If you’re looking for the best olive leaf supplements to buy this year, then you’ve come to the right place.
You can also get more info by jumping to our Olive Leaf Supplements Guide.
Top 10 Olive Leaf Supplements
| #1 |  |
NOW Foods Olive Leaf Extract | More Info |
| #2 |  |
Nature’s Way Olive Leaf Extract | More Info |
| #3 |  |
Gaia Herbs Olive Leaf | More Info |
| #4 |  |
Pure Encapsulations Olive Leaf Extract | More Info |
| #5 |  |
BlueBonnet Olive Leaf Herb Extract | More Info |
| #6 |  |
Oregon’s Wild Harvest Olive Leaf | More Info |
| #7 |  |
Solgar Olive Leaf Extract | More Info |
| #8 |  |
Solaray Olive Leaf | More Info |
| #9 |  |
Paradise Herbs Olive Leaf | More Info |
| #10 |  |
Designs For Health Olive Leaf Extract | More Info |
Olive Leaf Supplements Guide
Olive leaf is great for treating hypertension. It has a wide range of other possible health benefits.
What Is Olive Leaf?
This supplement is simply the leaf of the olive plant, Olea europaea. It is the same tree that produces the olive fruit and olive oil that we all know. This tree was originally cultivated in Crete, a large island off the coast of Greece, as early as 3,500 BC. The olive tree is an evergreen that grows up to around 30 feet high, and though it is native to the Mediterranean, it is now also grown in similar climates across the globe.
Olive Leaf Throughout the World
Olives, olive oil, and olive leaves are all major components of various Mediterranean cuisines. However, the olive plant and its derivatives also claim a place in traditional medicines. Olea europaea is used in folk remedies throughout the Mediterranean, including in countries such as France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey. However, the range of olive as medicine extends as far as the southern end of Africa, where it is favored as herbal medicine by the Sotho, Xhosa, and Zulu peoples.
Why Olive Leaf is Healthy for You
Many are already familiar with the health benefits of adding olive oil to your diet. Olive leaf shares many of the same chemical constituents as olive oil, which means it has similar health effects. Olive leaf contains many beneficial chemical compounds, including triterpenes, flavonoids, phenolics, and many others. However, the main bioactive compounds in olive leaf is oleuropein. Oleuropein is a compound with various health benefits that is also found in olive oil. It is thought to be the chemical responsible for olive oil’s distinct and pungent taste.
Benefits of Olive Leaf
There are many purported benefits of olive leaf. However, not all of these are scientifically proven. Here we will only talk about researched uses, and not unproven folk uses.
The number-one best use of this herb is that olive leaf notably reduces blood pressure. Second to this, taking olive leaf can help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. It also slightly increases insulin sensitivity. These effects are only observed in people who have hypertension or diabetes; healthy people may not see any difference.
Taking olive leaf may slightly increase good cholesterol and slightly decrease bad cholesterol. However, the magnitude of effect is quite small and this benefit does not occur for everyone.
There are also various benefits of olive leaf that have been observed in animals but not tested in humans. Olive leaf may be antioxidant, immune-boosting, anti-atherosclerosis, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, and thyroid-stimulating.
Experiments done with mice have found that taking olive leaf makes your skin more resistant to sun damage. This effect could potentially apply to humans as well. So, olive leaf may be of interest to those who live in sunny climates, spend a lot of time outside, wish to prevent skin aging, or have a family history of skin cancer.
It’s important to note that while olive leaf has health-promoting properties, it should not be used to treat a disease or medical condition. For example, feel free to use it to promote recovery from diabetes, but do not rely solely on olive leaf; also follow your doctor’s instructions for treatment and medication.
Are There Any Side Effects?
Olive leaf is not very well-studied. For this reason, there is no list of known side effects. It is likely that olive leaf hardly ever produces side effects when taken in a moderate dose. If you experience any negative reaction to olive leaf, stop taking it and consult a medical professional. If you have a known allergy to olive products then you will probably experience an allergic reaction if you take an olive leaf supplement.
Other Important Safety Information
Many other things go into using a supplement safely besides knowing what the side effects are. Some supplements can make medical conditions worse, interact with medications, or be unsafe to use for certain people. However, since olive leaf has not been studied very well so far, much of this safety information remains unknown. It isn’t known whether it’s safe to use olive leaf if you’re pregnant or lactating, so it is better to stay on the safe side and not use it during these periods of your life.
Despite olive leaf’s lack of comprehensive research, we can deduce from olive leaf’s effects which are the medications and medical conditions that don’t go well with olive leaf:
- Since olive leaf can decrease blood pressure, don’t take it in conjunction with any blood pressure medicines or if you already have hypotension.
- Since olive leaf can decrease blood sugar, don’t take this herb if you’re already taking insulin or other blood sugar medicines; also, don’t take olive leaf if you have type 1 diabetes or other problems with low blood sugar.
- Olive leaf may affect the rate of blood clotting. Don’t take it if you take a medication that also slows blood clotting.
Olive leaf could interact with other medications as well, but it is hard to say for sure. If you take any other medication, use caution when adding olive leaf to your regimen. If you notice any negative effect of taking olive leaf with a prescription medication, then stop taking olive leaf immediately.
How to Take Olive Leaf Supplements
There are various ways to take olive leaf. A common and easy way is to simply buy capsules containing either olive leaf extract or olive leaf powder. If you choose to take this route, just follow the directions on the label. It is not certain what is the best dosage of olive leaf, nor what is the highest dose you can take safely. However, 500 to 1000 milligrams daily is a common and well-tolerated dose.
Supplementing With Whole Olive Leaf
You can also opt to buy whole olive leaf. It is possible to purchase dried herbs in large quantities; dried herbs keep well and doing this may be more cost-effective than buying pre-made capsules. There are various ways you can reap the health benefits of whole olive leaf. You can chop it up and add it to Mediterranean recipes for an authentic flavor; when using it in cooking you should be sure to consume the entire leaf in order to get the health benefits. Using it like a bay leaf, i.e. adding it while the food is cooking but removing it before serving, may not confer the same health benefits.
Another possibility is to make olive leaf tea. Boil 1 cup of water; let it cool off for 3-5 minutes as too-hot water may destroy olive leaf’s healthful chemicals. Steep 1 tablespoon of chopped olive leaf in this hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink at least one cup per day.
What to Look For in a Good Olive Leaf Supplement
Shopping for olive leaf capsules is relatively intuitive. As with any product you’re looking to buy, you should be sure to only purchase from trustworthy companies. If you aren’t sure if a company is reputable, an Internet search could tell you. Customer reviews and your gut instinct can also help you pick the best supplement company to buy your olive leaf pills from.
The options for buying whole olive leaf are a little more interesting. Of course, you can buy whole herb on the internet. If you want to purchase whole olive leaf online, look up reviews for different herb sites in order to pick a trustworthy one. But, you can also buy olive leaf in stores. You might find especially high quality and affordable whole olive leaf in Mediterranean or international grocery stores, if there is one near you.
The post 10 Best Olive Leaf Supplements – Reviewed & Ranked for 2017 appeared first on Supplement Hound - Supplement Reviews for 2017.
from Supplement Hound – Supplement Reviews for 2017 http://supplementhound.com/best-olive-leaf-supplements/
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