Olive Leaf
Reported Health Benefits of Olive Leaf
1. Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. Oleuropein is the active ingredient in olive leaves and the reason why the olive leaf helps fight off the bad bacteria and protect the body’s beneficial bacteria. Microbes that can cause the flu and other upper respiratory infections are destroyed by this chief compound.
2. Helps maintain a healthy heart. Olive leaf supports healthy heart functioning helping with everything from arrhythmia to lowering blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and preventing the build-up of plaque on the arterial walls.
3. Non-caffeinated source of energy. I am a little caffeine sensitive from not drinking it for so long, so any coffee or even naturally caffeinated tea after 3:30pm, and I’m up all night. Olive leaf tea at 9pm = same effect on me. Not sure what it is, but from my own experience, this is not a nighttime tea but rather a 3 o’clock slump-killer or get-your-day-started-the-right-way tea. Although I haven’t been drinking it very long, some even report an increased feeling of well-being.
4. Anti-inflammatory. Olive leaf is antioxidant rich (even higher than green tea), fighting against free radicals that develop in the body. Plant antioxidants provide the body with unbelievable health benefits, including helping to reduce the risk of many degenerative and chronic illnesses.
5. Builds bone. Oleuropein is believed to also help the body increase the rate of osteoblasts, which are the cells responsible for bone growth. This helps us keep our bone mass as we age, which is especially important for women.
6. Fat burner. Oleuropein is also shown to increase the body’s level of thermogenin, a substance that allows our bodies to burn fat more easily. It also has shown to increase the thyroid hormone and adrenaline and helps improve digestion.
7. Cancer prevention. As you can see from the above, numerous health benefits relate to the protection of our cells. Oleuropein is also an especially good source of the anti-cancer compounds, apigenin and luteolin. It has actually been shown to have protective capabilities against breast cancer.
8. Regulates blood sugar. In laboratory testing, olive leaf has helped lower blood sugar levels with an ability to decrease insulin sensitivity and increase the production of insulin by the pancreas.
9. Maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Oleuropein has a beneficial affect on the lipoprotein levels in the body and helps prevent the oxidation of our bad LDL cholesterol, supporting healthy heart functioning.
10. Supports immune function. Olive leaf also has energy and immune system boosting qualities greatly increase the body’s natural ability to resist illness which prevents you from getting sick in the first place. Some claim once they started drinking it, they no longer experience seasonal allergy discomfort or suffered from any cold or flu.
As you can see, it is mostly the oleuropein in the olive leaf that is thought to be so beneficial to us.