Witnessed by: Unani
Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), of the Lauraceae family. Aromatic evergreen shrub or small tree with stiff glossy leaves and black one-seeded berries; native range: the Mediterranean basin and Asia Minor; cultivated widely in warm-temperate gardens. Globally recognized as habb-ul-ghar (حب الغار) in Arabic, barg-e-bu in Persian, habbul ghar, tez pat vilayati in Urdu, and bay laurel, sweet bay, laurel berry in English. The part used is berry (and the fixed oil pressed from it); leaf. Leathery leaves, warmly aromatic when broken; the berry black and oily, bitter and pungent, yielding a green butter-like oil of penetrating scent.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BAY LAUREL
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- bay laurel
- Scientific name
- Laurus nobilis L.
- Family
- Lauraceae
Form
- Part used
- berry (and the fixed oil pressed from it); leaf
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Unani
- pungent · bitter · aromatic
Temperature
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree; the berry towards the 3rd)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- nerves · joints · uterus · stomach · liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Unani
- muhallil-e-waram (resolvent of swellings), musakkin-e-alam (analgesic), muqawwi-e-asab (nervine), kasir-e-riyah (carminative), mudirr-e-haiz (emmenagogue), mufattih-e-sudad (deobstruent), jali (detergent)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- hot and bilious temperaments; avoid in pregnancy, the berry being an emmenagogue
- Toxicity
- large doses of the berry are emetic and heating; the oil may irritate a tender skin
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