Bay leaves can also be scattered in a pantry to repel meal moths, flies and roaches, owing to the leaf's lauric acid content that gives it insecticidal properties. Bay leaves have many properties that make them useful for treating high blood sugar, migraine headaches, bacterial and fungal infections, and gastric ulcers. Bay leaves and berries have been used for their astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic and stomachic properties. Bay oil, or oil of bays (oleum lauri) is used in liniments for bruises and sprains. Bay leaf has been used as an herbal remedy for headaches. It contains compounds, called parthenolides, which have proven useful in the treatment of migraines. Bay leaf has also been shown to help the body process insulin more efficiently, which leads to lower blood sugar levels. It has also been used to reduce the effects of stomach ulcers. Bay leaf contains eugenol, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Bay leaf is also an antifungal and antibacterial, and has also been used to treat rheumatism, amenorrhea, and colic.
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I brought some bay leaves back from Turkey when I was stationed there in the Air Force. I still have them, so obviously they are not going to be good for cooking. Turkish Bay Leaves are the best in the world. Though not as strong as the California variety, they have a natural depth of flavor that the California Bay Leaves can't hope to match. Bay leaves grow wild on the hilly mountains of western Turkey in the area around Izmir (Smyrna). The wind there is perfect for growing bay leaves. Most of the year it comes out of the west across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, picking up moisture and dropping it on the growing trees.
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