I have just spend a blissful few days out in
the Alpuharras of AndalucÃa (Southern Spain) although we are in winter now I
found myself swimming in lakes, rivers, the sea and pools daily, basking like a
lizard on rocks and exploring hidden gems in the beautiful mountains there.
The most prolific plant by far is the wondrous
Olive Tree (Olea europaea) the hills n valleys are crisscrossed with
literally millions of them. These trees are the oldest of all fruit trees and certainly are one of the most important
fruit trees in history. Olive tree culture has been closely connected to the
rise and fall of Mediterranean empires and other advanced civilizations
throughout the ages.
In Greek mythology Athena,
the Goddess of wisdom and peace, struck her magic spear into the Earth, and it
turned into an olive tree, thus, the location where the olive tree appeared and
grew was named Athens, Greece, in honor of the Goddess. The
ancient Egyptians regarded the olive tree as a symbol of heavenly power, and in
keeping with that belief, they extracted its oil and used it to mummify their
kings. The first formal medical mention of the olive leaf - an account
describing its ability to cure severe cases of fever and malaria, occurred In
1854, the Pharmaceutical Journal.
The leaves of olive trees are gray-green and are replaced at 2-3 year
intervals during the spring after new growth appears. Pruning yearly and
severely is very important to insure continued production. A wild, seedling
olive tree normally begins to flower and produce fruit at the age of 8 years. Some
olive trees are believed to be over a thousand years old, and most will live to
the ripe old age of 500.
Olive trees can survive droughts and strong winds, and they grow well on
well Olive trees are more resistant to diseases and insects than any other
fruit tree and, therefore, are sprayed less than any other crop.
Scientists isolated a bitter substance from
the leaf and named it oleuropein. It was found to be one ingredient in a
compound produced by the olive tree that makes it particularly robust and
resistant against insect and bacterial damage. Oleuropein is an irridoid, a
structural class of chemical compounds found in plants often exhibiting a
bitter flavour. It is present in olive oil, throughout the olive tree, and is,
in fact, the bitter material that is eliminated from the olives when they are
cured.
In 1962, an Italian researcher reported that
oleuropein lowered blood pressure in animals. This triggered a flurry of
scientific interest in the olive leaf.
Other European researchers confirmed this
interesting finding. In addition, they found it could also increase blood flow
in the coronary arteries, relieve arrhythmias, and prevent intestinal muscle
spasms.
Olive leaf has many benefits as well as lowering
fevers and supporting the cardio vascular system the medicine also works well
as an anti- microbial. So ace at supporting the immune system in shaking off
viruses and bacterial infections.
I learnt that one harvests the leaves
from the young suckers that grow around the base of the tree. So I set off and
collect a few to make my own Olive Leaf Tincture.
Olive leaf tincture recipe
1) Take the leaves chop finely, then place in a glass jar.
2) Cover with vodka.
3) Seal the glass, and let it sit in a dark place for a lunar cycle
4) Strain it out for use.
