Cinnamomum tamala

Indian bay leaf
Semi-dried Indian bay leaves
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Cinnamomum
Species:
C. tamala
Binomial name
Cinnamomum tamala
Synonyms
  • Cinnamomum albiflorum Nees
  • Cinnamomum lindleyi Lukman.
  • Cinnamomum reinwardtii Nees
  • Cinnamomum tamala var. albiflorum (Nees) Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum tamala var. elliptifolium Baruah & S.C.Nath
  • Cinnamomum veitchii Lukman.
  • Cinnamomum zwartzii Lukman.
  • Laurus albiflora Wall.
  • Laurus cassia Roxb.
  • Laurus culilawan Reinw. ex Meisn.
  • Laurus sailyana Buch.-Ham.
  • Laurus soilyana Buch.-Ham. ex Wall.
  • Laurus triplinervia Reinw. ex Nees
  • Laurus tamala Buch.-Ham.
  • Persea tamala Spreng.

Cinnamomum tamala, Indian bay leaf, tejpat or tejapatta, Malabar leaf, Indian bark, Indian cassia, or malabathrum, is a tree in the family Lauraceae that is native to northern India (Assam and the Western Himalayas), Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and southwestern China. It can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall. Its leaves have a clove-like aroma with a hint of peppery taste; they are used for culinary purposes (extensively in the cuisines of India, Nepal, and Bhutan, particularly in the Mughlai cuisine of North India and Nepal and in tsheringma herbal tea in Bhutan) and medicinal purposes.

It is thought to have been one of the major sources of the medicinal plant leaves known in classic and medieval times as malabathrum (or malobathrum).

Names

Tejpat and tejpatta are Sanskritic (from तेजपत्ता tējapattā "invigorating leaf") via Hindi tejpattā and tejpāt (तेजपात/তেজপাত) in Nepali, Maithili, and Assamese; tejpātā (তেজপাতা) in Bengali and tejåpåtrå/tejåpåtårå (ତେଜପତ୍ର/ତେଜପତର) in Odia.

The word "malabathrum" is thought to be derived from a Greek rebracketing of Sanskrit तमालपत्त्रम् tamālapattram literally "dark tree leaves" (cognate to તમલપત્ર tamalpatra in Gujarati and तमालपत्र tamālpatra in Marathi).

The Lepcha of Sikkim call them naap saor koong. Other names include vazhanayila/edanayila (വഴനയില/എടനഇല) in Malayalam, kaḍu dhālchini (ಕಾಡು ದಾಲ್ಚಿನ್ನಿ) in Kannada. They are called biryāni āku/baghāra āku (బిర్యానీ ఆకు/బగార ఆకు) in Telugu.

Characteristics and use

Kumbilappam wrapped in Indian bay leaf

They are often used in kumbilappam or chakka-ada (ചക്ക അട), an authentic sweet from Kerala, infusing their characteristic flavor to the dumplings.[citation needed]

English-language marketplaces often label tejapatta as "Indian bay leaves" or just "bay leaf", causing confusion with the leaf from the botanically and aromatically different Mediterranean bay laurel (Laurus nobilis). Bay laurel leaves are shorter and light- to medium-green in color, with one large vein down the length of the leaf, while tej leaves are about twice as long and wider, usually olive green in color, with three veins down the length of the leaf. There are five types or grades of teja leaves that grant various strong cassia- or cinnamon-like aroma profiles to dishes, while the bay laurel leaf's aroma is more reminiscent of pine and lemon.[citation needed]

Tejpat bark is sometimes used for cooking akin to cinnamon,[citation needed] although it is regarded[by whom?] as inferior to true cinnamon or cassia.

Leaves in Goa
Tree in Goa

Aroma attributes

References

  1. ↑ de Kok, R. (2020). "Cinnamomum tamala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T145404427A145416586. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T145404427A145416586.en. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Cinnamomum tamala (Buch.-Ham.) T.Nees & C.H.Eberm". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Cinnamomum tamala". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Xi-wen Li, Jie Li & Henk van der Werff. "Cinnamomum tamala". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Umberto Quattrocchi (2016). CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (5 Volume Set). CRC Press. pp. 959+. ISBN 978-1-4822-5064-0.
  6. ↑ Bowring, Philip (2018). Empire of the Winds: The Global Role of Asia's Great Archipelago. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-78672-519-6.
  7. ↑ Casson, Lionel (1989).The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text With Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04060-5. p. 241
  8. ↑ Tamsang, K.P. (1980). The Lepcha-English Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Kalimpong: Mrs. Mayel Clymit Tamsang. p. 509. ISBN 9632535979.
  9. ↑ "Amazon India search results for Tej Patta". Archived from the original on 19 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "BigBasket India search results for Tej Patta". Archived from the original on 19 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Grocery store chain DMart India selling Tej Patta. The ingredients section on the packaging says "Bay Leaf Indian"". Retrieved 19 September 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ "The Catch Brand markets its Tej Patta as "Bay Leaf"". Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  13. ↑ P N Ravindran; K Nirmal-Babu; M Shylaja (2003). Cinnamon and Cassia: The Genus Cinnamomum. CRC Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-203-59087-4.
  14. 1 2 Ahmed, Aftab; Choudhary, M. Iqbal; Farooq, Afgan; Demirci, Betül; Demirci, Fatih; Can Başer, K. Hüsnü; et al. (2000). "Essential oil constituents of the spice Cinnamomum tamala (Ham.) Nees & Eberm". Flavour and Fragrance Journal. 15 (6): 388–390. doi:10.1002/1099-1026(200011/12)15:6<388::AID-FFJ928>3.0.CO;2-F.
  15. ↑ Dighe, V. V.; Gursale, A. A.; Sane, R. T.; Menon, S.; Patel, P. H.; et al. (2005). "Quantitative Determination of Eugenol from Cinnamomum tamala Nees and Eberm. Leaf Powder and Polyherbal Formulation Using Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography". Chromatographia. 61 (9–10): 443–446. doi:10.1365/s10337-005-0527-6. S2CID 97399632.
  16. ↑ Rao, Chandana Venkateswara; Vijayakumar, M; Sairam, K; Kumar, V; et al. (2008). "Antidiarrhoeal activity of the standardised extract of Cinnamomum tamala in experimental rats". Journal of Natural Medicines. 62 (4): 396–402. doi:10.1007/s11418-008-0258-8. PMID 18493839. S2CID 8641540.