Not to be confused with the more popular Mediterranean bay leaf, the Indian bay leaf originated in the south slopes of Himalayas and is mostly used as a spice in North India, especially in the famous Moghul cuisine. The Indian bay leaf belongs to the cinnamon family and is an important ingredient of the ‘garam masala’. Apart from its culinary benefits, the herb is used in Ayurvedic remedies for its hypoglycemic activities and other therapeutic properties.
Botanical name:
Cinnamomum tamala Family: Lauraceae
English name: Indian bay leaf
Hindi name: Tejpatta
Cinnamomum tamala is a moderate sized evergreen tree with dark brown or blackish rough bark.
Leaves: simple, opposite, sub opposite or alternate, ovate-lanceolate or ovate oblong, acuminate, glabrous.
Flowers: pale yellowish in axillary terminal, lax puberulous panicles.
Fruits: ovoid, fleshy, black drupe, supported by enlarged perianth tube.
Parts used as medicine: Leaves.
Ayurvedic recommendationsIndian bay leaf is bitter sweet in taste and is aromatic, thermogenic, diuretic, stimulant, carminative and tonic in nature. It is used in cardiac diseases, inflammations, helminthiasis, dyspepsia, strangury, colic, hypertension, diarrhea, ophthalmia, spleen and liver diseases, and vitiated conditions of Vata.
In India, the oil extracted from bay leaves is used in flavoring sweets and confectionery.
Therapeutic uses1. In folk medicine, the powder made from leaves is recommended for cough, flatulence, and dyspepsia.
2. In Ayurveda, the leaf powder mixed with milk is used for fever, dyspepsia, and urinary diseases.
3. Indian traditional medicine uses the leaves and bark of bay leaf for treating rheumatism, colic, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
4. The herb is useful in regularizing blood circulation.
5. It is known to enhance fat metabolism and reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol and is, therefore, used in treating obesity.
Side effects: Bay leaf has relatively very few adverse effects. People with a known allergy to Laurel family plants or Aster family plants should avoid bay leaf. It may also cause contact dermatitis and asthma in some individuals. Pregnant and breast feeding women should avoid bay leaf due to lack of available scientific evidence.
Research1. A study was conducted to investigate the anti-diarrheal property of 50% ethanolic extract of Cinnamomum tamala leaves. The research done on experimental rats shows that C. tamala is useful for diarrhea. [J Nat Med (2008) 62:396–402]
2. A research was conducted at Satsang Herbal Research and Analytical Laboratories on 30 medicinal plants including Cinnamomum tamala to study their hypoglycemic property. Vacuum dried 95% ethanolic extracts of the herbs showed definite blood glucose lowering effect within two weeks in experimental animals. However, C. tamala was way down the list of 24 herbs that had significant blood glucose lowering activities. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12499084]
