Bay, Herb of Protection and Magic
Sweet bay offered more than protection against evil.The Romans particularly relied on its protection against lightning, perhaps because Apollo was the son of Zeus, god of thunderbolts. Bay leaves were burned during rituals designed to penetrate the veils of time, and placed beneath the pillow at night to increase creativity and bring prophetic dreams. The third Oracle Shrine at Delphi in Greece was thatched with the branches of sweet bay for this reason, and the oracle pronounced her prophecies with a bay leaf held between her lips. Bay leaves were also used in incense and carried in sachets for healing. For such magical uses, sweet bay was harvested in a ritual manner, plucked at its most potent in that moment when the sun first shines over the horizon.

Both the Greeks and the Romans crowned their greatest athletes, poets, triumphant generals, and emperors with laurel wreaths. Roman senators, in the tradition of politicians everywhere, awarded themselves this signal mark of honour. In the medieval period, men of great learning as well as academic graduates continued to be crowned with a wreath woven from the leaves and berries of sweet bay. Known as the bacca laurea, this wreath is still commemorated in France in the word baccalauréat, the final secondary school examinations, and in the English title of Poet Laureate.

Like all powerfully magical herbs, the sweet bay had its dark side. If a tree died it was thought to be an omen of great disaster. Shakespeare was certainly aware of this tradition. In his play Richard II , the Captain asserts:

The clusters of nectar filled, cream coloured axillary flowers are very modest, and are followed by aromatic blue-black berries which yield a fragrant oil containing cineol that has been used for perfumery, in liqueurs, and for veterinary liniments. Bay leaves also act as a weevil deterrent and were stored with rice, flour, dried figs, and other dried foods in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.

Bay has also found use in herbal medicine as a tea made with 30g of leaves steeped for 10 minutes in 3 cups boiling water and sipped to relieve flatulence and aid digestion. This same tea has also been used to relieve the symptoms of influenza and bronchitis, and is said to be useful in treating baldness when applied regularly to the scalp although no guarrantees are given. Simmer a large handfull of leaves in four cups of water for ten minutes , strain, and add to a hot bath to help relieve tired, aching legs.

Growing a Bay Tree
Bay trees are susceptible to frost damage in their earlier years and the tips of branches can be damaged by frosts at temperatures of -7 degrees C and below, and killed at -15 degrees C when young. Older branches survive undamaged. Potted bay trees grow well indoors if they are given bright lighting, good drainage, and regular watering. Outdoors, the plant thrives in a warm, sunny position with good drainage. Bay trees are very accomodating, but on heavy soils additional preparation of the site with the addition of generous quantities of well rotted compost is recommended to improve both the drainage and aeration of the soil. A regular foliar feed of a seaweed based fertiliser will also help to keep the plant healthy. Its greatest enemy, wax scale insect, is also the root cause of the disfiguring sooty mould seen commonly on undernourished bay trees. White oil can be used as a controlling spray on large specimens. Infestations on small bushes can be wiped with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Regular watering is essential as plants rarely recover from severe wilting.

Sweet bay has some close and fragrant relatives such as the Canary Island Bay L. azorica and the tall growing, very aromatic, non-edible Californian bay Umbellularia californica. The cinnamon tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum, the cassia bark tree C. cassia, and the camphor laurel C. camphora are all closely related. The warmly fragrant Mexican bay Litsea glaucescens is a look-alike and taste-alike, beloved in Mexican cooking. Red bay Persea borbonia from the Gulf Coast of the USA is an excellent substitute for bay when used fresh, and the leaves of another shrub known as ‘sweet bay’ Magnolia virginiana was a popular and almost indetectable substitute on the American east coast.

Favourite smell-alikes are the delightfully aromatic bayberries or candleberries of North America, Myrica cerifera and M. pennsylvanica which are both native to the east coast, and M. californica from the west coast. They are tall evergreen shrubs with aromatic, tough, shiny leaves. Their inconspicuous deep blue, hard fruits are covered in a thick layer of wax which can be separated off by boiling the leaves and is delightfully fragrant. It was used to make the scented candles greatly prized by American colonialists, as well as soap. A fragrant oil is also extracted from the tissue of the leaves.

Few plants respond as well to clipping and bay is an excellent subject for formal clipped hedges and simple topiary. Common topiary shapes are a standard with the top trimmed into a sphere, and an elongated pyramid. Bay topiary has been in vogue for at least two and a half millenia, often grown in large pots, and remains as fashionable as ever. Use one to create a garden focal point, or a pair to emphasise an entrance.