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Learn About Olive Leaf Extract in 5 Minutes
by Katie Hipwell
Katie Hipwell
Table of contents
What is olive leaf extract?
Olive leaf extract is a botanical extract derived from the leaves of the Olea europaea tree. This extract has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, and modern science is now beginning to confirm the usefulness of olive leaf extract against infectious disease. The primary active compound in olive leaf extract, oleuropein, has been thoroughly investigated for its potential immune-boosting, antioxidant, cardiovascular, and antibacterial properties.
Is olive leaf extract water-soluble or fat-soluble?
Oleuropein is considered to be highly soluble in water, which means that this substance has high bioavailability and quickly absorbs into your body’s tissues.
Where can olive leaf extract be found naturally? Common sources of olive leaf extract:
The only known natural source of oleuropein is the leaves of olive trees.
What is the recommended daily value for olive leaf extract?
While oleuropein appears to be a highly beneficial substance, there is no official nutrient reference value (NRV) for olive leaf extract. In clinical studies, daily doses between 50mg and 500mg have been used and well-tolerated.
Can you absorb enough olive leaf extract from food?
While olive leaves are technically edible, they are not commonly consumed in food, and they are by no means integral components of most modern diets. It’s possible to consume oleuropein in tea, but it’s most convenient to ingest this beneficial plant extract in supplement form.
Why is olive leaf extract necessary for your body?
Olive leaf extract appears to exert various benefits associated with its purported antioxidant activity. Most notably, oleuropein seems to directly attack most types of viruses, which could make this substance even more effective than antiviral treatments that bolster your immune system’s innate defences. Furthermore, oleuropein also appears to bolster your cardiovascular system, prevent neurological damage, and improve metabolism in both healthy individuals and people who suffer from diabetes or obesity.
Functions of olive leaf extract
- Potential immune benefits: Research indicates that oleuropein may fight a variety of different types of viruses. Studies have mainly focused on olive leaf extract’s potential to fight herpes, but it appears that this substance may also be useful for many other viral infections.
- Potential cardiovascular benefits: Olive leaf extract may lower blood pressure and reduce levels of harmful cholesterol in your blood.
- Potential neuroprotective benefits: Research indicates that oleuropein may prevent nervous system tissue damage that often results in common neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
- Potential metabolic benefits: Scientific evidence shows that olive leaf extract may increase insulin secretion, which reduces blood glucose levels and prevents the symptoms of diabetes. Olive leaf extract may also prevent hyperinsulinemia, which occurs when there is too much insulin in your blood.
- Potential weight loss benefits: Studies show that olive leaf extract may help with obesity. It appears that olive leaf extract exerts these potential benefits by modulating the expression of obesity-related genes.
The powerful polyphenols within Olive Leaf Extract are thought to have great benefits for immune health, which is why we’ve included 100mg of Olive Leaf Extract in Feel Immunity.
When should you take olive leaf extract?
Since oleuropein appears to directly combat viral infections at their source, you may want to take olive leaf extract whenever there’s a potential that you might be infected with a virus. In sharp contrast to mainline antiviral treatments, olive leaf extract does not appear to have any side effects. On the contrary, this potential antiviral agent appears to improve your health in a variety of ways aside from killing viruses, so you might want to take olive leaf extract even when protecting yourself from viral infections isn’t your top priority.
How long do you need to take olive leaf extract to start experiencing its benefits?
Since olive leaf extract is considered to be highly bioavailable, your body should be able to deploy the beneficial components of this natural plant extract within 24 hours or less.
How long does it take for your body to digest/absorb olive leaf extract?
The water-soluble components in olive leaf extract, such as oleuropein, should fully absorb into your body’s tissues within 1-2 days.
How long does olive leaf extract stay in your body after you take it?
The beneficial compounds in olive leaf extract generally only stay in your body for around 2-3 days after ingestion.
Is olive leaf extract an antioxidant?
Both clinical and lab studies indicate that oleuropein may exert direct, potent antioxidant properties in the body.
Can you overdose on olive leaf extract? What are the effects?
There are no reported cases of olive leaf extract overdose. When taken in unreasonably large quantities, oleuropein may increase oxidative stress throughout the body.
Does olive leaf extract dissolve, flush out, or build up in the body?
The beneficial substances in olive leaf extract usually fully flush out of the body within 2-3 days.
Can you take olive leaf extract during a diet?
Research indicates that olive leaf extract may be useful for weight loss, and this gluten-free, vegan, and cruelty-free substance does not interfere with any dietary restrictions.
Are there synthetic forms of olive leaf extract?
Both oleuropein and the other beneficial substances in olive leaf extract have been synthesised in small scales in laboratory conditions.
Absorption rate of synthetic olive leaf extract
No data are available on the potential absorption rates of synthetic olive leaf extract components.
Why might natural forms of olive leaf extract be better?
At present, only natural forms of olive leaf extract are available to consumers.
How to take olive leaf extract
Olive leaf extract can be chewed or brewed into tea, but this substance is usually taken as an oral supplement.
Olive leaf extract trends in medicine
In 2020, multiple studies were published relating to the potential benefits of olive leaf extract for liver injury and common liver diseases. In one study, researchers demonstrated that olive leaf extract may prevent liver damage caused by heavy metal accumulation, and in another 2020 study, scientists showed that olive leaf extract may help with both the unhealthy metabolism fluctuations and liver damage that can be caused by unreasonably fatty diets.
Sources
1. Oleuropein in Olive and its Pharmacological Effects
2. Olive Leaf Extract Improves the Atherogenic Lipid Profile in Rats Fed a High Cholesterol Diet
3. Impact of phenolic-rich olive leaf extract on blood pressure, plasma lipids and inflammatory markers: a randomised controlled trial
4. Effects of the Olive-Derived Polyphenol Oleuropein on Human Health
5. Functional foods in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: Olive leaf extract, turmeric and fenugreek, a qualitative review
6. Olive Leaf Extract Attenuates Obesity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice by Modulating the Expression of Molecules Involved in Adipogenesis and Thermogenesis
7. Hepatoprotective Effect of Oleuropein-Rich Extract from Olive Leaves against Cadmium-Induced Toxicity in Mice
8. Comparative Study on Beneficial Effects of Hydroxytyrosol- and Oleuropein-Rich Olive Leaf Extracts on High-Fat Diet-Induced Lipid Metabolism Disturbance and Liver Injury in Rats
