Olive
Parts Usually Used
Leaves, bark, fruit
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
The olive tree is an evergreen; the hard, yellow wood of the gnarled trunk is covered by gray-green bark; the branches extend to a height of 25 feet or more. The opposite, leathery leaves are elliptic, oblong, or lanceolate in shape; they are dark green on top and have silvery scales beneath. The fragrant white flowers grow in axillary panicles that are shorter than the leaves.
The fruit is an oblong or nearly round drupe which is shiny black when ripe.
Where Found
Native to the Mediterranean area but widely grown in tropical areas and warm climates.
Medicinal Properties
Leaves: antiviral, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, febrifuge, tranquilizer, vasodilator and they lower blood pressure Oil: cholagogue, demulcent, emollient, laxative, nutritive
Biochemical Information
Pure olive oil contains 2% saturated fats, 2% polyunsaturated fats, and 10% monosaturated fats Fatty oil, with linoleic, oleic, palmitic, stearic and arachidic acids; also small amounts of free fatty acids, phytosterin, enzymes, bitter principle, pigment and a trace of lecithin
Legends, Myths and Stories
Pure virgin olive oil helps reduce serum cholesterol. A monosaturated acid-rich diet that includes olive oil may be the reason for the low cholesterol plasma levels found in Italy and Greece. Best of all, lowering cholesterol levels with natural products that have no side-effects is, by some people’s opinion, better than taking cholesterol-lowering drugs that may trigger other conditions such as psoriasis or worsen it, or have far worse side-effects, some of which are still unknown.
Scientific studies in France, Yugoslavia and elsewhere have shown that olive oil can effectively reduce blood cholesterol. In the prehistoric Neolithic period, men in the Near East and the eastern Mediterranean area were already cultivating the olive tree, mainly for its oil. Since then, olive oil has served primarily as a food, but also as a fuel for lamps, as medicine, as an emollient for dry skin, and as an anointing oil for religious purposes.
In many countries, from the Orient to the Mediterranean, the olive has been a symbol of peace and wealth. It is also regarded as a sign of safe travel, from the biblical accounts of the dove’s bringing back an olive leaf to Noah on Mount Ararat to indicate that the waters of the flood had nearly subsided. According to Greek myth, the goddess of wisdom, Athene, taught men the use of the olive tree.
Both Athene and Poseidon, the god of the sea, wanted to be the patron of Attica, the section of Greece that includes the city of Athens. The other gods on Mount Olympus devised a contest for them, specifying that the winner would be the one who could provide the best gift to the people of Attica. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, and a horse sprang forth; Athene did likewise with her spear, and an olive tree grew up.
The gods decided that the olive, as a symbol of peace and agriculture, was a much better gift than Poseidon’s horse, a symbol of war. So Athene became the patron of Attica, and its principal city was named after her. Hardly by coincidence, Attica was the number one producer of olives in all of Greece. Olive trees are known to live a long time, some well over a thousand years. It is claimed that some olive trees growing in the garden of Gethsemane date back to the time of Christ.
Olive oil is similar to sesame seed oil. Since biblical times, the olive branch has been a symbol of peace and prosperity.
Uses
Historically, herbalists prepared decoctions of olive leaves or the inner bark of the tree to address fevers, stomach ulcers, and to serve as a mild sedative. Leaf infusions were traditionally administered for nervous tension and were believed to lower blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels. Practitioners also used olive oil internally as a laxative to address constipation, to stimulate bile secretion, and with the intention of preventing or expelling gallstones.
It was additionally reputed in folk tradition to soothe mucous membranes and alter cholesterol levels. Externally, folk practitioners applied olive oil to soothe burns, bruises, insect bites, sprains, bursitis, dry hair, dry scalp, and pruritus. When combined with alcohol, it was employed as a hair tonic, and mixed with rosemary oil, it was historically applied for dandruff. Furthermore, olive oil commonly served as a base for liniments, ointments, soaps, shampoos, and other cosmetic preparations.
How Sold
Ripe olives, stuffed olives, and pure olive oil can be obtained in any supermarket
Warning
Do not use as a laxative during pregnancy.
Bibliography
, Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co.
(1988). The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A.
, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , West Nyack, NY, 1987. The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023