Meet olive oil, your new friend with benefits (1)

Last week, I shared a story corroborating the fact that part of the ways man knew about herbs was watching animal species create their pharmacies from ingredients in nature. Mrs Ajoke Toheerah Amure, the CEO of plant 2 wellness has something to tell us.

She said she once read somewhere that one of the ways our forebears knew about herbal compositions and their uses, despite the fact that they did not have access to scientific research, was through animals.

For example, horny goat weed earned its name when a Chinese goat herder realised his animals were more sexually active after eating the plant. She went further to say that she had an experience which convinced her further. She said there was a Spondias mombin tree (iyeye) around her house, and that sometimes an elderly man came to cut some of the leaves and flowers. She told me that out of curiosity, she asked the man questions and he told her that the plant was meant to feed his goats that just had kids (the birthing process in goats is called kidding).

She said she went further to ask why he chose that particular plant and the elderly man said he observed his goats love eating the Spondias leaves after kidding. She said she was amazed because Spondias mombin is traditionally used to treat postpartum infections and cleanse the womb after a miscarriage. So, this is a pointer that the goats knew exactly what they needed to treat themselves.

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While on medicinal plants series, I discussed Spondias mombin. This is another confirmation that animals play a major role in the discovery of some of the ethnobotanical claims passed down to us by our forebears.

This week, in our visit to nature’s pharmacy, we shall talk about olive oil. It is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives. Extra virgin olive oil is a great source of antioxidants, which are compounds that help in fighting inflammation and chronic diseases. The oil’s main antioxidants include the anti-inflammatory oleocanthal as well as oleuropein.

In addition to its impressive antioxidant content, extra virgin olive oil is loaded with monounsaturated fatty acids, a type of healthy fat that has been linked to several benefits. In particular, research suggests that monounsaturated fatty acids could benefit heart health and may even help protect against heart disease. It also contains a good amount of vitamins E and K in each serving.

Olive oil, also called the ‘Elixir of the youth and health’ by the Ancient Greeks, is a cornerstone in the Mediterranean diet. It is no coincidence that Mediterranean populations tend to live longer and suffer less heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes. This observation has inspired great interest in the Mediterranean diet, particularly olive oil, one of its main components.

Homer, the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, referred to olive oil as ‘liquid gold’. Hippocrates, the physician known as the father of Western medicine, called it ‘the great healer’ and prescribed it for 60 medical conditions. Dioscorides, another doctor, was one of the first to recognise that the healthiest olive oil was the fresh oil extracted from certain varieties of unripe olives – a fact already confirmed by scientists, whose studies have also added to the long list of olive oil’s health benefits.

It is commonly used in cooking and salad dressings. It can also be found in some cosmetics, soaps, pharmaceuticals and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It is a natural and safe lubricant and can be used to lubricate kitchen machinery (grinders, blenders, cookware etc). It also has additional uses in some religions. Regular olive oil goes through heating to extract the oil and it is refined while extra virgin olive oil, also known as EVOO, is cold-pressed and left unrefined. It (Extra virgin olive oil) is usually stronger in flavour and darker in colour than regular olive oil.

Drinking olive oil straight may sound like an eccentric health fad, but the truth is, many in Mediterranean countries, where drinking it is a long-standing practice, swear by the practice as an elixir of health. In the US, it seems it is becoming a trend because some celebrities swear that extra virgin olive oil is the key to their health. Goldie Hawn drinks two tablespoons of olive oil before bed and uses it to massage her face to keep her skin looking young and healthy. Kourtney Kardashian drinks a tablespoon of olive oil every other day, according to her website, Poosh, where she extols the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil. Dr Drew Ramsey, clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, believes that the best way to enjoy olive oil’s health benefits is simply by drinking a shot glass. He convinced Carson Daly on the Today show to drink a shot of extra virgin olive oil while Savannah Guthrie and Hota Kotb looked on.

Selena Gomez reportedly drinks a small glass of olive oil before going on stage – a trick that she learned from Kelly Clarkson. Screenwriter and producer, Shonda Rhimes, credits Beyonce for her new habit of drinking olive oil daily. Beyonce enjoys drinking extra virgin olive oil so much that she even invested in an olive oil company that sells their oil with a small shot glass to allow you to savour the flavour of the oil.

Drinking it may relieve constipation. Multiple studies have found that consuming olive oil works as a stool softener. It can soothe an upset stomach, reduce gas and heartburn. Even though olive oil is calorie-dense, it has been found to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar. Finally, drinking olive oil allows you to really taste the olive oil, it lets the flavour really shine in your mouth.

Let us see some of the benefits:

Olive oil contains large amounts of antioxidants; it has strong anti-inflammatory properties; it may help prevent strokes; it is protective against heart diseases; it is not associated with weight gain; it may fight against Alzheimer’s disease; it may reduce Type 2 diabetes risk; the antioxidants in it has anti-cancer properties; the oil has antibacterial properties; and it can help treat rheumatoid arthritis.

A study titled ‘Consumption of extra virgin olive oil improves body composition and blood pressure in women with excess body fat: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial’ by Cândido et al concludes that extra virgin olive oil consumption reduced body fat and improved blood pressure. Results indicate that EVOO should be included into energy-restricted programmes for obesity treatment.

A study titled ‘Role of monoaminergic system in the etiology of olive oil induced antidepressant and anxiolytic effects in rats’ by Tahira Perveen et al supported the use of olive oil as food supplementation for mood elevation.

There is a lot of fraud in the olive oil market. Many oils that read ‘extra virgin’ on the label have been diluted with other refined oils. I will guide you on what to look out for to identify a good Olive oil brand.