Bay Essential Oil

Bay essential oil is pretty unique. It comes from the West Indian bay tree (also called the bay rum tree). And West Indians use it for colds and rheumatism. Learn more about bay essential oil.

Quick Glance at Bay Essential Oil

Pros: Bay essential oil is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-bug.

Cons: The main compound in bay essential oil (eugenol) is known to irritate mucous membranes.

Precautions: Check with your doctor before using especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Properties of Bay Essential Oil

You can find some properties of bay essential oil below.

Name

The botanical name for the West Indian bay tree is Pimenta racemosa.

Sometimes bay essential oil is confused with bay leaf or bay laurel essential oil. The latter's botanical name is actually Laurus nobilis and is quite different from the bay tree. That's why it is so important to verify the botanical names before buying your essential oils.

Color & Smell

Bay leaves are used to make this essential oil so it retains its flavorful spicy scent. The oil also has a deep yellow color.

Components

About 35 compounds have been found in bay essential oil but the main compounds include: eugenol (which makes up about 45% of the oil), myrcene (25%), chavicol (10%), limonene (3%) and linalool (2%).

Benefits of Bay Essential Oil

Here are just some benefits of bay essential oil.

1. It is anti-inflammatory

As I said before West Indians use bay oil for rheumatism. And, this study proves it's more than just folk medicine. The study showed that bay essential oil had anti-inflammatory properties and provided participants with pain relief.

So use it to reduce inflammation, ease arthritis pains, and more.

2. Bay oil is antioxidant

A 2007 study proved bay essential oil had free radical scavenging and antioxidant capabilities even at very low concentrations.

This is amazing since free radicals can damage your skin, cause wrinkles and may encourage cancer cells to develop. Yikes! We certainly don't want that!

3. Bay kills microbes

Bay essential oil is one of the best antimicrobial essential oils.

That is according to a study that compared the antibacterial and anti-fungal properties of more than 52 essential and carrier oils. The study showed bay oil inhibited drug-resistant microbes (i.e. super hard to kill microbes) at concentrations lower than 2%. Imagine what 5% could do?!

4. It kills spiders too

There are several studies that prove bay essential oil is a potent arachnid killer. That means it kills arachnids like spiders, mites, and ticks, even at very low concentrations.

5. Bay essential oil kills insects

Basically, bay essential oil murders everything you really don't like. It is a powerful fumigant, as evidenced by this study that tested the effects of 98 essential oils on cockroaches. And it showed larvicidal and insecticidal properties in this study on mosquitoes.

So if you have a bug, spider, bacterial, or fungal problem, reach for bay essential oil! It'll kill 'em all!

Uses of Bay Essential Oil

You have seen just how powerful bay essential oil is. So now let's look at the uses of bay essential oil.

Inhaling

Add 1-2 drops of bay essential oil to your diffuser for a wonderful spicy smell. Note, eugenol is known to irritate mucous membranes like your nasal cavity and throat. So use the oil sparingly in your diffuser.

You can also blend bay with other spicy essential oils like eucalyptus, ginger, rosemary and ylang ylang.

Massaging

If you are using bay oil for the first time, do a patch test! It is too powerful to be trifled with.

Once you're not sensitive to the oil, you can add 1-2 drops of bay essential oil to 1 teaspoon of carrier oil (i.e. 1-2% concentration) before applying it onto your skin.

Cleaning and Repellent

Lastly, you can create your own cleaning solution and bug spray. Aim to create a 1-2% mix with water and/ or alcohol because you don't need much to get the job done. Pair it with other repellent and antimicrobial oils like citronella, peppermint and tea tree for an extra powerful all natural spray.

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