Family: Laurel, Lobeergewaechse, Lauraceae
Laurel Leaf: Lauri folium
Laurel Fruit: Lauri fructus
Laurel Oil: Lauri oleum-Lauri expressum
Latin name: Laurus nobilis –laurel-laurier.
Other Names: Har, Nehtel, Tehnel, Tahnal, Tefrun, Tenyel. Arabic: rend gar habbul-gar secerul-gar.
It is a green tree. It does not shed the leaves in summer-winter. Laurel that grows in the Mediterranean basin, especially the
Mediterranean coast of Turkey, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea coast grows in this coast with the interior. The bay is generally 2-6
m tall shrub or tree, but it can reach 10 meters in length. The lower part of the body is gray, and the upper part is green. Its
leaves are 6–12 cm long and 2–4 cm wide. The leaves are fragrant, their shape is like a spearhead, the edges are wavy, the upper
faces are dark green, the lower faces are light green. Its flowers are 1 cm in diameter and are light yellow or green. 4-5 of them
come out of the same point of the handle and form a heap. These flower clusters open in pairs next to the leaf. Trees are divided
into male and female. The fruit is a black dish with a diameter of about 1 cm, containing a single seed. The biggest enemy is
aphid.
When the yellowish or greenish white flowers blooming in spring, ripen, the color turns into dark purple, single-seeded and
succulent fruits. The body of the plant with a round cross-section and purple-brown, becomes woody over time and turns gray. Defne
is reproduced with body steels.
Other types of laurels other than Mediterranean laurel (L. nobilis) are poisonous. Arabian laurel (Daphne gnidium) and wild laurel
(Daphne mezereum), non-laurel prickly laurel (Ilex aquifolium), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and sheep laurel (Kalmia
angustifolia) are also poisonous.
Harvest time: Since it does not shed its leaves in winter, it is possible to collect heray leaves immediately, but when it is the
most effective, it is the leaves that are collected in the period from Massy to October.
The medicinal part of the plant is never dried under the sun and its flowers should be dried in the shade. Also, if the plant has
dried in 5 days, it is inconvenient to leave it dry for another 2 days. Because it loses ethereal oils in its composition, its
quality decreases. Only the roots of the plants are dried in the sun and as soon as they dry, they must be packed and stored
immediately. The short selling of medicinal plants reduces their quality in a short time.
It is necessary to collect the fruits from July to October. Oil is obtained from the collected fruits by cold pressing or boiling.
Laurel Composition: It contains tannins, bitter matter and essential oil composition. The composition of the leaves includes fixed
oil, cineol, eugenols, pinens, felandren, linalol, jiraniol, terpineol.
It is a plant with high medicinal value. In the medical literature, it is stated that bay leaf has antioxidant, analgesic (pain
reliever), anti-inflammatory and anticonvulsant (antiepileptic) benefits. It is rich in vitamins A and C, and also rich in iron,
manganese, calcium, potassium and magnesium.