Olive leaf

Western Bulk Herbs – Olive Leaf

Everyone knows olive oil is good for you but so are the leaves of the olive trees. Olive Leaf helps with lowering blood pressure and improves circulation. Studies show it can help maintain blood sugar levels as it helps lower blood sugar.

Latin Name:
Olea Europa

Common Names:
Italian Olive, and Olive.

Parts Used:
Dried leaves and leaf fragments. (Both the oil and the dried green-grayish colored leaves are used in herbal medicine.)

Properties:
Diuretic, and helps blood sugar

Traditional Uses:
Olive leaf is traditionally prepared as a tea.

Topical Uses / Applications:
Because of its antiviral properties, olive leaf could be effectively used on the skin.

Culinary Uses:
Drink the tea with meals.

Chemical Properties:
Oleoropine, leine, oleasterol, pigenin, choline, cinchonine, luteolin, mannitol, olivin, and tannins.

Folk Lore:
Mrs. Grieve’s has this to say about olive and olive leaf, “The high position held by the Olive tree in ancient as in modern days may be realized when it is remembered that Moses exempted from military service men who would work at its cultivation, and that in Scriptural and classical writings the oil is mentioned as a symbol of goodness and purity, and the tree as representing peace and happiness. The oil, in addition to its wide use in diet, was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples, while the victor in the Olympic games was crowned with its leaves.” Grieve’s Modern Herbal

Cautions:
Olive leaf tea should be taken with meals. Safety of the herb during pregnancy has not been established.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.