We’re all well aware of the oil produced by olive fruits and all of the health and beauty benefits it has — it’s a healthy fat that’s believed to help prevent obesity, heart disease, and cancer to name a few, and it does wonders in the world of moisturizing skin and hair. You can even use it in oil pulling to detoxify your body. But there’s something else the olive plant has to offer — something huge — and it’s all about the leaf.
The olive leaf is a traditional medicinal herb that has been used for thousands of years, with its medicinal roots being in Ancient Egypt. This incredible herb is believed to promote better health overall, in addition to aiding in fighting tons of health issues. It’s so powerful, in fact, that it sometimes causes a relatively unpleasant reaction in the body due to its extreme detoxification properties… but we’ll get to that later. First, I want to tell you all the good stuff!
One of the main compounds in olive leaf is a substance called oleuropein, which is antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial. In addition to helping ward off a multitude of internal infections, oleuropein is also thought to help lower blood pressure and burn fat more efficiently. Olive leaf also has incredible antioxidant power — moreso than green tea, in fact! You can read more about antioxidants here. It’s anti-inflammatory — which is incredibly important, as inflammation plays a huge role in so many of the chronic diseases that exist today. It’s also thought to help in the prevention of different types of cancer. Since this medicinal leaf has only recently been gaining popularity, there haven’t been a huge amount of studies done, but initial results are certainly promising.
So what can you use olive leaf for? In short… pretty much anything. I like to take some daily to boost my immunity and energy, and then take a bit more anytime I feel any kind of sickness coming on.
Olive leaf extract can be taken in liquid, powder, or capsule form, and can likely be found at health food and specialty vitamin stores. I currently take it in capsule form, but am very interested in trying the liquid concentrate, which is thought to contain even more healing compounds!
And now, I must inform you of the potential unpleasant reaction I mentioned earlier, known as the die-off effect or Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. While this sounds scary and certainly isn’t fun, this reaction actually is a positive thing — experts believe that this means that the herb is working (although it’s not something that everyone experiences). What happens is, since it’s such a powerful substance, the olive leaf is able to kill off a large amount of harmful microbes in a short amount of time. These dead microorganisms release toxins into the body for removal, which triggers a response from the immune system, temporarily worsening symptoms.
If you feel under the weather after taking olive leaf extract — headaches, joint pains, flu-like symptoms — you’re likely experiencing the die-off effect. Try increasing your fluid intake, and if the symptoms are too much to handle, decrease your olive leaf dosage to a manageable level.
Always make sure you speak to your doctor before taking any type of medicine, including olive leaf extract! Unfortunately I don’t have the power to tell you whether this secret weapon of an herb will work for you personally, but it’s definitely worth looking into. For me, this is the type of medicine that makes me feel incredible as soon as I take it!
Have any of you tried olive leaf extract? I’d love to hear about it!
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Love Olive oil, amazing on so many foods and as stated here so eloquently, good for your too
lovely photos.
Ella Wild xoxo,
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yesterday on a hike I mentioned I was going to research olive leaf, I am currently living in the west of Turkey and can’t throw a rock without hitting an olive tree, they are everywhere! The sheep eat the leafs but I’m pretty sure humans don’t touch the stuff although I did see it in a list of herbal ingredients on a spicy taffy I was eating and this spiked my interest. I’m hoping to blend it in some herbal teas.
This blog is always aliening with my stars! wahooo!
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I take olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, & evening primrose oil everyday to help with my allergies & rosacea. It works wonders!
I just did a quick lit review on PubMed and found lots of good research for olive leaf extract! I’m going to double check with my docs first, but am excited to try. Definitely glad you recommend folks ask their doctors- I had wanted to try kelp extract, but my doctor advised against it. Hopefully this will be a go! :)
Very nice blog about olive leaf extract. I am also using olive leaf extract in the form of tablets. It is very good for health as it is anti-fungal it removes viruses and bacteria. For more information you can visit http://www.comvita.com/key-ingredients/olive-leaf-extract/us100010 online.
Love this stuff has helped clear fingers and toes up from fungus in just two weeks
I love olive leaf in my book this is one of the Hidden cures of today. You can’t go wrong with it. I recently wrote a blog about it so if you’re looking for more info about OliveLeafMAX and what it can cure. http://www.brainwavefusion.com/blog/why-oliveleafmax-is-the-number-1-cure
Nice information. Yes, I agree with you that olive leaf has several health benefits. Now you can also get the benefits of olive leaf and olive leaf extracts in your day to day life in the form of olive tea.
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Well I have been taking olive leaf extract for a little under a wk now and on the third day i felt funny that afternoon I came down with fever then woke up the following day with what felt the worst hangover iv had in a long time and could not figure out why ?? So done some research and here I am reading of all these benefits and then….. herxheimer reaction and this is the only thing I can put it down to as i have not had any sort of a detox in a looong time I’d imagine my body is full of nasties and that he olive leaf is hard at work in my body, I feel like rubbish but if my body needs it then my body gets it thank you for your informative blog.
I began taking olive leaf extract just by chance. I was looking for something to help tinnitus and found that olive leaf extract might help. Yet, I am finding that it helped me more with other issues. I am type 2 diabetic, under good control. My last A1C was 6.1 without medication. This was before I took the olive leaf extract. Thus I am curious if it will help my readings even more? I found that my blood pressure has gone down. It was running around 140/90. My last reading was 130./80 which my doctor was pleased with at my last visit. I also feel like I have more energy and well being. I just bought two more bottles. My cholesterol was a bit high (not overly) but this is suppose to help with that also. So it was a good find for me!
I have taken immune support supplements with Olive Leaf Extract in it several times and each time I feel nauseous and generally unwell. I wonder would this be the “die off ” effect which is mentioned above?
Olive Leaf is an absolutely awesome product!! It is so great that we have this available to us, at this time in the world of Covid 19. Please know it is worth every cent you have to get in this product and to stay healthy!!
I use the liquid olive leaf in my soap dispensers, at home, and I spray my vegetables with it and then, rinse it off. It can be put in a spray bottle to clean with it, and it kills germs!! The liquid can be put in your drinking water or juice, too. Wonder stuff!
Because I am on only one Rx I feel safe taking herbs without a doctor’s permission. Besides what does a medical doctor know about herbs unless he/she has studied or used them. I’ve used the Olive Leaf Extract on and off for a few years with seeming good results. I’m currently using it along with two other herbs indefinitely to “see” if it will clear up some medical issues I have that nothing else I’ve tried as been able to do. I’ll be my own doctor and find out for myself.
I just bought my first package of Organic Olive Leaf Powder. I’m so happy. But, how should I use it? I was a little intimidated by some info about it.