Pharmacognosy´s topics - Medicinal plants
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Herbs - Medicinal Plants
Laurel or Bay Laurel
Identification and origin of Bay Laurel
Scientific Name: Laurus nobilis
The Bay Laurel is a small sized tree of the Lauraceae family. It not exceeds the height of 10 m. It has lanceolate hard leaves, dark green color, between 7 and 12 cm long. It is a dioecious plant (unisexual), it means the male and female flowers appear on different plants. The Roman emperors considered it a symbol of victory.
It is distributed throughout the Mediterranean area, where it can appear cultivated or wild.
Content and Active Ingredients
Leaves of Bay Laurel
Essential oil (1): cineol, eugenol, sesquiterpene lactones, tannins.
Fruits of Bay Laurel
Essential oil (2-3%): cineol (30-50%), alpha and beta-pinene (10%), linalool (10%), geraniol, sabinene, limonene, camphene, p-cymene.
Sesquiterpene lactones: costunolide, laurenobiolide
Lipid (25%): glycerides of lauric, oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids.
references
- Novak M. (1985) Phytochemistry 24(4):585.
- Roth L. Daunderer M, Kormann K, Giftpflanzen, Pflanzengifte, 4. Aufl., Ecomed Fachverlag Landsberg Lech 1993.
- Steinegger ET Hansel R, Pharmakognosie, 5. Aufl., Springer Verlag Heidelberg 1992.
- Tada H' eTaL (1976) Chem Pharm Bull 24:667.
- Teuscher E. Lindequist U, Biogene Gifte - Biologie, Chemie.
- Pharmakologie. 2. Aufl., Fischer Verlag Stuttgart 1994. Tori K et aL (1976) Tetrahedron Lett 5:387.
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