Welcome friends! Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. Monday always rolls around too soon...
My post for is for BeautifulSunday by the amazing @ace108 and SundayScentExperience hosted by the lovely @dutchess.
I recently learned something new about bay leaves. You may not be aware that the chemicals released into the air when bay leaves are burned reduce both anxiety and respiratory inflammation. Interesting.
The bay leaf contains compounds called linalool, mycrene and eugenol. When you burn a bay leaf, these compounds become airborne.
Studies have shown that these compounds decrease a person's anxiety in as little as 10 minutes of smelling a burning bay leaf. These compounds have strong anti-inflammatory properties and are frequently used in stress reduction therapy. Furthermore, once inhaled they will reduce any respiratory inflammation. This can work wonders if you suffer from allergies or have a bad cold.
I decided to try it out today. All you need are bay leaves, some aluminum foil (or an ash tray) and a match or lighter. You can buy whole bay leaves at your local grocery store for about $2, or a bulk size container at Sam's Club for $8.
I tore off a small piece of foil and folded it in half. Next I took a bay leaf and lit it. It burned quite fast and made a sizzling sound. Some smoke resulted but not as much as I'd expected. The leaves are stubborn. I had to use three wooden matches to burn one leaf. I repeated the process on another leaf and deeply inhaled the air.
It should be noted that for best results, burn the bay leaf in a smaller sized room with a door. Set the leaf on fire and leave the room for a few minutes, closing the door behind you to let the bay leaf aroma fill the room. When you return, blow out any embers and breathe in deeply.
About 10 minutes later, I experienced the burning bay leaves' relaxing properties and clearing of my sinuses! I definitely plan to use this method in the future.
Burning the leaves is the quickest way to release the active compounds found within bay leaves. You can also simmer the leaves to activate the properties but that takes much longer.
Give it a try and let me know your results!
Have a terrific day, Friends!
Thanks for stopping by!
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Images taken with Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
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