|
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese
English
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Malay
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese|
CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Laurel noble. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Noble laurel, Laurus nobilis. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Laurel (Laurus) Family: Laurel (Lauraceae) Origin: Mediterranean Area: The noble laurel is distributed in the Mediterranean, including the regions of Southern Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It is also cultivated in other regions of the world, including North and South America and Australia. Chemical composition: Laurel contains essential oils, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds, including laurel, pinene, cadinene, eucalyptol, camphor, linalol, myrcene, and terpinene. Economic value: Laurel leaves are used in cooking as a spice to flavor various dishes. They can also be used as a seasoning for meat dishes, fish, soups and sauces. Bay leaves contain biologically active compounds that may have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiallergic, antioxidant, and other beneficial properties. Legends, myths, symbolism: Laurel was widely used in the culture of ancient Greece and Rome, where it was associated with many legends, myths and symbols. In Greek mythology, the noble laurel was associated with the god Apollo. According to legend, Apollo was in love with Daphne, the daughter of the river god. Daphne refused his love and asked the gods to save her. The gods heard her prayers and turned her into a laurel tree, which became sacred to Apollo. Since then, the noble laurel has been a symbol of victory, wisdom and divine inspiration. In Rome, the noble laurel was used to make wreaths that were awarded to the winners in battles and the Olympic Games. This led to the noble laurel becoming a symbol of victory, glory and triumph. Laurel wreaths were also used as a symbol of power and were worn by emperors and rulers.
Noble laurel, Laurus nobilis. Description, illustrations of the plant Laurel. Legends, myths, history
Daphne (laurel), in Greek mythology, a nymph, daughter of the land of Gaia and the god of the rivers Peneus. The story of Apollo's love for Daphne is told by Ovid. When the bright god Apollo, proud of his victory over Python, stood over the monster slain by his arrows, he saw near him the young god of love Eros, pulling his golden bow. Laughing, Apollo said to him: - What do you need, child, such a formidable weapon? Leave it to me to send out the smashing golden arrows with which I have now killed Python. Are you equal in glory with me, the archer? Do you want to achieve more fame than me? Offended, Eros proudly answered Apollo: - Your arrows, Phoebus-Apollo, do not know a miss, they will smash everyone, but my arrow will smash you too. Eros waved his golden wings and in the blink of an eye flew up to the high Parnassus. There he took out two arrows from the quiver: one - wounding the heart and causing love, he pierced the heart of Apollo with it, the other - killing love, he launched into the heart of the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus and the goddess of the earth Gaia. Once I met the beautiful Daphne Apollo and fell in love with her. But as soon as Daphne saw the golden-haired Apollo, she started to run with the speed of the wind, because the arrow of Eros, which kills love, pierced her heart. The silver-eyed god hurried after her. - Stop, beautiful nymph, - he cried, - why are you running from me, like a lamb pursued by a wolf, like a dove fleeing from an eagle, you are rushing! After all, I'm not your enemy! Look, you hurt your legs on the sharp thorns of the blackthorn. Oh wait, stop! After all, I am Apollo, the son of the Thunderer Zeus, and not a simple mortal shepherd. But the beautiful Daphne runs faster and faster. As if on wings, Apollo rushes after her. He is getting closer. Now it's coming! Daphne feels his breath, but her strength leaves her. Daphne prayed to her father Peneus: - Father Peney, help me! Part quickly, mother earth, and devour me! Oh, take away this image from me, it causes me only suffering! As soon as she said this, her limbs immediately became numb. The bark covered her delicate body, her hair turned into foliage, and her hands raised to the sky turned into branches. For a long time the sad Apollo stood in front of the laurel and, finally, he said: “Let a wreath of only your greenery decorate my head, let from now on you decorate with your leaves both my cithara and my quiver. May your greenery never wither, O laurel. Stay green forever! The laurel quietly rustled in response to Apollo with its thick branches and, as if in a sign of consent, bowed its green top. Author: Martyanova L.M.
Laurel (Greek daphne, Latin laurus). Myths, traditions, symbolism
Laurel, whose wood resists lightning. W. H. von Hochberg, 1675 A bush or tree in the Mediterranean countries that was sacred in the cult of the sun god Apollo. The myth of the transformation of his beloved Daphne into a laurel bush was intended to explain the connection between God and this plant. With its help, Apollo made predictions, cleansed himself with it after killing the dragon - the serpent Python and Orestes - after the latter killed his mother Clytemnestra. Not only healing power was attributed to bay leaves, but also the power of cleansing from spiritual defilement. Laurel groves surrounded the temples of Apollo, and the priestess Pythia at Delphi chewed laurel leaves as she sat on a laurel-topped tripod. Laurel was also sacred to the bot of ecstasy of Dionysus (along with ivy), and in Ancient Rome - to Jupiter. It symbolized peace following the victory over the enemy. Messages of victory and victorious weapons were wrapped around laurel and folded in front of the image of Jupiter. Laurel leaves were ritually cleansed of spilled blood.
According to legend, the laurel tree (the only tree planted by man) has never been struck by lightning. Along with sacrificial animals, laurel branches were burned, whose crackle was considered a good omen. Laurel wreaths and branches were depicted on coins and gems as attributes of Jupiter and Apollo. Because of their evergreen appearance, bay leaves were also valued by early Christianity as a symbol of eternal life, or the new life that would come through the redemptive acts of Christ. For centuries, the goddess Nike (lat. Victoria) has been depicted as an allegorical image with a laurel wreath in her hands, which she places on the head of victorious heroes. Author: Biedermann G.
Laurus noble, Laurus nobilis L. Botanical description, history of origin, nutritional value, cultivation, use in cooking, medicine, industry
Small tree 5-7 m high or shrub. The leaves are large, elongated, leathery, wavy along the edges, petiolate. The flowers are small, yellowish, collected in an umbrella. The fruit is an oval black drupe with large seeds. Blooms in April-May. The birthplace of the laurel is the Mediterranean coast, where even now you can find wild thickets of this plant. Laurel has long been a symbol of glory, greatness, victory. The culture of noble laurel was expanded by the ancient Greeks and Romans, who treated it with great respect. Currently, laurel is cultivated in France, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Spain, Portugal, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and Crimea. Laurel is light and moisture-loving, easily tolerates drought and withstands frosts down to -18 °C. Laurel is propagated by root offspring, layering, cuttings or seeds. The leaves are harvested two years after planting, in October-November, when they contain the maximum amount of essential oil. The bay leaf is dried mainly in natural conditions. Properly dried leaves should be whole, elastic, light green in color, without a grayish coating. As an ornamental plant, noble laurel can be bred in greenhouse or room conditions. In these cases, plants grown from seeds feel better: they are easier to acclimatize in new conditions. For the summer, the noble laurel is taken out into the air, watered abundantly and fertilized. In winter, plants are kept in the coolest place in the room. Laurel noble tolerates pruning. All parts of the plant are rich in essential oil, but most of all - the leaves. The composition of the oil includes cineole, pinene, geraniol, eugenol and other fragrant volatile compounds, due to which the laurel has phytoncidal properties and helps purify the air. In addition, a lot of fatty oils and tannins were found in the fruits, and starch in addition to tannins in the leaves.: Even in ancient times, the leaves and fruits of laurel were used for medicinal purposes. Hippocrates recommended laurel oil for titanus, and the leaves to soothe labor pains. Galen believed that laurel helps with kidney stones. And today the laurel has not lost its significance. Its leaves are used both for medicinal purposes and as a spice. Bay leaf stimulates appetite and promotes digestion. An infusion of fresh or dried leaves in sunflower oil is rubbed into the skin for arthritis, myositis and neuralgia. The decoction is drunk for malaria and skin diseases, and with the addition of vinegar and honey - for rheumatism and pain in the joints, lower back. Bay leaf is widely used in the canning industry, in cooking. It improves the taste of grilled meats, boiled fish, soups and other dishes. It is added to various sauces, marinades, pickles. However, they should not be carried away, as in large quantities it can cause nausea and vomiting. In food designed for four people, you should put no more than a leaf. In recent years, not only the bay leaf has been used as a seasoning, but also the essential oil obtained from the stems or waste after drying the leaves. In addition, it is used in the production of soft drinks, perfumes and cosmetics. Authors: Kretsu L.G., Domashenko L.G., Sokolov M.D.
Noble laurel, Laurus nobilis L. Botanical description, distribution, chemical composition, features of use.
Laurel family - Lauraceae. An evergreen tree, reaching a height of 18 m, with brown smooth bark and bare shoots. The crown is densely leafy, mostly pyramidal in shape. The leaves are alternate, short-leaved, entire, glabrous, simple, 6-20 cm long, with a peculiar spicy smell; leaf blade oblong, lanceolate or elliptical, narrowed towards the base. Inflorescences are umbellate, numerous, collected mainly at the ends of branches, 1-3 in axils of leaves. Umbrellas before flowering are enclosed in spherical wrappers, consisting of four elliptical scales. Flowers are unisexual. The plant is bi-, very rarely monoecious. The fruit is a blue-black ovoid or elliptical drupe about 1,5-2 cm long, with a large stone. Transcaucasia and Asia Minor are considered to be the birthplace of noble laurel. It is widely cultivated as a spicy-aromatic and ornamental plant. All parts of the plant contain essential oil, tannins, resins, bitterness, which give them a typical aromatic smell and a pleasantly bitter taste. The content of essential oil in leaves reaches 3-5,5%, in fruits - up to 1%. In addition, 25-45% fatty oil, starch, phytosterol, hydrocarbon lauran, mucus, and sugars were found in the fruits. The composition of the essential oil of noble laurel includes pinene, cineole, myrcene, limonene, camphor, linalool, various organic acids and other components. Fatty oil consists of glycerols of lauric and palmitic acids. The alkaloids actinodarphnin and launobine have been isolated from the bark and wood of the laurel cultivated in Japan. Even in ancient times, the leaves and fruits of laurel were used as a spice and for medicinal purposes. Leaves and twigs of laurel were a symbol of victory, glory, greatness. Currently, laurel is of great economic importance as a spicy plant. The leaves are a well-known spice and condiment for food and preserves.
Laurel essential oil is used as a spice in confectionery and liquor industries, as well as a source for camphor and cineole. Bay leaf stimulates appetite and promotes digestion, it is used in almost the entire range of sour and salty dishes, in canning vegetables, for preparing various types of fried meat, soups, dishes from crabs, crayfish, herring. It harmonizes especially well with pickled cucumbers, beets, beans and cabbage. You can add it to mushrooms. Bay leaf gives a pleasant taste to jelly, goulash, sauces. However, you should not add more than one leaf per serving for four people. It has been experimentally proven that fatty oil of laurel fruits can be used in medical practice as a basis for making candles and balls instead of cocoa butter. Crushed fruits and fatty oil of noble laurel are part of some ointments, for example, "bean" ointment, which is used against scabies, rheumatic pains, spasms, and neuralgia. Hippocrates also recommended the use of bay oil against tetanus, and the leaves - to soothe pain during labor. Galen also used laurel for urolithiasis. The Arab physician Rhazes used the leaves as a specific remedy for facial nervous tics. In the Middle Ages, the fruits of laurel were used for coughs and as a good wound healing agent for the scalp. The leaves have been used in folk medicine to treat fever. An oil extract obtained by infusing laurel leaves with linseed or sunflower oil was used externally as a rub for paralysis. Laurel essential oil is a good disinfectant and insecticide. In the past, it was used to prevent the spread of cholera, dysentery and malaria, and the smoke from burning wood and laurel oil was used to repel mosquitoes, mosquitoes, and ants. Authors: Dudchenko L.G., Kozyakov A.S., Krivenko V.V.
Laurel noble (real laurel), Laurus nobilis. Botanical description, plant history, growing tips
Evergreen tree or shrub of the laurel family. The bark is smooth, brown, the tree reaches a height of 18-20 m, a shrub 2-5 m. The leaves are alternate, leathery, shiny, smooth on the upper side, lanceolate or elliptical-lanceolate, dark green. The flowers are yellowish or greenish, located in the axils of the leaves in the form of inflorescences. The fruits are one-seeded, drupe-shaped, blue-black. Under natural conditions, noble laurel grows in Asia Minor, Syria, the countries of the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean. In the Mediterranean, you can even find laurel forests with a special spicy smell, which is strongest in early April, during the flowering of laurel. This smell is the result of the release of essential oil from special glands in the leaves, flowers, fruits and other parts of the plant. Laurel has long been popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans, it was bred near temples and dedicated to the god Apollo. The winners of sports competitions were celebrated with a laurel wreath. The word "laureate" comes from "laureatus", which means "crowned with laurels". Laurel propagates by seeds and layering. Seeds are viable for a long time. The industrial culture of the noble laurel is developed in the western regions of the Caucasus, in the Crimea, the subtropical regions of the Krasnodar Territory of Russia. Laurel leaves are used in the food industry in the preparation of canned vegetables, fish and meat and in cooking. Bay leaf is added to sour-tasting dishes, sour cream sauces, put in marinades, pickles, preparing cabbage and mushrooms for the winter. It goes very well with fish and meat dishes. The oil from its fruits is used in medicine for the preparation of ointments, in perfumery to obtain high quality solid soap. Due to its decorative effect and relative unpretentiousness, laurel is widely used in landscaping. He tolerates a haircut well. Thanks to this, it is given a different shape, which is highly valued in ornamental gardening. It is also bred in pots. Make up a mixture of two parts of turf and one part of leafy soil, add a little sand. Laurel grows better in a well-lit area, but it also tolerates partial shade, as well as low (up to -18 °) temperatures. In parks, gardens of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and Crimea, it is planted with single plants, groups and entire alleys. In the northern regions, laurel is grown in tubs and pots to decorate residential and public buildings. It can be recommended for dimly lit and cool rooms. Already at the end of April, bay trees in tubs can be taken out into the air and placed (after preliminary hardening) in the sun in a warm place protected from drafts. The bay leaf is harvested on two-year-old shoots of the plant, when the leaves reach a length of up to 10 cm and a width of up to 3 cm. They are harvested in the fall and dried, spread out in a race layer in the shade. The aroma and taste of bay leaf depend on the essential oil contained in it (up to 3%). A good quality bay leaf does not have petioles, its color is light green, not brown, and even more so not dark brown. If noble laurel is grown at home, then its leaves can be used fresh and dried. Authors: Yurchenko L.A., Vasilkevich S.I.
Laurel noble. The history of growing a plant, economic importance, cultivation, use in cooking
What does bay leaf grow on? Laurus nobilis (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen shrub or tree that gave its name to a large family of laurels, and the only European representative of this family, which also includes such famous species as camphor tree, avocado and Ceylon cinnamon, whose bark we peel for spice. The Greek name for laurel is Daphne. According to the myth, and the ancient Greeks are famous myth-makers, Apollo was inflamed with passion for the nymph Daphne, but she chose to turn into a tree rather than respond to his harassment. Got a laurel. Apollo nevertheless broke off this tree, wove a wreath and put it on his head. Therefore, in ancient Greece, the laurel was considered a tree dedicated to Apollo, and its leaves were cut off for wreaths, and not for soup. By the way, in Rus', where the bay leaf apparently came from Byzantium, until the XNUMXth century it was called "daphnia" in the Greek manner. How useful is Lavrushka? Bay leaf tastes bitter, especially fresh, but this spice is valued not for its taste, but for its pleasant smell. Laurel leaves contain up to 4,5% fragrant essential oil, the main component of which is cineole, a monoterpene with a camphor-ether odor. It has an expectorant and antiseptic effect. Another component of the essential oil, eugenol, a phenol derivative with a strong clove odor, has an antibacterial effect. In addition, bay leaves contain appetizing bitterness, acetic, valeric and caproic acids, fragrant terpenes pinene, phellandrene and geraniol, potassium, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as tannins. Decoctions and extracts of bay leaves improve digestion, lower blood sugar levels, they are used externally for many skin diseases. To cure stomatitis, sometimes it is enough just to chew on a leaf of laurel. The extract from the leaves helps to get rid of dandruff and also regulates the secretion of the sebaceous glands of the scalp. Laurel essential oil is used in aromatherapy, it has disinfectant and warming properties, promotes digestion, and inhibits the development of tubercle bacillus. It is also used in the form of compresses for skin diseases. Oily infusion of leaves rub painful places with arthritis, neuralgia and muscle pain. And it is very convenient for the user that the bay leaf completely retains its qualities when dried - this is not typical of all plants.
What foods go with bay leaf? For a long time, bay leaves have been used to flavor water intended for washing hands before meals. They became a recognized spice in the XNUMXst century AD. e. At first, fruit desserts were prepared with bay leaves - baked apples and figs. In our time, the range of its application has expanded. Bay leaf is added to all first courses, except for milk and fruit soups, meat and fish dishes, boiled vegetables - cabbage, potatoes, carrots, legumes. This is an indispensable spice for correcting the taste and smell of jelly and other offal dishes. The dried and crushed leaf is added to pâtés, sausages and sauces. Since essential laurel oil has antiseptic properties, it is indispensable for canning. Bay leaf softens the taste of pickles and adds spice to marinades, and protects salted fish from "rusting". Fish fat contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, which, when oxidized by atmospheric oxygen, spoil the taste of the product and give it a "rusty" color, and bay leaf has an antioxidant effect. Liqueurs and mead are flavored with this spice, and in some places in the East they make tea with it. The ubiquitous spice! When to put in and when to take out? We have already found out that a rare dish does without a bay leaf, but with it, like with any spice, it must be handled skillfully. The existing bookmark rates vary from a leaflet per serving to a leaf per liter of water. At the same time, it is important that the lavrushka gives the dish its aroma, but leaves bitterness with it. Fortunately for us, essential oils are released before bitterness, and an unpleasant aftertaste can be avoided if the leaf is removed in time. Therefore, spice is added to the first dishes 5 minutes before readiness, and to the second - 7-10 minutes before. William Pokhlebkin advised putting twice as much bay leaf as indicated in the recipe, but taking it out earlier. This technique allows you to get the first, most delicate fractions of the essential oil in sufficient quantities, instead of boiling a few leaves to the end. What if you need more servings? The advice to double the dose of bay leaf is not always feasible. If dinner is being prepared for several people, then not three or four leaves, but a dozen, can be put in a large saucepan. But if you have to feed an entire factory shift (school, film crew, company staff), you will need a sack of leaves that will occupy the entire boiler, displacing the main contents from there. And the bay leaf, by the way, swells slightly when cooked. In this case, instead of leaves, a concentrated extract of laurel essential oils, obtained industrially, is used. If there is no extract, and there are many potential eaters, the required number of leaves is boiled separately, and expressed water is added to the soup. How to collect, select and store? Laurel is an evergreen plant, but this does not mean that its leaves are immortal. In a humid climate, they live for two to four years, and then die off. The leaves must be collected at the age of one and a half to two years, when they are still alive and have already managed to accumulate a sufficient amount of aromatic substances that are so valued by people. Harvesting takes place in autumn, one hectare of laurel plantations yields up to four tons of leaves. The spice is cut off not by leaf, like tea, but by twigs that are dried in the shade for 7-10 days. Such small laurel "brooms" are brought to our markets from those regions where laurel grows. Dried leaves must be sorted, selecting only conditioned ones. High-quality leaves are matte, olive-colored, dried and green - fresh. Leaves should be intact, free of blemishes, and about the same size. Usually the width of the leaves is 2-3 cm, and the length is 5-6 cm. We do not always buy spices in the market, we have to do this in a store where bay leaves are sold in opaque packaging. Experts advise paying attention to the tightness of the bag and the expiration date of the product. Not the fact that all the leaves in the bag will be green, GOST allows the presence of up to 3% of yellow leaves and up to 6% of twigs. But pale or yellow leaves will only spoil the dish, giving it a bitter aftertaste, since the essential oils from them have already evaporated. Therefore, the purchased package must be immediately opened, sorted out and the whole high-quality leaves placed in a tightly closed container so that the aroma does not disappear. It is not recommended to store the spice for more than a year. There are lovers who, not relying on the domestic food industry, grow noble laurel on their windowsill. Such leaves are also suitable as a seasoning if they are at least one and a half years old. What is bean ointment? In April - May, noble laurel blooms with small white or cream flowers, which are diligently visited by flies, wasps, bees, and occasionally even ants. As a result of their efforts, fruits are formed - ovoid juicy drupes up to 2 cm long, black and blue, alas, inedible. They smell pleasant, but they contain much less essential oil than the leaves, no more than 0,8%, but about 25% fatty oil, which is obtained by squeezing fresh laurel fruits. This oil consists mainly of the triglyceride lauric acid trilaurin, or simply laurin, and also contains small amounts of triglycerides of oleic, stearic, palmitic and myristic acids and an essential oil. This fragrant fatty ester product is green in color, thick and slightly grainy, called bean oil or bean ointment. Apply it only externally. In folk medicine, bean ointment is used to treat rheumatism, colds, neuralgia, spasms and scabies. Laurel oil is also used to make antiseptic soap, medical candles, it is used in veterinary medicine. Recipe for a gift. The simplest dish with bay leaves is its infusion. Fifteen leaves are boiled for 5 minutes in 300 ml of water and allowed to brew for 3-4 hours in a thermos. The resulting drink should be filtered and taken in small portions throughout the day. You should do the same for two more days, then take a break for two weeks and repeat the course. Experts claim that the decoction strengthens the body, gives it strength and makes breathing easier, but warn that the recipe is not suitable for people prone to constipation. Author: Ruchkina N.
Laurel noble, Laurus nobilis. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Noble laurel, Laurus nobilis. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Laurel nobilis is an evergreen plant known for its fragrant leaves, which are widely used in cooking. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing laurel noble: Cultivation:
Preparation and storage:
▪ kohlrabi ▪ Play the game "Guess the plant from the picture"
Alcohol content of warm beer
07.05.2024 Major risk factor for gambling addiction
07.05.2024 Traffic noise delays the growth of chicks
06.05.2024
▪ PVC tiles and linoleum are dangerous for asthmatics ▪ Miniature Tissue Fluid Sensor for Wearable Electronics ▪ Japan's Smart Agriculture Abroad
▪ site section Voltage converters, rectifiers, inverters. Article selection ▪ article by William Yeats. Famous aphorisms ▪ article Manchurian walnut. Legends, cultivation, methods of application ▪ article Self-cleaning banana. Focus Secret
Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews
www.diagram.com.ua |
We recommend interesting articles Section 
See other articles Section 
Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:
All languages of this page