Bay Leaf Tea: An Easy, Relaxing Infusion of Bay Leaf
A warm cup of handmade tea has a delightfully reassuring quality, especially when it’s brewed using an ingredient that has likely been lying quietly in the kitchen cupboard all along.

A friend suggested that I try a basic bay leaf infusion, which is how I first learned about bay leaf tea. I found it fascinating. I had never considered bay leaves to be something you really brew into a cup of tea, but rather something you add to soups, rice, or stews and take out before serving.

So I tried it.

The scent was the first thing I noticed. It was unexpectedly calming, earthy, and herbal. It brought back memories of the comforting aroma of cooking in the kitchen..

Bay Leaf Tea (Bay Leaf Infusion) — Anti-Inflammatory Herbal Tea

Bay leaf tea is a simple herbal infusion made from culinary bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) and hot water. Bay leaves contain polyphenols and other plant compounds with antioxidant activity, and laboratory/animal research has reported anti-inflammatory effects. However, evidence that bay-leaf tea itself treats inflammation or medical conditions in humans is still limited.

The recipe below is best viewed as a caffeine-free wellness beverage, not a treatment for diabetes, high cholesterol, gout, arthritis, or other conditions.

🌿 Ingredients

Makes 1–2 servings

• 3–4 dried culinary bay leaves
• 2 cups (475 ml) water
• 1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, optional
• ½–1 teaspoon honey, optional
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
• 2–3 thin slices fresh ginger, optional

Important: Use food-grade Laurus nobilis bay leaves. Don’t substitute an unidentified ornamental plant or another species simply called “bay.”

🍵 How to Make Bay Leaf Tea

1. Rinse the bay leaves briefly under cool water.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a gentle boil.
3. Add the bay leaves.
4. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5–10 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and allow the tea to steep for another 5 minutes.
6. Strain carefully and discard the leaves.
7. Add lemon, ginger, cinnamon, or a small amount of honey if desired.
8. Serve warm.

Flavor profile

Bay leaf tea has a distinctive herbal, slightly peppery and eucalyptus-like aroma. Lemon brightens it, ginger adds warmth, and cinnamon makes the flavor more dessert-like.

🥄 Serving Suggestions

• Morning: Serve warm with lemon for a refreshing caffeine-free drink.
• After dinner: Enjoy it unsweetened as a light herbal infusion.
• Iced: Cool completely, refrigerate, and serve over ice with lemon.
• With ginger: Useful when you prefer a warmer, spicier herbal tea.
• With cinnamon: A naturally aromatic combination without needing much sweetener.
• With honey: Add only after the tea has cooled slightly.

For a lower-sugar beverage, skip honey and use lemon, ginger, or cinnamon for flavor.

🌱 Anti-Inflammatory Potential

Bay leaves contain compounds including flavonoids, phenolic compounds and volatile oils that have demonstrated antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory and animal research.

There is an important distinction, however: evidence from extracts, essential oils, cells, or animals doesn’t establish that drinking ordinary bay leaf tea will reduce inflammation in people. Human clinical research on bay-leaf preparations remains relatively limited.

So it’s reasonable to describe this as an anti-inflammatory herbal tea with potential, rather than claiming it is an anti-inflammatory treatment.

🧪 Nutrition

Plain bay leaf tea is naturally:

• Caffeine-free
• Very low in calories
• Essentially fat-free
• Essentially protein-free
• Very low in carbohydrates when strained and unsweetened
• A source of small amounts of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds

The exact nutritional content of an infusion varies considerably according to the number of leaves, steeping time, water temperature, and whether the leaves are consumed rather than simply infused. Research has found antioxidant compounds in bay-leaf infusions.

What about blood sugar and cholesterol?

You may see claims online that bay leaves lower blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol. There is some human research behind those claims, but it needs to be interpreted carefully.

One small 2009 clinical trial gave 1–3 g/day of ground bay leaves in capsules to people with type 2 diabetes for 30 days and reported improvements in glucose and lipid measures. This was ground bay leaf in capsules—not bay-leaf tea—so the findings cannot automatically be applied to this recipe.

Therefore, bay leaf tea shouldn’t replace prescribed diabetes medication, cholesterol treatment, or dietary advice.