The beautiful and Majestic Olive Tree

I am surrounded by the most beautiful olive trees, which you can see from my photos, in this post. I love to sit in my truck and look out the door at the trees that surround my home. These olive trees are over 500 years old and I feel held by them. How lucky I am to share land with them.

My children love to climb them and I love to sit beneath them. They have provided us with the best shade in the summer time and when you leave this land and walk out to the track, the temperature is a good 5 degrees hotter. There are also numerous birds that live in them and I really love to hear them every morning.

Before coming here, I always imagined Olive trees to be more shrub like, of course that is the manicured version we see, the ones that are kept short so that it is easier to harvest the olives for their oil. These trees produce amazing quality oil, but as they have been left to go wild, to grow naturally, it is hard work to get the olives. But oh they are so majestic, so grand and oh so medicinal.

I live in the Alpujarra mountain Range, in the Sierra Nevada in Spain, where the olive tree is native and is widely cultivated. There are some wild trees around, but mostly they are tended for their oil. I really feel lucky to live on land where they have been allowed to grow freely and majestically.

It is quite common around these parts to drink olive leaf tea as it is really good to ward off colds and flu's and also to relieve the symptoms of both. Why, because the leaf has five times (a whopping 400%) more antioxidant power than the equivalent amount of Vitamin C, which makes it a great immune booster and obvious remedy for the winter time.
Olive leaf is also anti-fungal and has been used to kill oft lots of different times of bacteria and fungal infections, from E-Coli to athlete's foot and candida. The Olive leaf is also used to reduce fevers

Olive Leaf Tea

It is best to make a large batch of tea, with a ratio of 30g of leaf to 1 litre of water. You boil until it has been reduced to half it's size, the leaves are very tough so they do need to be boiled with the water. You can drink it hot or let it cool and drink with some lemon, in the morning and evening.

Something that I did not realize is that the leaves contain a compound called Oleuropein, which is a very is a potent antioxidant that lowers blood pressure naturally and prevents cardiovascular disease. So here I am surrounded by a tree that works on the heart.

Olive Leaf also can be used to treat diabetes as it helps lower the blood sugar in the body (hypoglycaemic ) and also helps to regulate/control the body's glucose levels.

There is evidence to suggest the Olive Leaf could provide a natural alternative for diabetes. Researchers from the University of Auckland have discovered extract of this leaf has the ability to decrease insulin resistance and increase the production of insulin by the pancreas.
In a randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical study, the researchers found that the olive leaf extract lowered insulin resistance by an average of 15% and increased the productivity of the pancreas’ beta cells – which produce insulin – by 28%.
https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/olive-leaf

Olive leaf has also been used to treat cancer as it stops the angiogenic process, which stimulates the growth of tumors. This same compound oleuropein, that woks to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels, has an antioxidant and anti-angiogenic effect that inhibits the reproduction and prevents the spread of tumor cells.

A 2009 study conducted in Greece showed, for the first time, that olive leaf extracts have strong antioxidant potency and inhibit cancer and endothelial cell reproduction. Olive leaf extracts slowed the growth of cells associated with breast cancer, urinary bladder cancer and brain cancer.
https://draxe.com/olive-leaf-benefits/

As well as all the above, olive leaf has also been used to treat the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Because it is such a strong antioxidant it helps to fight the effect of free radicals, which have been linked to both of these diseases. It is best to take olive leaf extract for more serious conditions.

The flower is one of Bach's Seven Helpers

Those who have suffered much mentally or physically and are so exhausted and weary that they feel that they have no more strength to make any effort. Daily life is hard work for them, without pleasure.

There are also numerous medicinal benefits of the oil also. Of course we all now that olive oil is one of the best to use for cooking as it is rich in unsaturated fats. The oil is also really good in the treatment of skin problems, as it is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, my hands are always super soft after harvesting the olives. The oil is also great for treating earache, here you just need to heat the oil gently and use a dropper bottle and put 2 drops in the ear and also a little to massage around the ear. The oil is also great for maintaining a healthy heart. You can see why I am so happy to be surrounded by these trees.

The bark of the olive tree, is good for treating Haemorrhoids, you need to make a decoction of 30g of bark in 1 litre of water and apply it 3 times daily. You can also make a tea of the bark and leaves to help bring down fevers and to aid in the treatment of chronic fatigue and allergies. This is one tree that just keeps on giving.

The Sweet Sweet Carob

I don't have a photo of a local Carob tree, although their are some around (and the above is one that I found online from Spain). I do however consume carob almost daily. Me and my girls have it most mornings especially in the winter with our porridge. When I was pregnant and living in Ireland, I began taking it as I found out that it contains high levels of Calcium and Magnesium, just what every mum to be needs to increase in their diet. And now here I am living where it grows, getting to eat it straight from the pod if I so please.

I love carob, as well as it being delicious and highly nutritious, the tree is oh so good for the soil as it is a legume and rich in nitrogen. What a perfect tree to have in your food forest, it's a win win really for you and the soil. But back to it's amazing medicinal values.

Because of it's high levels of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous it is being used successfully to treat osteoporosis. It is also helpful in Lowering blood cholesterol levels, as it contains polyphenols. It is high in dietary fiber which is really great for good digestion and since the type of fiber is insoluble, it is really beneficial in the treatment of diarrhea.

And something I only discovered recently is that it can be used to prevent against cancer.

The polyphenolic content of carob makes it an ideal antioxidant, and carob germ flour, another byproduct of this useful plant, has been directly associated with cytotoxic activity in the body. This means that it is toxic to some cells, but luckily, carob has shown a penchant for being toxic to cancer cells, particularly those related to cervical cancer. That, combined with the antioxidant activity of polyphenols which scavenge dangerous free radicals from throughout the body and prevent cancer, and other diseases, makes this food a very beneficial addition to your lines of defense against cancer!
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/health-benefits-of-carob.html

Because of the presence of Lignans in Carob, (The lignans are a large group of polyphenols found in plants) it has antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, as well as anticholesterol, antidiabetes and antioxidant properties. Lignan's are also a phytoestrogens which means that carob can be used as a oestrogen replacement after menopause. It is also an alkalizing food, which really is so important in today's diet. Just how amazing is the Carob, of course it is also used as a healthier substitute for cacao , being caffeine free. The best way to take carob is in power form and just add it to your breakfast, smoothie or in baking. It is really good in bread as well. I really love it as it is so versatile and oh so sweet.

There are many other plants and trees I could have talked, but for me the Olive Tree comes out tops as I am surrounded by them and secondly the carob as I take is almost everyday. But I only have to step out of my truck to be welcomed by Aloe Vera, Plantain, Fennel, Rosemary, Thyme, Mullein, the list goes on. All of these amazing plants that grow around me, just make me feel so lucky and so blessed. Because everything we need nature provides.

This post is for the @naturalmedicine, COLLECTIVE WISDOM CHALLENGE.
Please check out some of the other entries for some amazing natural medicine wisdom.

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