Bay (Laurel) Leaf - Laurus Nobilis

The leaf of the bay laurel - Laurus nobilis - a native shrub of the lands surrounding the northern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean, has a mythic history. Ancient mythology recounts that Apollo pursued the uninterested nymph Daphne. Apollo stalked Daphne until the gods granted her protection by turning her into a bay tree. In the Greek as well as Georgian languages, the herb is still called "dafni." At the Temple of Delphi, which is dedicated to Apollo, the priestesses would eat bay leaves before divining the future. Because bay leaves are mildly narcotic, this may have helped induce the trance state. The greatest commercial production of bay leaf today is in Turkey. In second comes Georgia. LLC Caucasan has set to its goal to promote Georgian laurel leaf on international stage and Bay laurels do not withstand heavy frost but require hot, dry summers for production of concentrated essential oils.