Bay Laurel Oil is sometimes known as Laurel Leaf Oil.

Bay Laurel Oil and Bay Oil (Pimenta racemosa) are sometimes confused for one another due to their similar common names. Though they share some broad aromatic similarities, both are very different oils.

Aromatically, Bay Laurel's camphorous and spicy notes marry nicely with its softer sweet, fruity/floral notes.

A wonderful oil for promoting confidence and for helping maintain courage and focus when dealing with challenges or new ideas.  Valerie Ann Worwood also shares this about Bay Laurel Essential Oil: "To encourage confidence, fortitude, inspiration, protection, direction and creativity." [Valerie Ann Worwood, Aromatherapy for the Soul (Novato, CA: New World Library, 1999), 202.]

Bay Laurel Essential Oil is heralded for being an effective expectorant and can be a welcome addition to diffuser blends to help combat cold and flu symptoms.

As the safety section below states, Bay Laurel Oil is more likely to cause dermal irritation or sensitization. Use with extreme care and in extremely low dilutions (if at all) for topical applications.

Aromatic Profile: Herbacous, fruity, fresh, camphorous.

Appearance: Colorless to very pale yellow, transparent, mobile liquid.

Use: Amenorrhea, colds, flu, loss of appetite, tonsillitis. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 63-66.]

Safety Considerations: This oil has a high 1,8-cineole content that can cause CNS and breathing problems in young children. It is also a potential mucous membrane irritant (low risk) and skin sensitizer (low risk) - avoid use on hypersensitive, diseased or damaged skin and on children less than 2 years of age. Please note that this oil contains methyleugenol which is recognized as potentially carcinogenic by the IFRA (based on studies of high dosages in rodents). However, it should be noted that there is no evidence that tumors in humans have ever been induced by the use of essential oils. IFRA recommends a maximum dermal use level of 0.01%; Tisserand recommends 0.5%. Dilute before using. A patch test should be performed before use for those with sensitive skin.