Olive Leaf
Also known as- Olea europaea, Italian Olive, and Olive.
Introduction
The olive is a small evergreen tree native to Mediterranean regions, but naturalized to climates as varied as those of Australia, California, and Texas. The well-known green to blue-black fruit of this tree yields a useful, edible oil. Both the oil and the dried green-grayish colored leaves are used in herbal medicine.
Constituents
Apigenin, choline, cinchonine, luteolin, mannitol, olivin, tannins.
Parts Used
Dried leaves and leaf fragments.
Typical Preparations
Traditionally used as a tea, sometimes available in tea bags; also used with great success in extracts and capsules.
Summary
Olive leaf teas have been used for thousands
of years to lower fevers, and olive leaf poultices are among the oldest
therapies for infections of the skin. Olive leaf is associated with a variety
of modern medical claims, some of them backed up with scientific evidence:
´ Antibacterial effects. Elenoic acid from olives is known to be antibacterial
(killing both infectious and helpful bacteria), but the elenoic acid in olive
leaf may be broken down in the process of making the tea. Olive leaf poultices
may heal skin by encouraging circulation rather than by killing bacteria.
´ Cardiovascular effects. Oleuropein in olive leaf and in olives may prevent
LDL cholesterol from oxidizing into a form that can form atherosclerotic
plaques. The chemical also lowers blood pressure, although only slightly (3 to
8 mm/Hg after 3 to 4 weeks use).
´ Diabetes. Olive leaf extracts have been shown in laboratory studies to lower
blood sugars, but their use in treating diabetes in humans is not well
documented.
Health Benefits for Olive Leaf
Indicated for
Stabilising blood sugar levels, parasites (giardia, intestinal worms, malaria forming protozoa, microscopic protozoa, pinworms, ringworm, roundworm, tapeworms), boosting immune function, fighting infection, increasing resistance to disease, lowering blood pressure, abdominal chill, anthrax, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, barium chloride and calcium induced arrhythmia, boosts energy levels, brain and nervous conditions, candida, cardiovascular conditions, chest complaints, chlamydia, chronic fatigue, chronic joint ache, chronic toenail fungus infection, colds & flu, cold sores, dengue, dental, ear, urinary tract and surgical infections, dissolves cholesterol, encephalitis, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), fevers, fibromyalgia, gastric ulcers caused by H. pylori, gastrointestinal conditions, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, haemorrhoid pain-relief, hepatitis A, B, C, herpes I and II, HIV/ARC/AIDS, human herpesvirus 6 and 7, improves blood flow, improves symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and related conditions, increases bile secretions, lupus, malaria, meningitis (bacterial/viral), mononucleosis, nervous tension, normalisation of heart beat irregularities, pneumonia, psoriasis, rabies, respiratory conditions, rheumatic fever, salmonella, severe diarrhea, shingles, shingles (Herpes zoster), sinus infections, soothes mucous membranes, staphylococcal food poisoning, streptococcus infection in throat, syphilis, toothache, toxic shock syndrome, trichinosis, tuberculosis, vaginitis, vasodilator effect on the smooth layer of coronary arteries, warts.
Precautions
Olive leaf tea should be taken with meals. Safety of the herb during pregnancy has not been established.