Olive Leaf Extract - Why is it So AWESOME?

Everyone is familiar with olive oil. You know it’s good for you. You’ve probably heard of “The Mediterranean Diet” and stories of amazing health in people who regularly consume diets rich in olive oil.

But do you know WHY?

Olive oil contains a substance called oleuropein. Oleuropein is a phenol. Phenols are chemical compounds that are characteristic of strong, pungent odors. Raspberries and Thyme plants also produce, and therefore contain, phenols. Plants produce phenols as protection against predators, either by repulsing them or poisoning them. Sometimes phenols also serve as an attractant to creatures that prey on the creatures that eat the plant. Phenols also sometimes serve as anti-fungal or antibacterial protection for the plant.

Phenols are the “magical” components that make olives, olive oil, and olive leaves beneficial to the human body, not only due to the obvious anti-fungal and antibacterial action, but also due to the way the body uses plant phenols. Phenols have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties when used by the human body. All three of these actions have positive effects on heart health! In a 2005 Spanish study by a team at the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Cordoba, consumption of phenols was shown to have an immediate effect on the efficiency of the cardiovascular system and blood flow.

One of the ways we measure antioxidant benefits is something called an ORAC score. I’ll admit, I had to look up ORAC! ORAC stands for “oxygen radical absorbance capacity.” In English, that basically means the ability of a particular food to destroy free radicals. Free radicals are the outlaw atoms that are responsible for aging and destruction of cells or even formation of cancerous cells. So essentially antioxidants, like the phenols found in olive plants, are the good guys, and free radicals are the bad guys. It makes sense to do everything we can to supply our bodies with these wonderful antioxidant good guys to help slow the aging process, maintain our good health and immune system, and fight cancer.

Olive leaves contain a high concentration of the beneficial phenol oleuropein, often even higher than olives or olive oil, which is sometimes stripped of its beneficial phenolic compounds, and loses most of them when heated for cooking. Olive Leaf Extract, such as the Barlean’s brand that I personally use, has an ORAC score of 7,608 per dose of the liquid extract, or 10,000 per dose in the soft gels.

 My favorite thing about Olive Leaf Extract is the dose is exceptionally customizable and I have noticed absolutely no side effects. On a daily basis I consume a tablespoon of Olive Leaf Extract to maintain my immunity, blood pressure, and heart health. When I feel something coming on, like cold or flu symptoms, I simply up my dose to 2 or 3 tablespoons per day and continue to consume at that level until I feel better. If a sore throat is involved I also use the Olive Leaf throat spray that contains peppermint oil, which soothes and relieves my throat pain. The great thing about it is it can be used as often as needed, unlike anesthetic throat sprays which can have side effects, such as upset stomach. It’s even completely safe for children! My kids keep a bottle by their beds when they’re feeling under the weather.

So go enjoy a little shot of olive leaf today. Your body will thank you.

~ Mary Beth