential oils were tested on various microorganisms (Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida rugosa, Rhizopus oryzae and Aspergillus niger and showed antimicrobial activity and may be used to combat pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, and improve shelf-life of foods.  They included: savory, laurel, oregano, basil, cumin, sea fennel, myrtle,and mint.  From:  Özcan, M., & Erkmen, O. (2001). Antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Turkish plant spices. European Food Research and Technology, 212(6), 658-660
• Origanum minutiflorum (oregano), Laurus nobilis (bay), Lavandula stoechas (lavender) and Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) were effective against  the following foodborne pathogens: Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus. Constituents included carvacrol, 1,8-cineole, fenchone, and trans-anethole.  From:  Dadalioglu, I., & Evrendilek, G. A. (2004). Chemical compositions and antibacterial effects of essential oils of Turkish oregano (Origanum minutiflorum), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.), and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) on common foodborne pathogens. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 52(26), 8255-8260.
• From 22 essential oils tested, cornmint, cumin, laurel, lemon peel, orange, oregano, and ziziphora were active against all assessed bacteria. From:  Kivanç, M., & Akgül, A. (1986). Antibacterial activities of essential oils from Turkish spices and citrus. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 1(4‐5), 175-179.
• Laurus nobilis could be an effective antifungal agent in the postharvest protection of peaches and kiwifruits against M. laxa and B. cinerea.  From:  De Corato, U., Maccioni, O., Trupo, M., & Di Sanzo, G. (2010). Use of essential oil of Laurus nobilis obtained by means of a supercritical carbon dioxide technique against post harvest spoilage fungi. Crop protection, 29(2), 142-147.
• Laurus nobilis was effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus intermedius and Klebsiella pneumonia.  From:  Derwich, E., Benziane, Z., & Boukir, A. (2009). Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of leaves essential oil of Laurus nobilis from Morocco. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 3(4), 3818-3824.
• The antifungal activity of Aniba rosaeodora (rosewood) , Laurus nobilis (bay), Sassafras albidum (sassafras) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) essential oils were tested against 17 fungi.  From:  Simić, A., Soković, M. D., Ristić, M., Grujić‐Jovanović, S., Vukojević, J., & Marin, P. D. (2004). The chemical composition of some Lauraceae essential oils and their antifungal activities. Phytotherapy Research, 18(9), 713-717.
• Laurus nobilis (bay), salvia officinalis (sage), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), origanum vulgare (oregano), and coriandrum sativum (coriander) demonstrated antimicrobial, antioxidant activity, with oregano being the strongest.  From:  Baratta, M. T., Dorman, H. D., Deans, S. G., Biondi, D. M., & Ruberto, G. (1998). Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of laurel, sage, rosemary, oregano and coriander essential oils. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 10(6), 618-627.
• Laurus nobilis (bay) and Myrtus communis (myrtle) essential oils may be effective against food pathogens.  From:  Cherrat, L., Espina, L., Bakkali, M., García‐Gonzalo, D., Pagán, R., & Laglaoui, A. (2014). Chemical composition and antioxidant properties of Laurus nobilis L. and Myrtus communis L. essential oils from Morocco and evaluation of their antimicrobial activity acting alone or in combined processes for food preservation. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 94(6), 1197-1204.
• Laurus nobilis showed antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.  From:  Otsuka, N., Liu, M. H., Shiota, S., Ogawa, W., Kuroda, T., Hatano, T., & Tsuchiya, T. (2008). Anti-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compounds isolated from Laurus nobilis. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 31(9), 1794-1797.
• Cornmint, cumin, laurel, lemon peel, orange, oregano, and ziziphora were active against all of the tested bacteria to various degrees. From:  Kivanç, M., & Akgül, A. (1986). Antibacterial activities of essential oils from Turkish spices and citrus. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 1(4‐5), 175-179.
• Laurus nobilis showed antioxidant and antibacterial activity against foodborne bacteria.  From:  Ramos, C., Teixeira, B., Batista, I., Matos, O., Serrano, C., Neng, N. R., … & Marques, A. (2012). Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of essential oil and extracts of bay laurel Laurus nobilis Linnaeus (Lauraceae) from Portugal. Natural product research, 26(6), 518-529.
• Laurus nobilis seed oil demonstrated antibacterial and antioxidant properties.  From:  Ozcan, B., Esen, M., Sangun, M. K., Coleri, A., & Caliskan, M. (2010). Effective antibacterial and antioxidant properties of methanolic extract of Laurus nobilis seed oil.
• Antibacterial and antifungal activity of Laurus nobilis were assessed.  From:  Marzouki, H., Khaldi, A., Chamli, R., Bouzid, S., Piras, A., Falconieri, D., & Marongiu, B. (2009). Biological activity evaluation of the oils from Laurus nobilis of Tunisia and Algeria extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide. Natural product research, 23(3), 230-237.
• Laurus nobilis demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.  From:  Santoyo, S., Lloria, R., Jaime, L., Ibanez, E., Senorans, F. J., & Reglero, G. (2006). Supercritical fluid extraction of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds from Laurus nobilis L. Chemical and functional characterization. European Food Research and Technology, 222(5-6), 565-571.
• Laurus nobilis extract demonstrated antibacterial activity.  From:  Ivanović, J. A. S. N. A., Mišić, D. U. Š. A. N., Ristić, M., Pešić, O., & ŽIŽOVIĆ, I. (2010). Supercritical CO2 extract and essential oil of bay (Laurus nobilis L.)–chemical composition and antibacterial activity. J. Serb. Chem. Soc, 75(3), 395-404.
• Plant oils of 52 species were tested against key bacteria.  Lemongrass, oregano and bay inhibited all organisms, and rosewood, coriander, palmarosa, tea tree, niaouli, peppermint, spearmint, sage and marjoram inhibited all organisms except P. aeruginosa.  Carrot, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver inhibited Gram-positive bacteria and C. albicans. Myrrh and cypress inhibited only Gram-positive organisms and mandarin oil inhibited only C. albicans.  From:  Hammer, K. A., Carson, C. F., & Riley, T. V. (1999). Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts. Journal of applied microbiology, 86(6), 985-990.
• Bay, cinnamon, grapefruit, lemongrass, thyme, clary sage, wintergreen, clove, allspice, and camphor essential oils showed varying degrees of inhibition against MRSA and MSSA bacterial samples from hospital patients. From:  Sharma, P. U. J. A., Mack, J. P., & Rojtman, A. (2013). Ten highly effective essential oils inhibit growth of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Int. J. Pharm. Pharmacol, 5(1), 52-54.
• Thirty essential oils were tested against pathogenic plant bacteria. Ceylon cinnamon (leaf and bark), oregano, clove bud, palmarosa, basil, peppermint, rosemary, blue gum, camphor, lemongrass, aniseed, ylang ylang, silver fir, lemon, dwarf mountain pine, bay laurel, scots pine, black cumin, Indian frankincense, bergamot orange, common juniper, bitter orange, and neem showed varying degrees of reaction.  From: Popović, T., Milićević, Z., Oro, V., Kostić, I., Radović, V., Jelušić, A., & Krnjajić, S. (2018). A preliminary study of antibacterial activity of thirty essential oils against several important plant pathogenic bacteria. Pesticidi i fitomedicina, 33(3-4), 185-195.

ANTIPARASITIC

• Laurus nobilis was antiparasitic against Trypanosoma cruzi.  From:  Uchiyama, N., Matsunaga, K., Kiuchi, F., Honda, G., Tsubouchi, A., Nakajima-Shimada, J., & Aoki, T. (2002). Trypanocidal terpenoids from Laurus nobilis L. Chemical and pharmaceutical bulletin, 50(11), 1514-1516.

• Antibacterial abilities of 96 essential oils and their constituents were assessed. Marigold, ginger, jasmine, patchouli, gardenia, cedarwood, carrot seed, celery seed, mugwort, spikenard, and orange bitter oils along with the constituents of cinnamaldehyde, estragole, carvacrol, benzaldehyde, citral, thymol, eugenol, perillaldehyde, carvone R, and geranyl acetate were strongest against C. jejuni.  Those most active against E. coli were oregano, thyme, cinnamon, palmarosa, bay leaf, clove bud, lemon grass, and allspice oils and the constituents: carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, thymol, eugenol, salicylaldehyde, geraniol, isoeugenol, citral, perillaldehyde, and estragole.  Those most active against L. monocytogenes were gardenia, cedarwood, bay leaf, clove bud, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, thyme, and patchouli and the constituents of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, thymol, carvacrol, citral, geraniol, perillaldehyde, carvone S, estragole, and salicylaldehyde.  Those most active against S. enterica were thyme, oregano, cinnamon, clove bud, allspice, bay leaf, palmarosa, and marjoram oils as well as thymol, cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, eugenol, salicylaldehyde, geraniol, isoeugenol, terpineol, perillaldehyde, and estragole.  From:  Friedman, M., Henika, P. R., & Mandrell, R. E. (2002). Bactericidal activities of plant essential oils and some of their isolated constituents against Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica. Journal of Food Protection®, 65(10), 1545-1560.

• Against the red mite, the following oils were acaricidal:  bay, cade, cinnamon, clove bud, coriander, horseradish, lime, mustard, pennyroyal, pimento berry, spearmint, thyme red and thyme white oils.  From:  Kim, S. I., Yi, J. H., Tak, J. H., & Ahn, Y. J. (2004). Acaricidal activity of plant essential oils against Dermanyssus gallinae (Acari: Dermanyssidae). Veterinary parasitology, 120(4), 297-304.

ANTIDIABETIC

• Cinnamon was the most bioactive for improving glucose and insulin metabolism followed by witch hazel, green and black teas, allspice, bay leaves, nutmeg, cloves, mushrooms, and brewer’s yeast.  Phenols were likely the active constituent of cinnamon, tea, witch hazel, cloves, bay, and all spice.  From:  Broadhurst, C. L., Polansky, M. M., & Anderson, R. A. (2000). Insulin-like biological activity of culinary and medicinal plant aqueous extracts in vitro. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48(3), 849-852.

NEURO-PROTECTIVE

• Laurus nobilis may be a chemopreventive agent for neuronal cells or other cells of the CNS.  From:  Pacifico, S., Gallicchio, M., Lorenz, P., Potenza, N., Galasso, S., Marciano, S., … & Monaco, P. (2013). Apolar Laurus nobilis leaf extracts induce cytotoxicity and apoptosis towards three nervous system cell lines. Food and chemical toxicology, 62, 628-637.

CARDIAC-PROTECTIVE

• Consumption of turmeric and laurel extracts exhibited hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities in zebrafish.  From:  Jin, S., Hong, J. H., Jung, S. H., & Cho, K. H. (2011). Turmeric and laurel aqueous extracts exhibit in vitro anti-atherosclerotic activity and in vivo hypolipidemic effects in a zebrafish model. Journal of medicinal food, 14(3), 247-256.

ANTICONVULSANT

• Laurus nobilis protected mice against tonic convulsions induced by maximal electroshock.  From:  Sayyah, M., Valizadeh, J., & Kamalinejad, M. (2002). Anticonvulsant activity of the leaf essential oil of Laurus nobilis against pentylenetetrazole-and maximal electroshock-induced seizures. Phytomedicine, 9(3), 212-216.

INSECTICIDAL / REPELLENT

• Of 53 tested plant oils, bay, caraway seed, clove leaf, lemon eucalyptus, lime, pennyroyal, peppermint, rosewood, spearmint, and tea tree oils were highly effective against the greenhouse whitefly. From:  Choi, W. I., Lee, E. H., Choi, B. R., Park, H. M., & Ahn, Y. J. (2003). Toxicity of plant essential oils to Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 96(5), 1479-1484.
• Anise (Pimpinella anisum), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), mint (Mentha piperita) basil (Ocimum basilicum) and laurel (Laurus nobilis) were tested and demonstrated repellency against Culex pipiens, with the eucalyptus, basil and anise being the most active.  From:  Erler, F., Ulug, I., & Yalcinkaya, B. (2006). Repellent activity of five essential oils against Culex pipiens. Fitoterapia, 77(7), 491-494.
• Apium graveolens (celery), Citrus sinensis (orange), Eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus), Juniperus oxycedrus (juniper), Laurus nobilis (bay), Lavandula hybrida (lavender) , Mentha microphylla (mint), Mentha viridis (spearmint), Ocimum basilicum (basil), Origanum vulgare (oregano), Pistacia terebinthus (turpentine tree), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), and Thuja orientalis (thuja) were effective insect repellents against Acanthoscelides obtectus.  From:  Papachristos, D. P., & Stamopoulos, D. C. (2002). Repellent, toxic and reproduction inhibitory effects of essential oil vapours on Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)(Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Journal of Stored Products Research, 38(2), 117-128.
• The insecticidal activities of essential oil extracts against the mosquito Culex pipiens molestus Forskål were determined. Extracts of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) were the most toxic, followed by Ferula hermonis Boiss (in the carrot family), Citrus sinensis (orange), Pinus pinea (pine), Laurus nobilis (bay), and Eucalyptus spp.  Terpineol and 1,8-cineole components were the most effective in preventing Culex pipiens molestus bites.   From:  Traboulsi, A. F., El‐Haj, S., Tueni, M., Taoubi, K., Nader, N. A., & Mrad, A. (2005). Repellency and toxicity of aromatic plant extracts against the mosquito Culex pipiens molestus (Diptera: Culicidae). Pest management science, 61(6), 597-604.
• Lavendula stoechas (lavender), Helichrysum italicum and Laurus nobilis (bay) oils reduced attractivity of yellow fever mosquitoes with promising results from Calamintha nepeta (calamint), and Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary).  From:  Drapeau, J., Fröhler, C., Touraud, D., Kröckel, U., Geier, M., Rose, A., & Kunz, W. (2009). Repellent studies with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and human olfactory tests on 19 essential oils from Corsica, France. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 24(4), 160-169.

WOUND HEALING

• The leaf extracts of Allamanda cathartica (golden trumpet) and Laurus nobilis (bay) promote wound healing activity.  From:  Nayak, S., Nalabothu, P., Sandiford, S., Bhogadi, V., & Adogwa, A. (2006). Evaluation of wound healing activity of Allamanda cathartica. L. and Laurus nobilis. L. extracts on rats. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6(1), 1.

​​GASTRO-PROTECTIVE  / ANTI-DIARRHEAL

• Laurus nobilis leaf aqueous extract was effective as an antidiarrheal agent in rats.  From:  Qnais, E. Y., Abdulla, F. A., Kaddumi, E. G., & Abdalla, S. S. (2012). Antidiarrheal activity of Laurus nobilis L. leaf extract in rats. Journal of medicinal food, 15(1), 51-57.
• The gastric damage was significantly reduced by all extracts of Laurus nobilis administered.  From:  Speroni, E., Cervellati, R., Dall’Acqua, S., Guerra, M. C., Greco, E., Govoni, P., & Innocenti, G. (2011). Gastroprotective effect and antioxidant properties of different Laurus nobilis L. leaf extracts. Journal of medicinal food, 14(5), 499-504.

DIURETIC

• A compilation of research showed the following herbs to have a diuretic effect:  yarrow, lemon verbena, pineapple, dill, gorden asparagus, mugwort, oats, barberry, Indian tree, turnip, marigold, chicory, lemon, cucumber, pumpkin seed, quince, carrot, flix weed, horsetail, asafetida, fig, barely, St. John’s wort, bay, alfalfa, European pennyroyal, mulberry, water cress, catnip, black cumin, parsley, green bean, pistachio, cherry, pomegranate, purstane, savory, tomato, brinjal, tea, haritali, coltsfoot, nettle, bell bean, and corn.  From:  Rouhi-Boroujeni, H., Rouhi-Boroujeni, H., Khoddami, M., Khazraei, H. R., Dehkordil, E. B., & Rafieian-Kopaei, M. (2017). Hypolipidemic herbals with diuretic effects: A systematic review. In Biol. Sci (Vol. 8, pp. 21-28).

MENTAL CONCENTRATION

• Laurus nobilis stimulated improved concentration for visual performance.  From:  Matsubara, E., Fukagawa, M., Okamoto, T., Fukuda, A., Hayashi, C., Ohnuki, K., … & Kondo, R. (2011). Volatiles emitted from the leaves of Laurus nobilis L. improve vigilance performance in visual discrimination task. Biomedical Research, 32(1), 19-28.

GREEN GARDENING

• Thirty essential oils were tested against pathogenic plant bacteria. Ceylon cinnamon (leaf and bark), oregano, clove bud, palmarosa, basil, peppermint, rosemary, blue gum, camphor, lemongrass, aniseed, ylang ylang, silver fir, lemon, dwarf mountain pine, bay laurel, scots pine, black cumin, Indian frankincense, bergamot orange, common juniper, bitter orange, and neem showed varying degrees of reaction.  From: Popović, T., Milićević, Z., Oro, V., Kostić, I., Radović, V., Jelušić, A., & Krnjajić, S. (2018). A preliminary study of antibacterial activity of thirty essential oils against several important plant pathogenic bacteria. Pesticidi i fitomedicina, 33(3-4), 185-195.

By: Kathy Sadowski

Last Updated: 8/27/19