Olive Leaf Extract Is So Ancient & Yet So Up To Date
Olive leaf, and of course the olive tree, dates back to ancient times and is one of the few trees that can grow in rocky and infertile land which is why it has done so well in the Mediterranean region, including the more difficult terrain of Tunisia, Malta and the Lebanon.
And from these ancient times, olive leaves have been used to combat high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, diabetes and for other medicinal purposes. Most of us are only too aware of how harmful pharmaceutical drugs can be to our general well being and especially to our immune systems. The side effects can often be devastating. This is the reason why so many are turning to alternative health remedies to counteract their health problems.
The olive leaf is just one of these remedies
One of the more recent discoveries about the natural extract from the olive leaf plant is that it can effectively lower blood pressure – safely and naturally – without those often nasty side effects from pharmaceutical drugs. Researchers have found (and as published in the journal Phytomedicine) that if olive leaf extract is taken at a dose of 500 mg 2 x per day, it naturally lowers blood pressure in patients suffering from stage 1 hypertension and at a better rate than prescription ACE-inhibitor drugs.
But there are many other health benefits too
- Olive leaf works as a powerful antixodant and is thought to contain more antioxidants than green tea.
- Olive leaf produces energy.
- Olive leaf fights infection.
- Olive leaf helps to manage chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Olive leaf boosts our immune systems.
- Olive leaf helps to fight viruses including shingles and herpes and of course the common viruses leading to colds and flu. The olive leaf produces what is called oleuropein. It has been proven to fight colds and flu. A friend of mine, who would not live without olive leaf, confirms that it works so fast if you have flu symptoms that you can actually feel the healing happening! She says it is like hitting the fast forward button on the illness.
- Olive leaf increases and benefits our skin health. Olive leaf soap is useful for this.
- Olive leaf detoxifies our bodies, eliminating the radicals that can make our bodies sick.
Olive leaf comes in the form of different products such as herb tea, powdered capsules, soap, extracts and lotions, which can all be used for their health enhancing properties. When brewed as a hot tea, it offers a rich unique flavor but without the caffeine.
Look for a reputable source for your olive leaf products
But if you have an olive tree in your garden, you can even pick and use your very own leaves. Pick healthy leaves that have not been attacked by parasites or bugs – although it will usually stand to reason that a healthy tree that has ample sunlight, grows in suitable soil and is not overgrown by other plants, will not have many of these. While you can pick the leaves fresh when needed, the potency of the leaves is seasonal, and the best time to pick them would be when they are most likely to have to ward off attack from their natural enemies - that is during the growing season. This will vary according to latitude and location.
My friends' own experiences
I have one in New Zealand who picks them regularly from the trees on her farm and she keeps one next to her bed so that should she feel the tickle of a scratchy throat during the night, she will munch on a leaf and by the morning, all will be well again!
Another friend says she has not had a cold or flu in more than two years thanks to olive leaf. She adds that she was so sick whenever she did succumb to one of these viruses that it is like a miracle to have been free of them for so long.
She says: “I am so thankful I discovered olive leaf.”
Does an olive allergy mean I have to avoid olive oil? (n.d.).
acaai.org/resources/connect/ask-allergist/does-olive-allergy-mean-i-have-avoid-olive-oil
Esteve C, et al. (2012). Analysis of olive allergens. DOI:
10.1016/j.talanta.2012.01.016
Food allergies: Reducing the risks. (2017).
fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm089307.htm
Food allergy: Causes. (2016).
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-allergy/causes/
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.