Do bay leaves have any nutritional or medicinal value?

Question

Do bay leaves have any nutritional or medicinal value?

Answer 1

A little bit, not too much. Mostly because you use so little at any one time.

Bay leaf (dry, crumbled), 1 teaspoon (1g)

Calories: 3

Protein: 0.1g

Carbohydrate: 0.7g

Total Fat: 0.1g

Fiber: 0.3g

Answer 2

Bay leaves - dried or fresh - are commonly used as a flavoring for soups, stews etc, their nutritional value is minimal.

The dried leaves are brewed into a herbal tea.

Bay leaves contain about 1.3 % essential oils (Ol. Lauri folii), consisting of 45 % eucalyptol, 12 % terpenes, 3-4 % sesquiterpenes, 3 % methyleugenol and other α- und β-pinenes, phellandrene, linalool, geraniol and terpineol

Bay leaves have a long history of folk use in the treatment of many ailments: They are antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic in large doses, emmenagogue, narcotic, parasiticide, stimulant and stomachic.

If you are interested in symbolism of bay laurel:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_laurel