This is the benefit of bay leaves as an effective herbal remedy for fighting disease
KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. Not only as a kitchen spice, bay leaves are also famous in the world of herbal medicine. These are the benefits of bay leaves as herbal medicine that you should know.
Do you like cooking and culinary? You must be familiar with bay leaves.
Not surprisingly, bay leaves do have an important role in making dishes, namely as a seasoning for cooking.
Also Read: These are the benefits of guava leaves as herbal medicine
Apart from being famous as a cooking spice, bay leaves are herbal plants that are believed to be able to treat a number of diseases. Some diseases that can be treated with bay leaves are uric acid and high blood pressure.
Just so you know, bay leaves contain many vitamins and minerals that have good properties for health.
Quoting from a book entitled Altas Tanaman Indonesian Medicine Volume 2 by Setiawan Dalimartha, bay leaves are rich in essential oils, tannins, and flavonoids. Not only that, bay leaves also contain alkaloid compounds.
This is what makes bay leaves believed to be able to cure a number of diseases.
As information, bay leaves grow wild in the forest. However, some people intentionally plant bay leaves in the garden.
Quoting from a book entitled Traditional Medicinal Plants Volume 2 by Thomas ANS, the bay leaf plant is quite large and can reach 20-25 meters in height.
The laurel tree has a leafy character, so it is often used as a shade plant.
Benefits of bay leaves as herbal medicine
Herbal treatment using bay leaves has been known since time immemorial.
In fact, there have been many studies that prove that bay leaves are indeed effective in curing a number of diseases. Here are the benefits of the wrong leaves in the world of medicine.
1. Drugs lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol
You have high blood pressure? Bay leaves can be the medicine.
Quoting from a book entitled The Miracle og Herbs by dr.Prapti Utami, Desty Ervina Puspaningtyas S.Gz, bay leaves are rich in flavonoids which can reduce high blood pressure.
Not only that, but bay leaves contain Quercetin compounds which function to lower cholesterol levels in the body.
2. Treating gout
It is no secret that the bay leaf is a gout herbal remedy. Bay leaves contain active compounds quercetin, myristin, and mirisetin which play a role in reducing uric acid levels.
This has been proven in a study conducted by Dwieka Agustin from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB in 2008. The results showed that bay leaf extract can inhibit xanthine oxidase activity (the cause of uric acid increase).
3. Diabetes medication
The flavonoid content in bay leaves is also useful for lowering blood sugar levels.
Bay leaves can be a herbal medicine for people with diabetes mellitus, aka diabetes. The method of mixing is easy, you boil the fresh or dried bay leaves.
You drink bay leaf boiled water regularly every day.
4. Toothache medicine
Apart from containing flavonoids, bay leaves also contain tannins which are anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. This substance makes bay leaves able to treat toothaches. In addition, the essential oil content in bay leaves has an analgesic effect.
Research conducted by Agus Sumono and Agustin Wulan SD on 50 patients at the Dental and Oral Hospital of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Jember showed that the results of gargling with bay leaf boiled water were able to reduce the number of streptococcus sp bacteria in the oral cavity.
5. Diarrhea medicine
Finally, bay leaves are a herbal medicine for diarrhea. In a microbiological test using the disc method showed that the ethanol in bay leaves was able to inhibit the growth of E.coli, Salmonella sp, and Vibrio cholera bacteria.
Even though it has many benefits for the health of the body, you should not consume excessive bay leaves.
It’s a good idea to eat bay leaves according to the serving suggestions
Also Read: Fruit juice recipes for treating diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure