Bay Leaves are used to add flavor and aroma to culinary recipes, though often the bay leaf is removed after cooking. Bay Leaves are also used to make an essential oil that blends well with lavender oil, rosemary oil, geranium, and lavandin. Clove oil is often used as an adulterant, so if you want the properties found from Bay Leaves, be sure your aromatherapy essential oils are pure essential oils.
| Common Name: |
Bay |
| Botanical Name: |
Pimenta racemosa (Miller) J. W. Moore |
| Family: |
Myrtaceae. |
| Synonyms: |
Pimenta acris Kostel; Myrcia acris; Myrcia oil; bay leaf oil; bay rum tree; bay berry; wild cinnamon. |
| Origin: |
Indigenous to the West Indies. It grows in St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and throughout the Caribbean Islands, where it's cultivated for its essential oil. |
| Botanical Description: |
A small wild-growing evergreen tree with large leathery leaves and aromatic fruits. It grows as tall as 26 ft in height. |
| Oil Extraction: |
The leaves are steam distilled to produce bay essential oil. The oil is a fluid yellow liquid. |
| Yield: |
0.75 to 1.5%. |
| Aroma Profile: |
Has a fresh-spicy top note, with a rich sweet-balsamic undertone. Slightly sweet-balsamic dry out. |
| Major Constituents: |
Eugenol (about 55%), myrcene, and chavicol. |
| Adulterants: |
Clove oil and its fractions. |
| Regulatory Status: |
GRAS 182.20. |
| Aromatherapy: |
Bay essential oil is relaxing and warming. |
| Blends well with: |
Citrus oils, geranium, lavandin, lavender oil, rosemary oil, and ylang ylang. |
| Safety Data: |
Moderately toxic. Avoid during pregnancy. |
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