Bay Leaf Tea Side Effects: 4 Possible Concerns

Bay leaf tea may cause stomach upset or an allergic reaction, and an unstrained bay leaf can pose a choking or injury hazard. A fourth concern with bay leaf tea is a possible medication interaction, although an interaction has not been established.

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Is bay leaf tea safe?

Bay leaf tea made from a culinary bay leaf and strained before drinking is not known to cause problems for most healthy adults. But a lack of evidence of harm is not the same as proof of safety: there are no clinical studies cited here that establish its side-effect rates or a safe daily dose.

Use a bay leaf sold for culinary use, rather than a plant collected outdoors or an unidentified leaf. Plants with similar common names are not necessarily interchangeable, and some are poisonous. Keep the leaves out of the finished drink.

Food use also does not establish the safety of concentrated bay leaf extracts, essential oils, or large and frequent servings of bay leaf tea. If you have a medical condition or take medication, check with a healthcare professional before making it a regular habit.

What are the 4 possible side effects and safety concerns?

The first two concerns are possible reactions to a food or drink. The third is a physical hazard from swallowing a leaf, while the fourth is a precaution about a possible interaction—not a demonstrated side effect of bay leaf tea. Their frequency is unknown.

Can bay leaf tea upset your stomach?

1. Stomach upset

A person may experience nausea, abdominal discomfort, or another digestive complaint after consuming something that does not agree with them. That possibility does not establish that bay leaf tea itself is a common cause, and an upset stomach can have many other causes.

If discomfort follows bay leaf tea, stop drinking it rather than increasing the amount or making it stronger. Drink fluids you tolerate, and contact a healthcare professional if symptoms persist, recur, or are severe.

Evidence: No clinical evidence cited here establishes how often bay leaf tea causes digestive symptoms or identifies a particular component as the cause. A symptom appearing after the drink does not, by itself, prove the drink caused it.

Could bay leaf tea cause an allergic reaction?

2. Allergic reaction

An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system reacts to a substance. A food or drink can cause symptoms such as an itchy mouth, hives, or swelling in someone who is sensitive to an ingredient, although these symptoms do not necessarily mean bay leaf tea is responsible.

Avoid bay leaf tea if you have had a suspected reaction to bay leaf. Do not try it again to test the reaction on your own; ask a healthcare professional for advice. Swelling of the tongue or throat, trouble breathing, or fainting requires emergency help.

Evidence: No clinical studies cited here establish the frequency of allergic reactions to bay leaf tea. The possibility of an individual reaction should not be mistaken for evidence that allergy is common.

Can a bay leaf cause choking or injury?

3. Choking or injury from an unstrained leaf

A whole bay leaf can remain stiff after cooking or steeping. If swallowed, it can pose a choking risk or potentially scratch or lodge in the throat or digestive tract. This is a hazard from the physical leaf, not an effect demonstrated from the strained liquid.

Remove and discard every whole bay leaf before serving bay leaf tea. Strain out fragments as well; do not chew or swallow the leaf. Take particular care when serving anyone who has difficulty swallowing.

Evidence: The concern is based on the physical properties of the leaf, not on clinical trials measuring injuries from bay leaf tea. No reliable rate for this hazard is established here.

Can bay leaf tea interact with medication?

4. Possible medication interaction

A medication interaction would occur if an ingredient changed a medicine’s effect or added to it. People taking medicines for diabetes may reasonably ask about this because an unexpected change in blood sugar can be important, but an interaction between bay leaf tea and diabetes medicine has not been established by the evidence cited here.

If you take diabetes medication or another regular prescription, ask your pharmacist or healthcare professional before drinking bay leaf tea regularly. Continue taking prescribed medicine as directed, and follow your usual plan for monitoring blood sugar if you have one.

Evidence: No clinical study is cited here showing that bay leaf tea causes low blood sugar or interacts with a particular medicine. The precaution should not be presented as a proven interaction.

Who should avoid bay leaf tea or ask for advice first?

Avoid bay leaf tea if you have a known allergy to bay leaf or have had a suspected allergic reaction after consuming it. If the leaf cannot be identified as a culinary bay leaf, do not use it to make tea.

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid medicinal or concentrated amounts unless their healthcare professional advises otherwise. Ordinary use of bay leaf as a seasoning does not establish that regular medicinal servings of bay leaf tea are safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

For children, avoid concentrated preparations and ask a pediatric healthcare professional before offering bay leaf tea regularly. Keep whole leaves out of any drink served to a child because of the swallowing hazard.

People with diabetes, swallowing difficulties, or other ongoing medical conditions—and anyone taking regular medication—should ask a healthcare professional whether bay leaf tea is appropriate. This is especially useful if the tea would be a new daily habit.

How much bay leaf tea is safe per day?

There is no established safe daily amount of bay leaf tea. The available information does not support a specific number of cups, leaves, or days of use as a proven safe limit.

Do not assume that a larger serving or a stronger brew provides more benefit. Bay leaf used as a food seasoning is different from a concentrated preparation taken repeatedly, and evidence about one does not automatically establish the safety of the other.

If you choose to drink bay leaf tea, use a culinary bay leaf, strain the drink thoroughly, and stop if you notice a possible reaction. Ask a healthcare professional about regular use if you are pregnant, have a medical condition, or take medication. Concentrated extracts and essential oils should not be substituted for the culinary leaf.

When should you see a doctor?

Seek emergency help immediately for trouble breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, fainting, or other signs of a severe allergic reaction. Do not wait to see whether the symptoms pass.

If someone has swallowed a bay leaf and has persistent throat pain, difficulty swallowing, severe abdominal pain, or vomiting, seek urgent medical care. Do not try to induce vomiting. Choking or an inability to breathe is an emergency.

Contact a healthcare professional for digestive symptoms or a rash that persists, recurs, or concerns you after bay leaf tea. If you have diabetes and notice an unexpected blood sugar result or symptoms, follow the care plan you were given and contact your healthcare professional; severe confusion or inability to swallow safely needs emergency help. Bring information about what you drank and any medicines you take.