If You Want to Beat Cancer, Maybe You're Eating the Wrong Part of the Olive Tree!

I love olives and I probably go through at least a jar per week. And I use a lot of olive oil, too. But it turns out the best part of the olive tree for beating cancer is something else altogether. Keep reading and I’ll explain...

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It’s not that olives lack for attention. The olive branch is a symbol of peace. Olive wood is valued in cabinet-making. Olive oil lowers blood pressure and decreases the risk of heart disease. Medical journalist Dr. Morton Walker has even called the olive tree one of man’s best friends, right up there with the domesticated dog.

If that sounds like too much praise, consider that people who live in the Mediterranean region have half the risk of cancer we suffer from in the U.S. … and they consume roughly 20 times more olive oil than Americans. Most observers think it’s no coincidence, and that’s one reason you (like most people concerned about good health) have probably heard about the Mediterranean diet.

Olive oil certainly has many health-delivering polyphenols, even though processing the olive fruit into oil tends to remove several of the active polyphenol properties.

But it’s the leaves that pack the most punch. The powdered extract of olive leaves outshines all the benefits I’ve just mentioned. Olive leaf extract is known to flat-out kill viruses and just about every other type of disease-causing organism. And besides killing microbes, the leaf extract boasts powerful anti-tumor properties. It can legitimately be seen as a cancer treatment – possibly an important one.

Why olive leaf extract deserves so much buzz

Medicinal use of the olive leaf dates back 6,000 years. Even Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” was known to prescribe concentrated olive leaf extract for a multitude of conditions. The benefits of olive leaf extract include the ability to:

That’s primarily because olive leaf extract is loaded with antioxidants that protect your body from nasty free radicals—the kind that promote disease and premature aging. Two olive leaf antioxidants worth noting are resveratrol – associated in most people’s minds with red wine -- and tyrosol. But the truly effective heroes of olive leaf extract are oleuropein and hydroxytrosol.

Hydroxytrosol itself can absorb free radicals at ten times the capacity of green tea, and 400 times the ability of vitamin C.

But oleuropein is the true champ. Among other things, this compound increases the formation of osteoblasts (thus lowering your risk for osteoporosis) and stimulates your thyroid, making it easier to shed unwanted pounds and skirt obesity-related health conditions. Even better, it has a drastic effect on cancer cells.

Oleuropein: A well-kept secret for fighting cancer

Oleuropein is the compound that creates the distinctive tangy, almost bitter flavor in extra virgin olive oils. This potent antioxidant is produced in abundance both in the leaves of the olive tree and in the olive fruit itself. Fortunately for us, a special processing technique makes it possible to extract a stable, standardized form of oleuropein—meaning you don’t have to consume large amounts of olive oil to enjoy the benefits of this substance.

Scientists have discovered that olive leaf extract stuns or kills off pathogens by interrupting their activity. And with pathogens (basically disease-causing agents) stopped dead in their tracks, the immune system is able to rebuild and take over.

In fact, an August 2003 issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications reported extreme tumor regression in mice after receiving oleuropein for between nine and 12 days.

Other studies show that oleuropein helps fight cancer formation at its earliest stages by significantly reducing free radicals. It also inhibits DNA damage that results from reactive oxygen species, i.e. free radicals. DNA damage is the first step in developing malignant cells.

Of course, don’t forget that olive extract supports your immune system, further improving your body’s ability to fight diseases like cancer.

Here are even more ways oleuropein helps fight cancer:

These claims are supported by several laboratory and animal studies that show oleuropein reduces the rate of occurrence and spread of certain cancers. These include breast, liver, bladder, brain, head and neck, prostate, and skin cancers, along with leukemia.

Easy to access with no side effects …

Another major bonus to olive leaf extract? No side effects.

You can get olive leaf extract in the form of capsules or tablets from health food stores. The higher the concentration of oleuropein, the more effective it’s believed to be.

Dr. Morton Walker, who wrote a book on the therapeutic benefits of olive leaf extract, recommends a concentration minimum of 6 percent. And most health professionals recommend taking one or two capsules daily that give you a total of 250 to 500 milligrams.

It’s always a good idea to consult with your own natural health practitioner about dosage. And keep in mind, you shouldn’t take olive leaf extract if you’re already taking antibiotics, statin drugs, diabetic drugs, or any fungus or mold medicines.

Also, never (or almost never) depend on just one cancer treatment. The great thing about alternative cancer treatments is that, with few exceptions, you can make use of a great many of them at once. Other than the pharmaceutical drugs just listed, as far as I know olive leaf extract can be combined with almost anything, with no risk of harm.

Kindest regards,

Lee Euler, Publisher

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