Herb Fact Sheet

Bay or Sweet Laurel

Laurus nobilis

A perennial shrub or small tree

Native habitat

• Mediterranean
• Naturalised world wide

Growing Conditions

• Any soil
• Likes moderately rich soil if grown in a pot
• Sunny, warm position

Maintenance

• Trim to form a small ball of branches
• Pick the leaves when they are needed, or pick in summer and dry in a dark place for use throughout the year.

Parts used

• Leaves
• Berries

Properties

• Antiseptic
• Aromatic and spicy

Uses

• Cooking - as part of a bouquet garni (see Cooking activity sheet), or added to soups, sauces, pickles, meat and fish dishes for extra flavour.
• Medicinally
   - to help digestion,
   - for treating flu and bronchitis.
   - An infusion of leaves or berries is sometimes used as a diuretic and for rheumatism.
• A strewing herb

History

In medieval times successful students were crowned with a wreath - bacca laurea - made from laurel. The important French examination the Baccalaureat takes its name from this wreath.

Folklore

The Greek god Apollo wore bay leaves (laurel) after his sweetheart, Daphne, was changed into a bay tree. The story is that she ran away from him when he tried to make love to her. To protect her, her father, the River God Peneus, turned her into bay tree. Apollo was a sun god as well as the god of music, poetry, archery, prophecy and healing.

Bay tree.
You can clip to shape into a ball.

Bay leaves

Apollo, the Greek sun god wore a wreath of bay leaves on his head in memory of Daphne

Nick and Rosie say: 'perhaps you could make yourself a wreath from bay laurel. Send us a picture of it if you are successful. Don't forget to tell us how you did it.'

Activities

• Making a bay laurel wreath.
• Cooking with herbs
• Drying herbs
• Making a tussie mussie