On the 5th of February 2016 Viktoria Vukics left me a comment/question in the original bay leaf post from September 7th, 2010:
"Hello there! Thanks for this interesting article. It's so good that someone has cleared up this pseudo-myth on a scientific basis. There's so often confusion about the uses and safety of herbs. I also heard the bay seeds to be poisonous. Do you think it's true? One even says that it's unsafe to crush or press the berries to obtain the fixed oil. I would appreciate your opinion on the matter, Victoria"
I am quite busy these days; it took me a while to be able to find reliable documentation supporting an answer. Here is what I could find with some solid scientific basis.
The bay tree contains small fragrant black (when ripen) shiny olive-like berries of about 1.3 cm long. These are apparently edible as there are anecdotal reports that birds actually love them. Even though historically the berries have been used mainly for medicinal purposes, a lot of the information available on the web regarding how edible or toxic these berries are, comes from popular knowledge. But two very good articles point towards their safety.
The berries of Bay Laurel contain among other essential oils, eugenol, acetyl eugenol, methyl eugenol, terpineol, cineol, geraniol and 1-8-cineole [1] [3]. These are responsible for the attractive spicy aroma in them. Some people report that infusion containing such berries relieve flatulence and can soothe gastric problems. I personally could not find any scientific suggestions on the flatulence part. However, these berries are quite substantially used in the food industry as seasoning and coloring agents for soups, meat, fish, beverages, etc, and even as food preservatives due to their proven antimicrobial potency (capable of inactivating for instance E. coli, S. typhimurium and S. aureus [3]) and also showing some potential as insecticide [2].
In conclusion, the Laurus nobilis berries are a good natural source of anthocyanins; these are non-toxic water-soluble vacuolar pigments that change color depending on pH, and have antioxidant properties.
[1] Laurus Nobilis, Floridata Plant Encyclopaedia, [http://www.floridata.com/Plants/Lauraceae/Laurus%20nobilis/733], last visited on the 29th of February 2016, last updated on the 24th of February 2005.
[2] Longo, L and Vasapollo, G. (2005). "Anthocyanins from Bay (Laurus nobilis L.) Berries". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53, pp. 8063-8067.
[3] Dadalioglu, I. and Evrendilek, G. A. (2004). "Chemical compositions and antibacterial effects of essential oils of Turkish oregano (Origanum minutiflorum), Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.), and Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) on common foodborne pathogens". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, pp. 8255-8260.
Thanks a lot for devoting time to my question. You've strenghened my belief that on one hand laurel berries with or without seeds can not be too poisonous and on the other hand that medicinal plants or spices having been used traditionally for centuries can not simply be labeled unsafe because of some newly got LC50 values. I appreciate your help, Victoria
ReplyDeleteThe "fruits" or drupes have been used by natives for a long time w/o toxicity known. Due to the strong flavor, the quantity consumed is limited. The seeds are roasted. I am more concerned about the toxicity of our medical system. "A recent Johns Hopkins study claims more than 250,000 people in the U.S. die every year from medical errors. Other reports claim the numbers to be as high as 440,000. Medical errors are the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer." Release Date: May 3, 2016 hopkinsmedical(dot)org.
ReplyDeleteWhile the berries or drupes of the Bay tree are not toxic, the berries of other members of the Laurel family are toxic.
ReplyDeleteAfter a sharp frost black berries have dropped from our Bay and are now being eaten by a Thrush and by Blackbirds just outside our window today.
so, how do you tell the different laurel trees apart. I found two wild growing trees today and they both had berries, but I don’t know how to tell the difference
DeleteMine are still green
ReplyDeleteWhat are the the Bay that are in the swamps of "the lowcountry" of South Carolina? Are leavse & seeds dsade to eat?
ReplyDeleteAre the seeds & leaves of the bay thatlives in "the lowcountry of South Carolina eatable?
ReplyDeleteI have always used the leaves however I don't know about the berries
DeleteAre the seeds & leaves of the Bay that grows in "lowcountry" of
ReplyDeleteSouth Carolina safe to eat?
Unfortunately I am quite taken by my professional role presently and have very little time to investigate on this matter. I am sorry but you will probably have to look elsewhere or fetch a different source, but thank you so much for visiting the blog.
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