Essential oil - bay leaf

Essential oil - bay leaf (Pimenta racemosa)

• Amount of oil: 10 ml
• Scientific name: Pimenta racemosa.
• Plant part used: leaves
• Origin: Caribbean
• Extraction method: steam distillation

The bay leaf has had many symbolic meanings in different cultures and eras. In ancient Rome and Greece, it symbolized victory, honor and success. The laurel was the sacred tree of the god Apollo, because Peneios, the father of Daphne, whom Apollo loved, did not accept Apollo's relationship with his daughter, but turned Daphne into a laurel tree. Apollo was the god of knowledge, poetry and music, so the laurel is symbolically related to these as well.

Because the laurel keeps its leaves all year round, it is associated with durability and eternity. It also symbolizes peace and reconciliation. For the ancient Romans, the death of a laurel tree growing in the yard predicted a great misfortune for the house, so the trees were grown with care. Early Christians used to place the deceased to rest on laurel leaves before burial.