Bay leaves and berries contain an essential oil, formed of geraniol, cineol, eugenol, terpineol, fellandrene, eucalyptus, pinene. This oil have the so called aperitif properties, or better saying, it stimulates appetite, digestion and carminative.
The Greeks thought that these leaves had the power to transmit the gift of divination as well as the ability to ward off misfortune and contagious diseases. In Delphi, seat of the oracle of Apollo, the priests of God and Pythia chewed or burned bay leaves to establish communication with the gods; they also slept on "mattresses" made of layers of bay stems, to favor premonitory dreams.
Its diffusion and wide use in the Sicilian cuisine have led to the inclusion of the bay tree in the list of traditional Italian agro-food products (P.A.T) as a typical Sicilian product by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (mipaaf).