CHERRY LAUREL

Prunus laurocerasus

The leaves & fruit pips of cherry laurel contain cyanolipids that are capable of releasing cyanide & benzaldehyde. 
1.5% cyanogenic glycosides are present in the leaves. During maceration, i.e. chewing, this becomes glucose, hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid) & benzaldehyde. Cyanide starves the central nervous system of oxygen & causes death.

All members of the genus contain amygdalin & prunasin, substances which break down in water to form hydrocyanic acid.
In small amounts this exceedingly poisonous compound stimulates respiration, improves digestion 
& gives a sense of well-being.

The fresh leaves are antispasmodic, narcotic & sedative.
The bruised leaves are anodyne.
They can be used in the treatment of coughs, whooping cough, asthma, dyspepsia & indigestion. Externally, a cold infusion of the leaves is used as a wash for eye infections.
Also in Ireland, an ointment made from unsalted butter & juice from laurel leaves was used to treat ringworm.
Cherry laurel water is used for treating cough, colds, insomnia, stomach & intestinal spasms, vomiting, muscle spasms, pain & cancer.

PRECAUTIONS:

All parts of the shrub contain a toxin called hydrogen cyanide, also known as prussic acid. The toxin is concentrated in the leaves & seeds. It is easy to identify due to its strong, almond-like smell & bitter taste. Though the toxin has been used in controlled, small amounts for medical purposes, an overdose of cyanide depletes the central nervous system of oxygen, causing death.

Symptoms of cherry laurel poisoning may include gasping for breath, weakness, spasms, convulsions, coma & respiratory failure. 

Poisoning primarily occurs through ingesting the leaves or seeds, as the leaves may be mistaken for those of the bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), which are often used as a cooking seasoning. 

This toxin is readily detected by its bitter taste. It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. 

In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration & improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure & even death.

RECIPES:

The fruits are edible, although rather bland & somewhat astringent. The fruit contain small amounts of hydrogen cyanide; any fruit tasting bitter indicates larger concentrations of hydrogen cyanide should not be eaten.
The seed inside the fruit & the leaves contain larger concentrations of hydrogen cyanide & should never be eaten. The toxicity of the seed inside the fruit is similar to the cyanide toxicity of the seeds inside the common fruits apricot & peach.

Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It has sweet & reasonably pleasant taste when fully ripe. Do not eat if it is too bitter.

With the ripe fruit you can make sauces, pies, jams, drinks, cordials & fruit leather. They are best when mixed with other sweet fruits, such as blackberries.

Cherry Laurel Vodka:

Fill a 1 l  jar to 1⁄2 full of ripe & pitted cherry laurel fruits. 

Fill the remainder of the jar with brandy or vodka. 

Cover & put in a dark place such as your kitchen cupboard. 

Let soak for at least 6 weeks, shake seldom or often. 

Strain & drink, alone or mixed with sparkling water. 

You can also eat the brandy/vodka soaked fruit on ice cream.

Cherry Laurel Water:

500 g fresh leaves of cherry-laurel,
1250 ml of water
Chop the leaves, crush them in a mortar & macerate them in the water for 24 hours, then
distill,
shake it,
strain &
bottle it.
Take 1-1,5 tsp
It is unsafe to take cherry laurel water in doses above 8 ml
Helps when asthmatic trouble is aggravated on sitting up & better on lying down.
Cherry laurel water is medicine for asthma, coughs, indigestion & dyspepsia.

As an inhalant, cherry laurel water is used as an aromatic & breathing stimulant.

MAGIC:

Laurel leaves are good for magic writing. 

Gather dying yellow ones, write a message with a stick or some pointed tool, warm it by body heat, after a few minutes the words would show up.

Schoolgirls used its leaves to test their boyfriends’ fidelity. 

Early in the 1950s it was recorded in south Cambridgeshire:

‘A test for true love was to pick out the sweetheart’s name on a laurel leaf & wear it next to your heart, if the writing turned red, all was well, but if it turned black, the young man loved you not’.

The leaves were also used to ward off evil spirits.