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BAY, SWEET
Source: Laurus nobilis L. (Family
Lauraceae).
Common/vernacular names:Bay, laurel, bay
laurel, Grecian laurel, Mediterranean bay,
sweet bay, and true bay.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Laurus nobilisis an evergreen tree, up to 20 m
high, native to the Mediterranean region; ex-
tensively cultivated. Part used is the dried leaf.
An essential oil, commonlyknown as laurel
leaf oil, is produced by steam distillation of the
leaves and branchlets.
Its leafy branchlets were used in wreaths by
the ancient Greeks and Romans to crown their
victors.
There are several botanicals known under
the name ofbay. Forexample, West Indianbay
isPimenta racemosa(Mill.) J. W. Moore, and
California bay is Umbellularia californica
Nutt. The wordbayin the literature may refer
to any one of these botanicals, among others.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
Contains 0.3–3.1% volatile oil composed
mainly of 1,8-cineole (30–50%), a-pinene
(ca. 12%), linalool (ca. 11%), a-terpineol
acetate (ca. 10%),a-terpineol,b-pinene, sa-
binene, limonene, methyleugenol (3,4-di-
methoxyallylbenzene), eugenol, p-cymene,
camphene, and dehydro-1,8-cineole, as well
as phenyl-hydrazine, piperidine, and gerani-
ol.^1 The essential oil from a supercritical
carbon dioxide extraction contained mainly
methyleugenol (8.1%), a-terpinyl acetate
(11.4%), linalool (12.5%), and 1,8-cineole
(22.8%).^2 Oil content is highest in autumn
and lowest in spring, with old leaves contain-
ing the most oil.^3 Other constituents reported
include costunolide, laurenobiolide (germa-
cranolides), sesquiterpenes (santamarine, de-
hydrocostus lactone, zaluzanin D, reynosin),
catechins, proanthocyanidins, quercetin, iso-
quercitrin,4–7 alkaloids (reticuline, boldine,
launobine, isodomesticine, neolitsine, nandi-
gerine, etc.),^8 vitamin E,^9 and various acids
(e.g.,butyric,caproic,enanthicacids,etc.).10–16
PHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL
ACTIVITIES
Methyleugenol, a major constituent of sweet
bay and California bay oils (at 4% and 5.4%,
respectively), as well as a variety of West
Indian bay and other species, has been re-
ported to have sedative and narcotic properties
in mice, producing sedation at low doses and
reversible narcosis at higher doses; it pre-
vented the death of mice treated with lethal
convulsant doses of strychnine.^13
76 Bay, sweet
