Olive leaf cut & sifted
Olive leaf cut & sifted
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Olive leaf
Olea europaea
Olive leaf is an herb that comes from the same Mediterranean tree from which olive oil is produced. Like the oil, the leaf contains antioxidant compounds. Of particular interest is a chemical called oleuropein, which is the same antioxidant polyphenol responsible for the tangy, slightly bitter taste of good quality olive oil. The whole herb is tinctured or used to make tea, usually in combination with other herbs to enhance flavor. Powdered olive leaf is encapsulated as a dietary supplement, used as an ingredient in cosmetics and other topical preparations, or is used as a seasoning and food additive.
a bit of botany
a little botanical information on olive
description
Olea europaea, is an evergreen tree or shrub of the Oleaceae family. It is a short and squat plant that rarely exceeds 8–15 m (26–49 ft) in height. There is an exception to this in the Pisciottana, a unique variety comprising 40,000 trees found only in the area around Pisciotta in the Campania region of southern Italy. These trees often exceed 8–15 m (26–49 ft) with correspondingly large trunk diameters.
The silvery green leaves are oblong, measuring 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) long and 1–3 cm (0.39–1.2 in) wide. The trunk is typically gnarled and twisted. The small white, feathery flowers, with ten-cleft calyx and corolla, two stamens and bifid stigma, are borne generally on the previous year's wood, in racemes springing from the axils of the leaves. The fruit is a small drupe 1–2.5 cm (0.39–0.98 in) long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than in orchard cultivars.
common names & nomenclature
The Latin name Olea europaea translates to "oil of Europe". The name of the olive relates to the word "oil" in many languages.
Also known as:
olive leaf, olive
The antioxidant value of olive oil, which is extracted from the fruit of the tree, is well established. Olive leaf also has antioxidant activity. In fact, the herb is known to contain more than 20 phenolic antioxidant compounds.
Cut and sifted Olive leaf herb contains the same antioxidant compounds as olive oil, most notably oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol. It is commonly used for making infusions, teas or as a seasoning.
Cut and sifted olive leaf is used in herbal tea blends. The herb may also be tinctured.
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