BAY LAUREL ESSENTIAL OIL (LAURUS NOBILIS):
Botanical Name: Laurus nobilis
Common Method of Extraction: Steam distillation
Part Typically Used: Leaves
Color: Clear
Consistency: Thin
Perfumery Note: Top
Strength of Initial Aroma: Medium – strong, herbacous, fruity, fresh, camphorous.
No tree has been as much praised for its elegance, fragrance and therapeutic properties as the laurel.
Laurus nobilis is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is known as bay laurel, sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel,laurel tree or simply laurel. Laurus is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. Laurus nobilis figures prominently in classical Greek, Roman, and Biblical culture.
The luxurious, evergreen leaves are alternate, with short stalks, lanceolate, 3 to 4 inches long, the margin smooth and wavy. They are thick, smooth, and of a shining, dark green colour. It grows well under the shade of other trees if they are not too close, and is useful in evergreen plantations. The leaves are much used in cookery for flavouring. They are often packed with stick liquorice or dried figs. They are used fresh, and may be gathered all the year round.
The leaves are distilled to produce a greenish-yellow essential oil. It has an agreeable odour reminiscent of cajuputalthough the latter is softer and more acrid.
Lauris comes from the Latin word meaning “to praise“, and nobilis comes from the Latin word meaning “renowned or famous“.
Bay laurel was used to fashion the laurel wreath of ancient Greece, a symbol of highest status. A wreath of bay laurels was given as the prize at the Pythian Games because the games were in honor of Apollo, and the laurel was one of his symbols.
he Greek name of laurel – Daphne – salutes the nymph who, on being pursued by Apollo, asked the other gods to help. They turned her into the laurel tree which has, ever since, remained under the protection of all the gods in Olympus.
The symbolism carried over to Roman culture, which held the laurel as a symbol of victory.
In the Bible, the laurel is often an emblem of prosperity and fame. In Christian tradition, it symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.
Spiritually, in the Middle Ages the laurel or bay leaf tree was often planted in front of a house for protection, and to promote success.
Chemical structure:
The most abundant component found in laurel essential oil is 1,8-cineole, also called eucalyptol. The leaves contain about 1.3% essential oils, consisting of 45% eucalyptol, 12% other terpenes, 8-12% terpinyl acetate, 3–4% sesquiterpenes, 3% methyleugenol, and other α- and β-pinenes, phellandrene, linalool, geraniol, and terpineol.
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