DAVIDWOLF
Bay leaf is not only a chef’s secret to making a delicious soup or stew, it has a lot of other surprising uses and health benefits too! The subtle intensity in bay leaf for making a particular dish or entire meal more memorable, this aromatic, olive-green herb goes beyond good taste; it’s also good for you.
Organic Facts points out that bay leaf has properties that help to slow aging and also assist in detoxification. Bay leaf can improve all sorts of health issues from respiratory problems to heart health. Everyone can benefit from this powerful herb. If you’d like to know more about how to make bay leaf a part of your own healthy lifestyle on a daily basis, just keep on reading!
Bay Leaves: Uses & Health Benefits
1.) Diabetes
NWFP Agricultural University in Peshawar, Pakistan and the USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center recently published a joint article that reported findings in which bay leaf is an effective treatment for people with type 2 diabetes. Consuming just 3 grams of bay leaf per day, their study showed, provided a significant reduction in glucose levels.
2.) Dandruff
Warm jojoba oil mixed with bay leaf can also treat dandruff. Massaging the warm mixture into your scalp, wrapping your head with a towel, and letting it rest for 15 to 60 minutes will allow the combination to do its thing. In fact, Ayurvedic Oils urges you to supplement your daily shampoo with a few drops of bay leaf oil in order to win the battle against dandruff.
3.) Digestion
The heating and healing power of bay leaf is not a new thing in alternative medicine, it has been used in cultures from the Mediterranean to East Asia for centuries. Bay leaf produces “digestive fire” Ayurvedic Oils claims increasing the rate at which food is processed. Consuming or even rubbing bay leaf oil on your stomach after eating tends to promote the secretion of digestive enzymes and bile.
4.) Heart Health
Caffeic acid, an organic compound found in bay leaf, has been known to strengthen capillary walls in the heart, according to Organic Facts. Eliminating LDL cholesterol (the bad one) from your cardiovascular system is another added benefit of consuming bay leaf. Include it in your cooking by trying salmon wrapped in bay leaf and get a little extra heart healthy bang for your buck using this recipe.
5.) Anxiety & Fatigue
When burned, there is a calming psychedelic effect produced through a combination of chemicals in bay leaf. According to David Wolf you can create that effect by lighting a few dried bay leaves, just like you would with incense. By breathing in the vapors you’ll achieve a state of mind that is both alert and relaxed, instead of feeling sleepy. In fact, the best part about burning bay leaf is that it will wake you up and banish fatigue.
6.) Urinary Infections
One more treatment that has been used throughout the ages, according to Ayurvedic Oils, is to drink powdered bay leaf mixed with milk as a treatment for urinary infections.
7.) Joint Inflammation
Phytotherapy Research published a 2003 study which indicates that you can achieve comparable effects as anti-inflammatory drugs like morphine on inflammation through the anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties of bay leaf essential oils. Rub bay leaf essential oil on sore joints, to relieve pain and make bay leaf a regular addition to your diet.
8.) Respiratory System
Help dislodge mucus and phlegm from your lungs and utilize bay leaf to stimulate your respiratory passages says David Wolf. Inhaling steam treated with bay leaf in an oil, fresh or dried form can heal your respiratory system from all sorts of maladies. Bay leaf oil rubbed onto your chest can also help to treat asthma and allergies.
Bay leaf has proven to be something of a powerful, miracle herb. It is easy to find anywhere herbs for cooking are sold and inexpensive. Your next meat, vegetable dish or soup could use a bay leaf or two; providing healing as well as flavor. But don’t forget that essential oil from bay leaf can also help treat inflammation, respiratory problems, and even dandruff.
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