Boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) is a plant native to the coastal region of Chile. Its leaves, which have a strong woody aroma, are used for culinary purposes, primarily in Latin America. The leaves are used in a similar manner to bay leaves. bay leaves Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) are the aromatic leaves of several species of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). ...

The leaves are also used as an herbal tea, primarily in Chile and Argentina but also in other Spanish-speaking nations. They are used as a form of herbal medicine, particularly to support the gallbladder. Gall bladder The gallbladder (or cholecyst) is a pear-shaped organ that stores bile (or gall) until the body needs it for digestion. ...

Boldo is in the family Monimiaceae, which is closely related to the family Lauraceae (which includes many other plants used for their aromatic leaves, such as cinnamon, cassia, and bay leaf. genera Austromatthaea Decarydendron Ephippiandra Faikea Hedycarya Hennecartia Hortonia Kairoa Kibara Kibaropsis Lauterbachia Levieria Macropeplus Macrotorus Matthaea Mollinedia Monimia Palmeria Parakibara Peumus Steganthera Tambourissa Tetrasynandra Wilkiea Xymalos Monimiaceae is a family of flowering plants, which includes 150-220 species of shrubs and small trees in 18-25 genera. ... Genera Many; see text The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. ... color = lightgreen| name = Cinnamon}} Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, synonym ) is a small evergreen tree 10-15 m tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka. ... Binomial name Cinnamomum aromaticum Nees Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum, synonym ) is an evergreen tree native to southern China and Indochina, a close relative to the Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) trees. ... bay leaves Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) are the aromatic leaves of several species of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). ...

Boldo has also been introduced to Europe and North Africa. World map showing location of Europe When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ...

External link

• Boldo leaves (Peumus boldus Molina) page at Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages