{{Short description|Species of tree}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{speciesbox | name = Indian bay leaf | image = Indian_bay_leaf_-_tejpatta_-_indisches_Lorbeerblatt.jpg | image_caption = Semi-dried Indian bay leaves | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |last1=de Kok |first1=R. |year=2020 |title=''Cinnamomum tamala'' |volume=2020 |article-number=e.T145404427A145416586 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T145404427A145416586.en |access-date=3 February 2026}}</ref> | genus = Cinnamomum | species = tamala | authority = (Buch.-Ham.) T.Nees & C.H.Eberm. |synonyms = *''Cinnamomum albiflorum'' {{small|Nees}} *''Cinnamomum lindleyi'' {{small|Lukman.}} *''Cinnamomum reinwardtii'' {{small|Nees}} *''Cinnamomum tamala'' var. ''albiflorum'' {{small|(Nees) Meisn.}} *''Cinnamomum tamala'' var. ''elliptifolium'' {{small|Baruah & S.C.Nath}} *''Cinnamomum veitchii'' {{small|Lukman.}} *''Cinnamomum zwartzii'' {{small|Lukman.}} *''Laurus albiflora'' {{small|Wall.}} *''Laurus cassia'' {{small|Roxb.}} *''Laurus culilawan'' {{small|Reinw. ex Meisn.}} *''Laurus sailyana'' {{small|Buch.-Ham.}} *''Laurus soilyana'' {{small|Buch.-Ham. ex Wall.}} *''Laurus triplinervia'' {{small|Reinw. ex Nees}} *''Laurus tamala'' {{small|Buch.-Ham.}} *''Persea tamala'' {{small|Spreng.}} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>{{cite web |title=''Cinnamomum tamala'' (Buch.-Ham.) T.Nees & C.H.Eberm. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:463718-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> }}
'''''Cinnamomum tamala''''', '''Indian bay leaf'',''''' also known as '''tejpat''''',<ref name=GRIN/> '''''tejapatta''''','' '''Malabar leaf''', '''Indian bark''',<ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | access-date = 12 December 2017}}</ref> '''Indian cassia''',<ref name="GRIN" /> 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.<ref name=powo/><ref name="GRIN" /> It can grow up to {{convert|20|m|abbr=on}} tall.<ref name="FoC">{{cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008729 |title=''Cinnamomum tamala'' |author=Xi-wen Li, Jie Li & Henk van der Werff |work=Flora of China |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA |access-date=29 March 2013}}</ref> Its leaves have a clove-like aroma with a hint of peppery taste; they are used for culinary 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).<ref>{{cite book|author=Umberto Quattrocchi|title=CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (5 Volume Set)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-37OBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA959|year=2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4822-5064-0|pages=959+}}</ref>
==Characteristics== The leaves, known as ''tējapattā'' or ''tejpattā'' (तेजपत्ता) in Hindi, ''tejpāt'' (तेजपात/তেজপাত) in Nepali, Maithili, and Assamese, ''tejpātā'' (তেজপাতা) in Bengali, ''vazhanayila/edanayila'' (വഴനയില/എടനഇല) in Malayalam, ''kaḍu dhālchini'' (:kn:ಕಾಡು ದಾಲ್ಚಿನ್ನಿ) in Kannada, ''tamalpatra'' (તમલપત્ર) in Gujarati, and ''tamālpatra'' (तमालपत्र)<!--please add the pronunciation--> in Marathi and in original Sanskrit, are used 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. They are called ''biryāni āku/baghāra āku'' (బిర్యానీ ఆకు/బగార ఆకు) in Telugu and ''tejåpåtrå/tejåpåtårå'' (ତେଜପତ୍ର/ତେଜପତର) in Odia.
The Lepcha of Sikkim call them {{lang|lep|naap saor koong}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tamsang |first1=K.P. |title=The Lepcha-English Encyclopaedic Dictionary |date=1980 |publisher=Mrs. Mayel Clymit Tamsang |location=Kalimpong |page=509| isbn = 9632535979}}</ref> thumb|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|date=October 2025}} They are often labeled{{By whom|date=October 2025}} as "Indian bay leaves", or just "bay leaf", causing confusion with the leaf from the bay laurel, a tree of Mediterranean origin in a different genus; the appearance and aroma of the two are quite different. Bay laurel leaves are shorter and light- to medium-green in color, with one large vein down the length of the leaf, while ''tejpat'' leaves are about twice as long and wider, usually olive green in color, with three veins down the length of the leaf.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} There are five types of ''tejpat'' leaves<ref>{{cite book|author1=P N Ravindran|author2=K Nirmal-Babu|author3=M Shylaja|title=Cinnamon and Cassia: The Genus Cinnamomum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZa8aPxR_-wC&pg=PA199|date=29 December 2003|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-203-59087-4|pages=199+}}</ref> and they impart a strong cassia- or cinnamon-like aroma to dishes, while the bay laurel leaf's aroma is more reminiscent of pine and lemon{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}}. [[File:Cinnamomum tamala W IMG 2433.jpg|thumb|190px|Leaves in Goa]] thumb|Tree in Goa
== Aroma attributes == * Beta-caryophyllene<ref name=eocs>{{cite journal| last1 = Ahmed| first1 = Aftab| title = Essential oil constituents of the spice ''Cinnamomum tamala'' (Ham.) Nees & Eberm.| journal = Flavour and Fragrance Journal| volume = 15| issue = 6| pages = 388–390| year = 2000| doi = 10.1002/1099-1026(200011/12)15:6<388::AID-FFJ928>3.0.CO;2-F| last2 = Choudhary| first2 = M. Iqbal | last3 = Farooq | first3 = Afgan| last4 =Demirci | first4 = Betül| last5 = Demirci| first5 = Fatih| last6 = Can Başer| first6 = K. Hüsnü |display-authors=etal| doi-access = free}}</ref> * Linalool<ref name=eocs /> * Caryophyllene oxide{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} * Eugenol<ref name=qdec>{{cite journal| last1 = Dighe| first1 = V. V.| title = Quantitative Determination of Eugenol from ''Cinnamomum tamala'' Nees and Eberm. Leaf Powder and Polyherbal Formulation Using Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography| journal = Chromatographia| volume = 61| issue = 9–10| pages = 443–446| year = 2005 | doi = 10.1365/s10337-005-0527-6| last2 = Gursale| first2 = A. A.| last3 = Sane| first3 = R. T.| last4 = Menon| first4 = S.| last5 = Patel| first5 = P. H.| s2cid = 97399632|display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref name=aase>{{cite journal| last1 = Rao| first1 = Chandana Venkateswara| title = Antidiarrhoeal activity of the standardised extract of ''Cinnamomum tamala'' in experimental rats| journal = Journal of Natural Medicines| volume = 62| issue = 4| pages = 396–402| year = 2008| doi = 10.1007/s11418-008-0258-8| pmid = 18493839 | last2 = Vijayakumar | first2 = M | last3 = Sairam | first3 = K| last4 = Kumar| first4 = V| s2cid = 8641540|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
==Uses== The bark is sometimes used for cooking,{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} although it is regarded{{By whom|date=October 2025}} as inferior to true cinnamon or cassia.
==Etymology== {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2025}} Malabar had been traditionally used to denote the west coast of Southern India that forms the present-day state of Kerala and adjoining areas. The word ''mala'' or ''malaya'' means "mountain" in the Tamil and Malayalam languages, as also in Sanskrit. The word "malabathrum" is thought to have been derived from the Sanskrit ''tamālapattram'' (तमालपत्त्रम्), literally meaning "dark-tree leaves". <!-- == Toxicology == {{Expand section|date=June 2009}} -->
==Related species== *Cassia *Cinnamon *Saigon cinnamon
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite journal |last1=Sharma |first1=Vasundhara |last2=Rao |first2=Lingamallu Jagan Mohan |title=An Overview on Chemical Composition, Bioactivity and Processing of Leaves of Cinnamomum tamala |journal=Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |date=January 2014 |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=433–448 |doi=10.1080/10408398.2011.587615 |pmid=24236996 |s2cid=46178245 }} * {{cite journal |last1=Pandey |first1=A. K. |last2=Mishra |first2=A. K. |last3=Mishra |first3=A. |title=Antifungal and antioxidative potential of oil and extracts derived from leaves of Indian spice plant Cinnamomum tamala |journal=Cellular and Molecular Biology |date=22 December 2012 |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=142–147 |pmid=23273204 |url=https://cellmolbiol.org/index.php/CMB/article/view/589 }} * [http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Cinn_tam.html Indian bay-leaf page from Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages]
{{Commons category|Cinnamomum tamala}} {{Wikispecies|Cinnamomum tamala}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1661611}}
tamala Category:Flora of Assam (region) Category:Flora of Bangladesh Category:Flora of South-Central China Category:Flora of East Himalaya Category:Flora of Laos Category:Flora of Myanmar Category:Flora of Nepal Category:Flora of Vietnam Category:Flora of West Himalaya Category:Trees of China Category:Medicinal plants of Asia Category:Leaves Category:Indian cuisine Category:Nepalese cuisine Category:Bhutanese cuisine Category:Indian spices Category:Least concern flora of Asia Category:Plants described in 1822 Category:Taxa named by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton