Need a solution to keep pests away? Try burning bay leaf in your house

The humble bay leaf (laurus nobilis), always gets pushed out of the plate for being a leaf, once its job is done providing the necessary spice to your dish. However, cooking is not the only place where you can use this spice.

Burning the bay leaf has tremendous health benefits. Did you know it a really old tactic used for relieving stress? Try to burn freshly dried bay leaves, as these will produce more beneficial results. Some of the benefits of burning the bay leaf in your house are:

Relief from pests: Cockroaches, moths and many other insects find the smoke repelling and so burning bay leaves can actually act as good insect repellent.

Anxiety relief: A chemical in the leaves when burnt gives rise to smoke, which when inhaled calms the body and mind.

 Reduction of inflammation: It acts as a natural anti-inflammatory agent and can help with joint pains.
 

Reduction of fatigue: Feeling tired? Burn some bay leaves and see how your senses become alert once more. Some of the chemicals in bay leaves such as pinene, cineol, and elemicin fight feelings of tiredness.

Meditation: If you are one who practices meditation and finds it difficult to concentrate then instead of incense, try burning some bay leaves. Already it helps in easing the fatigue and keeping the mind alert and calm. In many religious places bay leaves are burnt to encourage mindful meditation.

However, there are some precautions to keep in mind when burning bay leaves in your homes. Never leave burning leaves or even the embers unattended. Make sure you completely extinguish the embers once the leaves have fully burned down.

Keep an eye on pets and small children when burning bay leaves. Do not burn it near a smoke detector. Don’t burn it near a window because wind might carry the embers into the house and could cause fire. Do not attempt if you get suffocated by smoke easily. Do not burn piles and piles of it.