A delicious Italian sauce smothering cannelloni just wouldn’t be the same without the olive oil which lends its flavor, but were you aware that the leaves of the olive tree have also been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years? When using extracts from olive leaves, you are making use of healing compounds which date back to Egypt. We will demonstrate a dozen of the olive leaf extract benefits for your health as well as how to use it in this article.
Do not look to these remedies as all inclusive cures. Serious health conditions need to be cared for by a health care professional.
An improved cholesterol profile begins our list of olive leaf extract benefits. The primary glycoside, oleuropein, produces a substance known as hydroxytyrosol. Hydroxytyrosol helps to reduce the lipid profile in your liver, which reduces LDL and triglyceride levels in your bloodstream without negatively effecting beneficial HDL levels.
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Another of the positive olive leaf extract benefits effecting heart health comes in the form of lowering your blood pressure. As well as reducing the lipids produced in your liver, the compounds in oleuropein also have the effect of significantly reducing systolic blood pressure levels by 11.5 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure levels by 4.8 mmHg. Additionally, olive leaf extract has fewer side effects than its prescription drug competitors.
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Lowering your risk of cancer is another attractive item on our list of olive leaf extract benefits. Angiogenesis is what not only stimulates the growth of cancer cells and tumors, but it also encourages them to reproduce and migrate to other areas of your body. Oleuropein is known to have an anti-angiogenic effect on cancer cells. It has proven effective when used with breast cancer, urinary bladder cancer, and brain cancer.
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Also among the many olive leaf extract benefits is the capacity to reduce blood sugar levels. Inhibiting the formation of substances known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is a major therapeutic goal of preventing and treating diabetes. The polyphenols found in olive leaf extract delay the production of AGEs and suppress the elevation of blood glucose.
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Improved cognitive function is also a critical item among olive leaf extract benefits. The connection between free radicals and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia has been well established. The antioxidant properties of olive leaf extract help to eliminate the free radicals and associated oxidative stress which lead to memory loss and cognitive decline.
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Common colds and flu don’t have to knock you off of your game, because boosting your immunity is also among the most promising olive leaf extract benefits. Olive leaf extract has powerful antioxidant properties which enhance the antiviral properties of your body’s immune-defense function.
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Also included among the most impressive olive leaf extract benefits is its ability to protect your skin cells against UV radiation damage. The antioxidant properties of olive leaves not only help protect skin cells from UV radiation damage, but can help reverse the effects of damage incurred in the past. Those antioxidants also inhibit the growth of skin cancers and cancerous tumors in the epidermal layers.
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Preventing and getting rid of infections of all sorts is a major function of all medications and it is also among the excellent olive leaf extract benefits. The antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal benefits of olive leaf extract make it powerful enough to fight off illnesses and conditions like candida, meningitis, pneumonia, chronic fatigue, hepatitis B, malaria, gonorrhea, shingles, tuberculosis, e coli, ear infections, and urinary tract infections. It’s no wonder this was a highly prized treatment for thousands of years in the Mediterranean region.
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Arthritis relief is also among the most potent of olive leaf extract benefits. Cytokine and inflammatory enzymes related to the inflammatory process are significantly reduced in those who use olive leaf extract as a treatment option. The inhibition of these processes is accomplished by the antioxidant properties in olive leaf polyphenols.
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A beauty enhancing item on our list of olive leaf extract benefits comes in the form of younger looking skin. Oleuropein has been shown, through research, to be more effective at improving blood circulation, reducing blemishes and moisturizing skin than vitamin E. Its effects improve skin thickness and elasticity while reversing damage caused by environmental factors.
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Also among the most intriguing olive leaf extract benefits is found in its capacity to help fight obesity. Oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol helped to reduce the production of fat tissue and fat cells in the liver, in a number of studies, by preventing pre-fat cells from maturing into true fat cells. Other studies indicated that it helps reduce fat cell production in bone marrow and stem cells as well.
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Wrapping up our list of olive leaf extract benefits is its ability to help improve and maintain bone density. Oleuropein helps to increase bone cell production and vitality in the same way that it aids skin cells. Because of this, it works well at preventing bone loss in post-menopausal women.
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If you are concerned about preventing or treating some of the issues mentioned above or just hope to prevent common colds and flu when flu season rolls around, you need to take olive leaf extract into consideration. Give the number of olive leaf extract benefits and the potency of oleuropein, it is no wonder that this particular treatment has been passed down for several thousand years. If you have questions, comments or recipes for using olive leaf extract powder, please feel free to add them below.
Image from depositphotos.com.
