Bay Leaf Extract
The culinary bay leaf tested as a blood sugar supplement. The human evidence is essentially one small trial from 2009, which is not enough to conclude anything.
Evidence last reviewed: August 2026
What the science says
- Glucose and lipid changes in one small trial Limited evidence
A single 2009 study in 40 people with type 2 diabetes reported lower fasting glucose and improved cholesterol after 30 days of 1–3 g/day of ground bay leaf. No independent replication has been published.
- Absent from pooled analyses Limited evidence
Bay leaf does not appear in the meta-analyses that pool herbal glucose-lowering trials. Reviews of culinary herbs and spices describe its constituents but treat the human data as preliminary.
Dosage & safety
Studied doseThe one trial used 1–3 g/day of ground bay leaf for 30 days. Commercial capsules typically give 500 mg of extract once or twice daily, which is not a studied dose.
SafetyBay leaf as a spice is well tolerated. Whole leaves can cause choking or gut injury if swallowed; concentrated extracts have no long-term safety data, and anyone on glucose-lowering medication should monitor.
Scientific references
Where to buy
Referral link — this site may earn a commission on purchases.
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