Substances in olive leaves

The primary substances which are relevant in a medical sense are the antioxidants Oleuropeine and Hydroxytyrosol. Apart from that, the leaves contain various Polyphenoles and Flavanoids including Oleocanthal.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants or oxidation-blockers are substances which prevent delicate molecules from binding with oxygen. They are also called radical-catchers, which bind free radicals (i.e. molecules with excessive electrons) and herewith neutralize their damaging impact on body cells. In a way it's like the principle of vaccination or the treatment with antibiotics. Antioxidants therefore prevent the free radicals from attacking the cell walls which would damage or destroy them. Therefore these substances do have a broad spectrum of effects, of course also for the human body.

Antioxidants can be found in garlic, blueberry, cabbage, broccoli, licorice, ginger, tea, coffee, chervil, parsley, onion, citrus fruits, flax seeds, rice, tomatoes, grape seed oil, rosemary, mint, cucumber, asparagus, basil, cocoa and especially in olive trees.

This explains the Mediterranean or Crete diet since these products are largely produced and eaten here.

Studies by The Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (ACCMER) in 2005 found that olive leaves have five times the antioxidant capacity of vitamin C and almost double that of green tea or grapeseed extract. According to Dr Stevenson, her team also discovered that extract of olive leaf was more powerful at getting rid of damaging free radicals than such acclaimed antioxidants as grapeseed extract and vitamin E — and that furthermore it could help to fight some inflammatory conditions.

From the UK Times 2007

Oleuropeine und Hydroxytyrosol

The most known antioxidant, which can be found in the root, the bark, the olives and foremost in multiple concentration in the leaves of the olive tree, is Oleuropeine. Both this substance as well as Hydroxytyrosol are so called Tyrosolesters of the oleic acid and are responsible for the bitter taste of the olives. But they also have tremendous qualities when it comes to radical catching
Therefore, Oleuropeine has an antibacterial, antiviral and antimycotic (against fungi) effect.

Polyphenole

Natural polyphenoles can be found in plants as bio-active substances like colors (flavonoides, anthocyanes), flavours and tannines. They are her to protect the plants from predators and attract insects with their color for pollination.

Flavanoide

Flavanoids, also known as vitamin P or citrine, are well known antioxidants, too and their main function is to protect the plants from microbes and insects.

Effectiveness when treating diseases

The combined and highly concntrated substances of the olive tree do have positive effects on various disorders. Since they can be found 3000 times stronger in the leaves, we should turn our close attention to them. The antioxidative effect does not only protect the tree from viruses, bacteria and fungi but also supples the walls of arteriae and venes alike and thus promotes a better bloodflow, i.e. it is a prevention of arteriosclerosis. The improved blood flow has also a positive impact on sleeping disorders and menopause symptoms. A further important effect is the antiinflamatory one which has been observed when trating a variety of diseases.

• Influenza
• Colds
• Meningitis
• Encefalitis
• Epstein-Barrvirus
• Herpes I und II,
• Herpesvirus 6 und 7
• Shingles (virus disease)
• chronic fatigue
• Hepatitis B (virus infection of the liver)
• Pneumonia
• Tuberculosis
• Gonorroe
• Malaria
• Dengue-Fever (similar to Malaria)
• Bakteriaemia
• serious diarrhea
• Blood poisoning
• Lyme-Borreliosis
• Allergic asthma
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Infections of teeth, ears, urethrae and after surgery.

All these diseases are of either bacterial or viral origin and therefore the substances of olive leaves do have a positive influence on them. There have even been experiments with HIV patients.

Since the antioxidants in olive leaves are extremely potent, one has also started to treat cancer patients.

To put it in a nutshell, the substances in olive leaves, above all the oleuropeine, are an excellent antibiotic without the unwanted side-effects of of pharmaceutically produced ones.