Olive leaf

Pretty much everyone is aware these days of the value of a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruit, vegetables and Olive oil. In this regime, it is Olive oil in particular that is thought to maintain healthy blood fat levels, and to protect the heart and circulation from inflammatory damage.

Moreover, Olive oil and its key constituent, oleuropein, are thought to have a broad range of health benefits, a 2018 scientific conference concluding that it “was associated with the prevention of degenerative diseases and an extended longevity”¹.

The intensely bitter oleuropein occurs in the leaf at much higher concentrations², so the leaf has greater potency than the oil.

This was understood a long time ago, as the Bible says of the Olive tree:

The leaf has twice the antioxidant activity of green tea and an array of therapeutic actions: it has been shown to reduce high blood pressure⁴; counters inflammatory damage to the heart and circulation; acts to stabilise blood viscosity; supports lower blood sugar levels; and has antimicrobial activity in a range of bacterial and viral infections⁵. Taken together, this suggests that Olive leaf is an important herb to consider in many chronic health problems.