Bay leaves are what women and caterers put in jollof rice and some other foods to flavour and preserve from souring. The Yoruba name is “Ewe Bunkun”

Many ladies add bay leaves to their foods, especially in the cooking of red meat and poultry. Many don’t know why bay leaves are added to food!

When a woman was asked why, she said, “to flavor the food”. If you boil the bay leaves in a glass of water and taste it, it will have no flavor. So why do you put bay leaves in the meat or other food?

The addition of bay leaves to meat converts triglycerides to monounsaturated fats and, for experimentation and confirmation:

Cut a chicken into two halves, cook each half in a separate pan and place on one a bay leaf, and cook the other without a bay leaf. Observe the amount of fat in both pans after cooking!

If you have bay leaves, there is no need for a pharmacy, as recent scientific studies have shown that bay leaves have many benefits:

They help to get rid of many serious health problems and illnesses.

The benefits of bay leaf:

They

▪ Treat digestive disorders and help eliminate –
• Lumps
• Heartburn
• Acidity
• Constipation

Hot bay tea regulates bowel movements:

▪ lowers blood sugar
▪ is an antioxidant,
▪by eating them, or by drinking bay tea for a month, the body is able to produce insulin
▪ eliminates bad cholesterol and relieves the body of triglycerides.
▪ useful in treating colds, flu and severe coughs, as it is a rich source of vitamin “C”.
▪ you can boil the leaves and inhale steam to get rid of phlegm and reduce the severity of coughs.
▪ protects the heart from seizures and strokes, as they contain cardiovascular protective compounds.
▪ rich in acids such as caffeic acid, quercetin, eugenol and bartolini, substances that prevent the formation of cancer cells in the body.
▪ eliminates insomnia and anxiety. If taken before bed time, helps you relax and sleep peacefully.
▪ drinking a cup of boiled bay leaves twice a day breaks down kidney stones and cures infections.