Written by Amanda Adams and published in Q- News (No 330- April 2001 Muharram 1422)

Blessed shade: the Olive tree

Mentioned in the Quran and Hadith the evergreen tree of the genus Olea is traditionally believed to have outstanding properties.

    Throughout history, the olive has been a symbol of peace and of life’s bounty, the subject of mythology, a source of light and the very flavour of the Mediterranean.

    The olive tree (Latin name: Olea europa) is remarkable, since it can continue to bear fruit for a thousand years or more. It is an evergreen tree growing to 10m (30ft). It has a deeply grooved grey trunk, small leathery leaves, clusters of small greenish white flowers and a green fruit ripening to black. Olive trees grow wild in the Mediterranean region, the leaves may be gathered throughout the year and the fruit in late summer.

    The olive (zaytoun in Arabic) is mentioned in the Quran several times: 6:99, 6:141, 16:11, 23:20, 24:35, 95:1, for its use as a food, medicine and as a blessed tree.

“. . . we grow for you. . . A tree springing our of Mount Sinai, which produces oil, and relish for those who use it for food. . .“
            [The Believers: 23: 19- 20]

“. . . a blessed Tree, An Olive, neither of the East not the West, whose oil is well- nigh luminous”
            [The Light: 24: 35]

    The mentioning of East and West in this particular ayah is interpreted to mean that a tree in the open plain or on a hill will get perpetual sunshine by day, both from the East and West, thereby making it more mature and providing a fruit and oil of superior quality. Pure olive oil is indeed beautiful in colour, consistency and has illuminating power.

    Our dependence on plants is remarkable; despite human mastery over technology, we cannot create our own food. There is really no clear boundary between plants as food and as medicine. Both are used to keep our bodies performing properly. In olive tree we have the example of a delicious fruit which produces the most nutritious of all vegetable oils, olive leaves which have medicinal properties and a wood which is very hard and can be used for carving, cabinetwork, fuel and charcoal.

Olives

    Olives can be found in many varieties of differing colours ranging from green to black. They provide a reasonable amount of vitamin E, a little fibre and a high percentage of mono- unsaturated oils. Plucked from the tree, at any stage of ripeness, the olive is acrid and inedible because of the glucoside that is abundant in its flesh. It is unknown how man discovered that leaching makes the olive edible. However, the different curing techniques that are used provide us with many different olives and an incredible choice in flavours.

    Although there is little reference to the fruit of the olive tree being used medicinally today, Prophetic medicine reports that the liquid of the salty olives prevents blistering of burns and strengthens the gums.

Olive Leaves

    Olive leaves are widely known within Herbal medicine for their medicinal properties and can be gathered at any time of the year for preparation into extracts. Olive leaves contain oleasterol, leine and olearopine which is powerfully antibacterial and antiviral.

    Prophetic medicine relates that chewing the leaves from an olive tree is very good for thrush, ulcers, herpetic eruptions, and urinary tract infections. It is also reported that its leaves are beneficial for erysipelas (a streptococcal infection of the skin) and itching, foul ulcers and skin eruptions, and to prevent sweating.

    Recent clinical trials have confirmed that olive leaves lower blood pressure and research has proven that they help to improve the function of the circulatory system. The leaves are also mildly diuretic and may be used to treat conditions such as Cystitis. They have even been used in some cases of Diabetes to lower blood sugar levels and in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Leaf extracts can be used for the treatment of nervous tension. A tea can be brewed from the leaves which is strong and bitter but can help to reduce blood pressure and increase natural immunity.

Olive Oil

    Olive oil has a place both in the British and USA Pharmacoepias which give prime importance to its use as a treatment for various ailments and have fixed standard parameters to evaluate its purity.

    In 1996 it was reported that the average yearly production was approximately 9,000,000 tonnes. Interestingly, 25 years ago, olive oil was only sold in chemists in the UK. However, sales of olive oil in the UK have now increased by six times in the last 10 years and this can be noticed by the wide selection now available in our shops.

    Olive oil has been used within Prophetic medicine for many ailments and diseases. The Prophet refers in Hadith to its use for curing Haemorrhoids (piles), skin diseases, Pleurisy and Leprosy. Hazrath Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet stated,

    “Eat the olive oil and apply it, since there is cure for seventy diseases in it, one of them is Leprosy.”

    (Abu Naim)

    It has been reported in Prophetic medicine for many other purposes including its use as a balm, to fortify the hair and the limbs, and to delay old age. Drinking the oil has been said to be beneficial in cases of poisoning. It was used to keep the bowels on the move, to soothe pains and to expel worms. The characteristic of olive oil corresponds to the type of olives from which it comes. All of its types soften the skin and delay whitening of the hair. It is a tradition that shaytan does not approach anyone who anoints himself with olive oil.

    Nutritionists nowadays highly recommend olive oil as a nourishing food which improves the balance of fats within the blood. Studies have shown that, on diets rich in olive oil, volunteers showed marked reductions in their blood cholesterol.

    Furthermore, consuming olive oil in the diet has been shown to reduce the risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis. In the press we are constantly bombarded by dietary recommendations, and one of these has been the advice to reduce fat in our diet in order to protect against high cholesterol. A build up of cholesterol in the artery walls reduces the diameter of the channel used by the blood to transport nutrients around the body. More pressure is required to force the blood through , which interferes with its free flow. Problems arise and the real crisis is a heart attack, stroke of blood clots.

    Yet, this message by the media to reduce fat in our diet is misleading and confusing. What we actually need to be doing is eating the right type of fats such as olive oil which can actually help to reduce these risks by keeping the cholesterol level down. This is mostly due to its high level of monostruated fatty acids (73.7%) rather than the saturated and animal fats which are the ones that increase cholesterol.

    A further benefit of olive oil is the presence of antioxidants which fight off free radicals which can cause arteries to clog, overload the immune system and, it is thought, contribute to the growth of cancer cells.

    Further benefits of olive oil are on the digestive system. It reduces the severity of ulcers, has a positive effect on the gallbladder and prevents constipation. A traditional use is to take it with lemon juice to treat gallstones. Experiments have shown that development of cerebral tissue in babies is superior where the babies are fed on mother’s milk in which the mother’s diet contained olive oil.

    Olive oil can be used at home as a simple remedy for various ailments. For example, it makes an excellent treatment for dry hair and a flaky scalp. This can be done by warming some oil in a bowl of hot water, massaging it into the hair, then wrapping the head in a towel, and leaving for an hour before shampooing. In new born babies, a common condition is Cradle Cap. This can be helped by applying olive oil 1- 2 times daily to the affected area. The appearance of stretch marks may be reduced by massaging olive oil firmly into the skin 1- 2 times daily. Olive oil warmed in a teaspoon and dripped into the ear is used to soften ear wax. It is also a useful base for adding essential oils for massage. For general health taking 1- 2 tablespoons daily, mixed with food would be an acceptable dosage.

    In Herbal Medicine, olive oil is commonly used as a carrier for herbs. An example would be an infused oil made with Marigold flowers (Latin name: Calendula) to produce a topical treatment with antiseptic properties. Calendula cream has valuable use for wound healing in first aid situations and is available inmost health food stores. Myrrh, another gift from Allah, and with even stronger antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal properties can be added to olive oil for topical application to wounds and fungal skin conditions.

    The finest oil is Extra Virgin and is pressed without using heat or chemical solvents. It has the lowest percentage of acidity (about 1%) and therefore the best flavour. As a salad dressing, Extra Virgin first (cold) pressed olive oil is ideal, but for frying, the best grades are not necessary required. Olive oil has a high smoke point of 210°C compared with butter at 110ºC which makes it a much more preferable choice for cooking. Many other oils, especially those made from seeds and animal fats, become oxidised when used to fry foods.

    This process produces toxic compounds that can adversely affect body organs. Olive oil, because of its higher natural antioxidant content does not oxidise as much as the other cooking oils and can be used to fry foods at higher temperatures. It is important to store olive oil in a cool dark place to stop it going rancid.

    By processing the oil, other ingredients can be produced for specific uses. The unsaponifiable and triglyceride fractions of olive husk oil can give a soft, waxy, solid by product that can be used in toilet soaps. It is also useful in non- animal products as a substitute for lanolin. If just the unsaponifiable fraction is used it produces an active moisturising oil which contains 65- 75% squalene, a key constituent of the lipids present in the surface of the skin.

    As a naturally derived plant oil, it is rapidly absorbed by the skin and makes a good emollient, hydrating and sebum restoring oil. It is a flavoured ingredient in lipsticks and protective lip balms to prevent chapping in adverse weather conditions such as severe cold or hot sun. Other olive oil derivatives can be used for shampoos, conditioners and liquid soaps.

    Recipes can be found in old herbals that show its use through out history as cosmetics such as foundation creams, in baby oils, for hair treatments. Olive oil has, in the past, had other uses such as for lighting, as lubricants and for heating.

    The above examples of the products of the olive tree have clearly shown again how nature gives us the nutrients to grow and reproduce as well as the medicines to cure our diseases. All our knowledge about the medicinal value of trees and plants show that they are profoundly valuable. To ignore them is to waste a prime natural resource.

    In fact, even though we may not realise it, olive oil plays a huge part in our lives. It appears in soaps, toiletries, creams, lotions, shampoos and conditioners for the hair and the skin. It stands boldly on our supermarket shelves even though it is not produced in the UK and is fast becoming a large part of our diet.

    We eat it in salad dressings, soups, stews, casseroles, bread and biscuits. It is found in the shops, kitchens, restaurants, bathroom cupboards, on dining tables and in medicine cabinets.

    And as time goes on, discoveries of its health benefits are backed more and more by science, adding to its great religious and historical tradition.