Drinking Bay Leaf Tea Health Benefits

Why drinking bay leaf tea is very common among health-conscious people? The answer is simple. The Bay Leaf Tea’s health benefits are immense. Bay leaves are a rich source of several micronutrients. Great for a healthy lifestyle. Including bay leaf tea in your daily diet ensures good general health for your mind and body.

Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen perennial shrub. It is native to the Mediterranean region. Bay leaf is an essential ingredient in cooking for generations. Bay leaves and Bay leaf oils are also heavily used medicines to treat various illnesses. Knowing its worthiness, reap the benefits drink bay leaf tea regularly.

Here are the highlights of the health benefits of bay leaf tea:

• wound healing activity
• antioxidant activity
• antibacterial activity
• antiviral activity
• immunostimulant activity
• anticholinergic activity
• antifungal activity
• insect repellant activity
• anticonvulsant activity
• antimutagenic activity and
• analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity

People use bay leaves for illnesses including:

• diabetes
• gastric problems
• prevention of cancer and
• body pain

More research is being carried out to establish the potential health benefits of bay leaf.

10 Bay Leaf Tea Health Benefits

Let us now see what are the bey leaf health benefits and how it helps in illnesses. Many studies and researches support the effectiveness of bay leaf against illnesses.

1. Bay Leaf Tea for Type 2 Diabetes and Glucose Levels

A study in 2009 published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition shows the positive effects of bay leaves in type-2 diabetes patients. This study helped to conclude that bay leaf improves insulin function in type-2 diabetes patients. In the study, 40 people participated in four groups. Three groups were given 1, 2, or 3 grams of grounded bay leaf in a capsule respectively for thirty days. The 4th group was the placebo group.

The groups that took bay leaf in capsules showed a decrease in serum glucose from 21 to 26% after days. No significant effects or changes in the placebo group. Polyphenol the active component seems to have a good effect on blood glucose levels.

2. Bay Leaf Tea for Type 2 Diabetes and Cholesterol Levels

The same above study also produced, an improved lipid profile in type-2 diabetes patients. The results were encouraging. Good cholesterol (HDL) by 20 % who received 1 to 2 grams of bay leaves. Bad cholesterol decreased by more than 32%. The overall total cholesterol decreased by more than 20% after 30 days.

Here is another similar study in 2011 from the Research Journal of Medicinal Plants. about 65 type-2 diabetes patients were used to determine the importance of bay leaves. They used two groups. In 1st group of 50 people given 2 grams of bay leaves capsules for 30 days. The 2nd group of 15 people was in the placebo group. The 1st group showed a significant decrease of 30 % in plasma glucose. Total cholesterol reduced to 22 %, LDL reduced to 24 % and HDL increased to 18% after 30 days. The placebo group did not show any changes.

This study concluded that 2g of bay leaves every day can reduce risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

How to Consume Bay leaves for Type-2 Diabetes Patients

It is advisable to consume bay leaves with the prescribed medicines for diabetics. Also, with your diet. Here are the methods of how to add to the diet are:

• Add whole bay leaves to the soups.
• Add whole bay leaves to the curries.
• Ground the bay leaves to powder and add to the meals.

A spoonful per day of this herb is sufficient to regularize blood sugar levels. Apart from bay leaves also look at other natural herbs beneficial to tye-2 diabetes.

3. Bay Leaf Remedy for Bunions

Bay leaf tea is considered one of the best home remedies to treat bunions. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of the bay leaves seem to play a major role in treating bunions. This bay leaf remedy for bunion has to be tried at least for two months to see results.

How to Use Bay Leaf for Bunions

The main two ingredients are bay leaves and water.

• 1 tablespoon of crushed bay leaves
• 300 ml of water

Preparation and application: Boil the bay leaves in water for about 5 minutes. Steep the bay leaf tea overnight in a thermos. Strain the bay leaves off about 150 ml of bay leaf tea in the morning from the thermos.

Drink three times a day slowly sipping the bay leaf tea. This 300 ml tea is sufficient for two days. You need to drink for three days like this and take a break for 10 days. Then repeat for three days. Drinking and taking breaks should be done for two months to see results.

Expect to have frequent urination because of the diuretic nature of the treatment. Bay leaf also helps to ease any associated pains from the bunion.

4. High Blood Pressure

Bay leaf is an alternative traditional medicine for lowering blood pressure. Say’s Indonesia Local Resources for Food and Health. A study in 2015 was aimed at the use of bay leaf on hypertension patients. Also, to observe the effect on blood pressure levels.

For this purpose, 30 people were used having 15 interventions and 15 control groups. The results proved that bay leaf tea for high blood pressure has a significant effect. It reduced high blood pressure levels in hypertension patients.

5. Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder. It can be acute lasting for a short time or chronic lasting period and at times intermittently. The main causes may be physical or mental. Here bay leaf can be of great help to you to have a good night-time rest. Bay leaf tea is an excellent aid for good sleep.

Bay leaf tea for sleep is effective. It has a seductive effect on your central nervous system. This helps to reduce anxiety, and stress, and relax your mind and body making you sleep. The best time to drink bay leaf tea for insomnia is one hour before bedtime. Drink the tea when it is warm.

6. Migraines

Drinking bay leaf helps to reduce symptoms of migraines and headaches. Applying bay leaf essential oil on temples is also effective. It is a natural remedy for migraines.

7. Is Bay Leaf Good for Acid Reflux?

The health benefits from bay leaf even extend to the gastrointestinal system. Organic compounds in the bay leaf help to settle an upset stomach and acid reflux.

The enzymes of bay leaves produce efficient digestion and metabolism of complex proteins. In the process capable of eliminating toxins from the system which promotes digestion.

Drinking bay leaf tea is one of the best ayurvedic remedies for reflux acid and upset stomach one can try.

8. Can Bay Leaf Tea Help Kidney Stones and Urinary Stones?

Yes, bay leaf can help reduce the chances of the formation of kidney stones. A 2014 study helped to conclude the use of bay leaf for the possibility of preventing kidney stones. This study included 20 traditional medicinal plants against urease. Bay leaf showed a significant ability to reduce the amount of urease in your body.

Urease is an enzyme that has toxic effects on human cells. These toxic effects of bacterial urease may cause certain long-lasting human diseases. Diseases such as urinary tract infections, rheumatoid arthritis, or atherosclerosis. Because of urease activity, it may lead to the formation of kidney stones and urinary stones.

Urease is an enzyme. it can cause several gastric disorders, including kidney stones when it’s out of balance. The scientists suggest more research is needed to understand herbs’ function.

9. Bay Leaf Tea effects on Constipation

Bay leaf tea is also a natural remedy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Including constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, bloating, and so on. It does wonder when comes to the gastrointestinal system.

For constipation try the bay leaf tea along with ginger and honey. Add a few thinly sliced ginger roots to the five grams of bay leaves in 200 ml of water. Boil the water till 2/3rd of the water evaporates and add some honey. Ideal to drink twice a day to experience relief.

10. Bay Leaf Tea for Cough

You can make a bay leaf eta cough syrup with a few more additional ingredients. It is a powerful remedy to clear your cough symptoms fast. Here is the recipe for the cough with bay leaves.

Ingredients:

• 6 Laurel bay leaves
• 6 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 fresh lemon
• 1 cup of water

Preparation:

• Boil the water with bay leaves.
• Then cover the pot for 10 minutes.
• Add sugar and lemon juice and stir it well.

That’s it your bay leaf tea cough syrup is ready. You can drink a teaspoon of bay leaf tea cough syrup many times a day. You will soon notice your cough is subsiding.

Other Uses of Bay Leaf Tea

Other than for illness bay leaf tea is also in use for many common problems of lifestyle. Let us look at some of them here.

How to Use Bay Leaf for Dandruff and Hair Growth?

Bay leaf tea is an herbal anti-dandruff remedy. It stops hair loss and promotes the health of the hair and hair regrowth. Bay leaf is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It kills bacteria and fungal infections over the scalp. Bay leaf tea is also a natural hair conditioner. It makes your hair smooth and shiny.

Steep the leaves in the boiled hot water in a covered pot for 20 minutes. Strain the tea and apply it to the scalp and hair. Gently massage the scalp for a few minutes. After an hour thoroughly rinse it off.

Bay Leaf for Weight Loss

Usual hot topic everywhere the weight loss. Bay leaf has an indirect effect on weight loss. The positive effects on the digestive system, lipid profile, and sugar levels help in weight loss.

The anti-fungal properties of bay leaf drop overgrowth of harmful Candida fungal. According to a 2011 study candida fungal overgrowth negatively affects the metabolism. This can lead to weight gain and digestive problems.

Bay leaf promotes stimulating the gastrointestinal tract resulting in improved digestion. Same time enzymes in bay leaf remove toxins from the digestive tract. Meaning it will help to absorb more macronutrients resulting use of more energy. So, it helps to lose weight indirectly.

Further drinking bay leaf tea betters your lipid profile. Promotes good cholesterol and decreases bad cholesterol in your system. This is too indirectly contributes to controlling weight gain.

Bay Leaf Tea Helps Acne

It is much less known that bay leaf has the ability to soothe acne skin. The antimicrobial properties help diminish the swollen facial puffiness. The application of bay leaf extract natural way replenishes and hydrates your skin.

Simple, pick a couple of bay leaves in a small container. Pour boiling water and let it soak for a full day. Use a very clean cotton dab into the bay leaf solution. Gently press the cotton dab over the affected areas by acne. You may repeat it two times a day.

You also make a bay leaf acne face mask that is useful to cleanse your face. Use dozens of bay leaves and put them in 30ml boiling water for about 30 minutes. Once it cools take 3 teaspoons of it and mix with 6 teaspoons of olive oil, a little burnt alum, and two egg whites. After mixing well use a clean cloth and soak in the mixture. Place the cloth on your face for about 30 minutes then rinse it off with lukewarm water.

Is Bay Leaf Safe During Pregnancy?

For some reason many people looking to know the safety of the intake of bay leaf tea during pregnancy. There is not enough reliable information on the safety of taking bay leaf during pregnancy or breastfeeding. It is advisable to avoid taking bay leaf tea during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Bay Leaf Oil Uses and Benefits

Bay Leaf Essential Oil for Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammatory condition in the joints. You will experience joint stiffness and pain. Appling bay leaf essential oil helps to relieve pain and inflammation. The study on bay leaf essential oil did reveal its analgesic and anti‐inflammatory effects.

Use 2 drops of bay leaf essential oil diluted with a carrier oil of your choice. Apply on the affected area, especially the inflamed area. Bay leaf is a natural pain relief herb. Bay leaf essential oil can be easily bought from online stores.

Treating Varicose Veins with Bay Leaves Oil

Bay leaf is a great natural remedy for varicose veins. It is a simple remedy just using bay leaf and olive oil. Then also gauze to strain the solution. Here is the quick recipe:

• 30 grams of bay leaves (preferably organic)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Gauze

Grind the bay leaves well and mix them with virgin olive oil. Place the mix in a bottle and seal it airtight. Shake the bottle for bay leaf and olive oil to mix well. Keep it in a cool dry place for two weeks before use. After two weeks drain and filter the mix using gauze. Put it back in the bottle for use. Apply the oil over the affected areas every day to get relief.

Nutrition Facts of Bay Leaf

Side Effects, Safeness, and Toxicity

Bay leaf and bay leaf oil are considered safer for most people. Bay leaf does not choke on people and does not get digested. There is a possibility it can become lodged in the throat or pierce the lining of the intestines. It is unsafe to eat the whole raw bay leaf. That is the reason the extraction of bay leaves through boiling water in the form of tea is effective.

Bay leaf does interfere with sugar levels. Hence need to understand the effects, especially for diabetes patients. It also may slow down the central nervous system. Beware, though it is not a concern it may slow down too much if combined with other medications.

Bay leaf extract is safe enough when used in cosmetics and applied to the skin. It may be allergic to some people.

Takeaway

Bay leaf tea is the simplest way to prepare and drink it. It has a huge potential for health benefits in addition to culinary uses. Yet, more evidence is required to rate the effectiveness of bay leaf for these uses.

In general bay leaf tea is safe to drink for most people. Understand the side effects that might cause which are minimal. Overall bay leaf is a great herb. Drinking bay leaf tea health benefits a way to have a healthy lifestyle.