Remember when I wrote about Black Cumin Seed Oil (Nigella Sativa) in my May 18, 2015 post, and said that it’s use went all the way back to King Tut (Tutankhamen), and that it was mentioned in the Bible and the Koran? Well, olive leaf extract has a very similar history.
The Bible states, “The fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine”- thus its nickname, “Tree of Life”.
In Egypt the olive leaf was a symbol of heavenly power.
In ancient Greek mythology, the olive tree was a gift from the goddess Athena.
Now do you see, why the Mediterranean diet is so fervently suggested as a way to a healthy life?
Enough history; let’s summarize its benefits:
Widespread Benefits of Olive Leaf
- The Mediterranean diet offers a host of benefits that prolong life and improve health.
- Olive oil, a major component of the Mediterranean diet, contains a unique compound called oleuropein that provides its characteristic biting, astringent taste.
- Oleuropein is responsible for most of olive oil’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and disease fighting characteristics.
- Olive leaves contain high amounts of oleuropein, making the extracts a valuable source of this nutrient without the need to consume large amounts of olive oil.
- Olive leaf extracts show tremendous promise in preventing or mitigating conditions as diverse as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis.
Before taking a closer look at some of the health benefits, keep in mind that olive oil extract is very beneficial in the treatment of a wide variety of health conditions including: conditions related to a virus, retrovirus, bacterium or protozoan. For example: influenza, the common cold, candida infections, meningitis, Epstein-Barr virus, encephalitis, herpes I and II, human herpes 6 and 7, shingles, HIV/ARC/AIDS, chronic fatigue, hepatitis B, pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria, dengue, severe diarrhea, and dental, ear, urinary track, and surgical infections.
Not only do you refrain from taking antibiotics but also all of the above are backed by research and clinical data.
A Closer Look at a Few of Olive Leaf’s Health Benefits
CARDIOVASCULAR
- BLOOD PRESSURE
The oleuropein in olive leaf is primarily responsible for its modulating effect on high blood pressure. It works by targeting and ameliorating arterial resistance or stiffness.
- ARTERIAL HEALTH
Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) is directly related to endothelial dysfunction, which leads to the accumulation of plaque in the arteries. Olive oil extract combats endothelial dysfunction in a variety of ways. Endothelial cells line our arterial walls.
DIABETES
In animal and lab studies, olive leaf extract has been shown to lower blood sugar via several pathways, including, slowing down the digestion of starches and simple sugars in the intestine and increasing the cells ability to uptake glucose from the blood. Olive leaf protects healthy tissues from oxidative damage and increases the overall level of antioxidant activity throughout the body.
In a study comparing olive leaf extract and “glyburide” (a common glucose lowering drug), the antidiabetic effects of the extract proved superior to those of the drug.
CANCER
Because oleuropein enhances antioxidant activity throughout the body it’s a potent cancer preventive.
It protects cells from DNA damage, and disrupts the chemical signaling pathways that tumors rely on to organize, as well as inhibiting tumor growth factors.
In a recent study, animals were given oleuropein and within 9-12 days the tumors were gone.
NEUROPROTECTION
Olive leaf extract is a potent anti-inflammatory, which protects the brain and central nervous system from strokes and other age related diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
ARTHRITIS
Mediterranean folk remedies contain many references to olive leaves and their extracts as an effective preventive and treatment for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and plain old arthritis.
All of these have been validated by research.
Conclusion
Numerous scientific studies have concluded that the Mediterranean diet acts as a preventive for virtually every disease related to aging.
Research suggests that a key reason for the Mediterranean Diet’s proven health benefits are its abundance of antioxidant compounds.
These compounds are known as phenols and polyphenols present in a range of Mediterranean foods such as grapes, olives, berries, and of course, red wine and extra virgin olive oil. It is believed that these compounds are a key factor contributing to the Mediterranean region’s low incidence of coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, inflammatory conditions and certain cancers.
Oleuropein-rich olive leaf extract safely helps prevent and or treat many of the most common life threatening, chronic and age related diseases of our time.
Get some immediately.
That’s it for now; see you all next week.
