This summer, I turn 40, and in all honesty, I’m excited about that. I don’t think I look older, but I want to make sure I can continue to be healthy and look healthy. Knowing that one of the purported benefits of olive leaf is that it reduces signs of aging – yeah, I want that.
If you recall from last week, oleuropein, the main constituent in olive leaf, is known to be antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal both internally and externally. Two other constituents, apegenin and lutedin, prevent cancer. It would seem that olive leaf could help treat or prevent just about any condition!
When olive leaf is used to fight infection, some people may experience a time of “die off,” or the Herxheimer reaction. During this time, the body’s reactions to the die-off of microorganisms may make a person feel like their condition is worsening instead of healing. These symptoms may be lessened by reducing the dose of the herb, thus reducing the rate of die-off.
Symptoms of die-off include:
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headaches
- Muscle and Joint Pain
- Pimples
- Rashes
As with any drug or herb, encourage providers and patients to fully educate themselves regarding use and potential side effects. Olive leaf in particular may interact with blood pressure, diabetic, and anticoagulant medications.
Before giving dosing recommendations, I want to reiterate the point I made last week about the use of olive leaf and other parts of the olive tree. Many times using one or more of those different parts (leaf, oil, or fruit) is suggested to give the most benefit to the patient.
Suggested doses of parts of olive tree:
- Constipation – 30 mL of olive oil
- Heart disease or Heart attack prevention – 54 g (about four Tbs) per day of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) ; consuming up to 1 liter of EVOO per week has been used in the Mediterranean diet
- High blood pressure – 30-40 g/per day of EVOO or 400 mg of olive leaf 4x/day
- High cholesterol – 23 g/per day of EVOO (2 Tbs)
For maintaining overall health, the following dose is recommended:
- 550 mg of olive leaf extract, 1-3x/day with water
