Bay Leaf

Bay leaf refers to the aromatic leaf of the bay laurel. Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves are often used to flavor soups, stews, meat, seafood and vegetable dishes, braises etc. The fresh leaves are very mild and do not develop their full flavor until several weeks after picking and drying. The leaves also flavor many classic French dishes. In Indian (Hindi Tezpatta) and Pakistani cuisine bay leaves are often used in biryani, other rich spicy dishes - although not as an everyday ingredient in home cuisine - and as an ingredient in garam masala. Bay leaves have many properties that make them useful for treating high blood sugar, migraine headaches, bacterial and fungal infections, and gastric ulcers. Bay leaves and berries have been used for their astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic and stomachic properties. Bay leaf has been used as an herbal remedy for headaches. It contains compounds called parthenolides, which have proven useful in the treatment of migraines. It has also been used to reduce the effects of stomach ulcers.