Laurel [homewares.: Daphne noble, Noble laurel] is an aromatic plant of the family Dafnoeidon. Shrub or small tree, with alternating sheets, intact, lanceolate, dark green with small stalk and slightly wavy. The smell is fragrant and taste a little bitter. The flowers come out in March and April. The fruit is a drupe with fleshy pericarp and large seeds. The color is kyanomafro or black when ripe, oval shape and size of a small olive. Fruits produced by the laurel, having ointment. Found in Greece uncultivated. Also, in Greek is cultivated and the laurel of Apollo, familiar with popular names vagia, laurel, dafnolia and hero. It is not known the annual global consumption of laurel leaves. Only in Greece exported approximately 200 tons per year.
Historical data for Laurel:
In Greece the laurel has been known since ancient times and they must be mentioned’ in Homer. Was sacred tree, dedicated to Apollo. First the Greeks and then the Romans used to be crowned with laurel leaves their race winners. So, even today laurel identified with the glory, victory and supremacy.
Photo: M. Luis
In ancient times it was also known therapeutic properties. Laurel was known since antiquity for its antiseptic, inflammatory and soothing properties of leaves and fruits of.
The Hippocrates the grant as an analgesic after childbirth, various gynecological problems and washes the head. With laurel cure infertility.
The Dioscorides constituted the decoction in diseases of the bladder and uterus, liwmenoys fruits of their asthma and tuberculosis and their juice in cases of AIDS and fatigue. In ancient Greece and Rome were also plant dedicated to God Asklipio (the god of Medicine). From old branches were making wreaths to glorify the heroes and later believed that protected the world from the devil. When xirainotan a Laurel tree, thought would come some evil! Also used to stimulate the hair but also to darken the colour (and eyelashes) boiling together Bay leaf and Walnut.
Uses:
In many villages use the batter leaves with revythalefro for kneading bread eftazymou. Used as a flavoring in vermouth, ice cream, sweets, in bakery, soups, pasta and canned meat.
The Bedouin flavor coffee with bay leaves. Used Bay leaves and fruit (without the seeds which are toxic).
The essential oil-containing fruits finds many applications in the therapeutic. From folk healers used the powder of bay leaves topically to stop bleeding from the nose.
Leaves and fruits are tonic for the functions of digestion . All parts of the bay are stimulants and folk medicine does not use the leaves as a diaphoretic and antikatarroika. The leaves should be dried in the shade.
Use of laurel in alternative therapies:
Laurel has many uses in folk tradition. Used the leaves and fruits of, without the pips considered toxic and formerly served as ektrwtika. Laurel extract helps in proper functioning of the stomach. The laurel, extracted by mechanical pressing of the fruit, considered as rheumatic, for sprains and muscle against arthritis. The also used to stimulate hair but darken their color (and eyelashes) boiling with bay leaves and walnut. Today it is used in perfumes, candles and soaps. The essential oil, produced from the distillation of the leaves, is antiseptic, valuable for catarrh and bronchitis. In many villages use the batter leaves with revythalefro for kneading bread eftazymou. The Bedouin flavor coffee with bay leaves. The Byzantines was seasoned their wine and used as a soothing. The powder of bay leaves used locally for stopping the bleeding from the nose.
Relaxing and beneficial
It decoction of Laurel, you can make a cup of boiling water 2-3 leaves for ten minutes, used for fighting insomnia and tension. The same decoction is considered useful in cases indigestion and Anorexia, while the leaves of laurel believed to have astringent, antidiarrhoeal and diuretic properties. For the sore throat but also the oral infections We also do gargling with the above decoction, While the compresses with compresses with water where we boil ten Bay leaves may soothe and abscesses. At the same time essential oil of Laurel considered that combats aerophagia and aches due to rheumatism and arthritis.
Daphne beautiful hair
Photo: Arturo Chausinho
If your hair fall or dull, rinse after shampooing with water in which you boil bay leaves. To darken their color when they have begun to whiten, boil 150 g. fresh bay leaves, let the mixture cool and soak for 15 days.
Precautions
Avoid rubbing with plain dafnolado, as it can cause burns and skin redness. Also, drink ever dafnolado because no way cause you intense nausea and vomiting, and burns in the gastric mucosa and colic.
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