Laurel noble

Laurel noble: description

Laurel is an evergreen tree or is a tree-like shrub, reaching a height of no more than ten meters. However, you can also find the tallest trees, the height of which can reach up to eighteen meters in height and the trunk grows up to forty centimeters in diameter.

The trunk is gray in color, the crown consists of dense branches, the branches have a straight appearance and a slightly pressed appearance, smooth and bare to the touch. The leaves of Laurel noble are oblong, short-petiolate, the largest can reach up to twenty centimeters long and up to eight centimeters wide.

At the base, the leaves of Laurel noble are slightly narrowed, and closer to the end of the leaf are pointed, the edges are in the form of a wave, the leaf itself on the front side has a dark green color, and on the opposite side the same color only with a shiny shade, veins are also visible on the lower part of the leaf ... Laurel leaves have their own specific smell, spicy taste and a little bitter.

Laurel noble blooms with small flowers, white in color, collected in four or six inflorescences. The fruit is a black-blue drupe, egg-shaped, up to twenty millimeters long and up to eleven millimeters wide. This plant blooms from March to June, and bears fruits in the second half of autumn.

Laurel grows in large numbers in the Mediterranean countries, Asia Minor and southern Europe. It can also be found in countries with a humid subtropical climate. In Georgia and Crimea, laurel is grown both for food purposes and for decorative purposes.

Reproduction of Laurel noble

Laurel noble reproduces by means of seeds, cuttings and cuttings. Laurel saplings are grown in nurseries. For industrial plantings, they prefer to use seedlings that have reached two years old. The growth rate will depend on the conditions under which it grows; you can also regulate it by pruning cuttings.

Collecting Laurel noble

The people use not only the leaves of the laurel tree, but also the fruits themselves. Laurel leaves are usually harvested in winter, from November to February. Thin branches with a large number of branches are subject to collection. They must be cut with a pruner or a sharp knife; the cut must be kept clean.

Laurel leaves that are harvested are usually dried outdoors in the shade or in a well-ventilated room. It takes five to ten days to dry the leaves. If you dry the leaves of Laurel noble properly, they will not lose their color.

Laurel noble: photo of a plant

The fruits of Laurel noble usually begin to be harvested in the fall, when they turn black and blue in color. By this time, they have accumulated the highest content of essential and fatty oils.

The fruits of Laurus noble themselves, which have dried out a little in the sun, are dried in special dryers for vegetables, the temperature should not be higher than forty degrees. The dried fruit tastes spicy and slightly bitter and has a very aromatic odor.

Laurel noble: application and properties

In ancient times, this plant was used in the treatment of various diseases. Hippocrates advised the use of laurel leaves to reduce the pain of childbirth. Galen recommended the leaves for those with kidney stones.

Also in those days, the fruits of Laurus noble helped well in the treatment of cough and had a healing effect on the head where the hair grew. The leaves have been used for fever.

The crushed fruits of Laurus noble and its fatty oil will be included in the composition of ointments used in the treatment of scabies mites, rheumatism, spasms, tumors and other diseases.

Laurel leaves are considered to be very famous, they are used mainly as a seasoning for food and as a spice, and also widely used in canning. Laurel essential oil is used in confectionery and distillery as a spice.

The essential oil of laurel noble in the food industry is also widely used. Based on this oil and starch, a bay powder is obtained that is similar in taste and smell to bay leaves. To make bay tablets, they take table salt, starch and bay oil.

One such tablet is equal in properties to 2 bay leaves. If you store powder and tablets in a well-closing package, then they will retain their qualities for up to one and a half years.