VIRTUAL

HERBARIUM

Laurel
Nagore Iturbe 1.A

- Scientific Latin name:

Laurus Nobilis
- Vulgar name: Laurel
(Spanish) , Ereinotza
(Euskera) , Laurel (English),
Greek:

Classical authors (Latin and

Greek) who mentioned the
plant in their books
- Homero Odisea IX 186
- Pausanias VIII 20,2
- Suetonio Galba I

Homero Odisea IX 186

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Homero Odisea IX 186

(Translation)
I went on board, bidding my men to do so also and
loose the hawsers; so they took their places and
smote the grey sea with their oars. When we got to
the land, which was not far, there, on the face of a
cliff near the sea, we saw a great cave overhung
with laurels. It was a station for a great many sheep
and goats, and outside there was a large yard, with a
high wall round it made of stones built into the
ground and of trees both pine and oak. This was the
abode of a huge monster who was then away from
home shepherding his flocks. He would have nothing
to do with other people, but led the life of an
outlaw. He was a horrid creature, not like a human
being at all, but resembling rather some crag that
stands out boldly against the sky on the top of a
high mountain.

Drawing of the plant

Symbolism
In the metamorphosis of Apollo and Daphne, Apollo
mocked Eros for playing with bows and arrows because
they were meant for wars instead of love. In anger, Eros
shot an arrow made of lead at a tree nymph named Daphne
to make her hate Apollo, and a golden arrow at Apollo so
that he amat visaeque cupit conubia Daphnes (loves and
desires marriage to Daphne having been seen). Apollo
began to chase Daphne, but they were evenly matched in
speed until Apollo asked Eros to help him catch her. Seeing
that Apollo was bound to catch up, Daphne asked her
father Peneus to make her mutando perde figuram (lose
by changing my shape). As aid, he turned her into a tree.
Daphne began running slower and slower as her feet joined
with the earth, but when Apollo finally caught up to her,
she was a complete tree. Heartbroken, Apollo hugged the
membra lacertis oscula dat ligno (tree with his arms and
gives kisses to the wood) although it shrank away from his
touch. He promised to always tend to the tree and every
bay laurel tree since then has been said to have leaves
that never grow old.

USES OF THE PLANT

(to decorate, to cook, to
symbolize, to worship, to
poison, to heal )

Food
- The plant is the source of several popular herbs and
one spice used in a wide variety of recipes, particularly among
Mediterranean cuisines. Most commonly, the aromatic leaves are
added whole to Italian pasta sauces. However, even when
cooked, whole bay leaves can be sharp and abrasive enough to
damage internal organs, so they are typically removed from dishes
before serving, unless used as a simple garnish. Whole bay
leaves have a long shelf life of about one year, under normal
temperature and humidity. Bay leaves are used almost exclusively
as flavor agents during the food preparation stage;
- Ground bay leaves, however, can be ingested safely and are
often used in soups and stocks, as well as being a common
addition to a Bloody Mary. Dried laurel berries and pressed leaf oil
can both be used as robust spices, and even the wood can be
burnt for strong smoke flavoring.

Medicine
Aqueous extracts of bay laurel can also be used
as astringents and even as a reasonable salve for
open wounds.
In massage therapy, the essential oil of bay laurel is
reputed to alleviate arthritis and rheumatism, while
in aromatherapy, it is used to treat earaches and high
blood pressure. A traditional folk remedy for rashes
caused by poison ivy, poison oak, and stinging nettle is
a poultice soaked in boiled bay leaves.
The chemical compound lauroside B isolated
from Laurus nobilis is an inhibitor of
human melanoma (skin cancer) cell proliferation at
high concentrations.

THE END