Nature's Remedies - Olive Tree

It is no secret that we hold the olive tree in great reverence and close to our heart, particularly in our middle eastern part of the world. The olive tree is known as the "Blessed Tree" and the "Tree of Life", and has been a symbol for peace, wisdom, fertility and purity. Sayings attributed to the prophet (pbuh) recommend massaging with olive oil for "in it there is a cure for seventy diseases one of which is leprosy".
Remember that 95 year old Jordanian farmer, who was interviewed on tv for getting married again? He said he drank a cup of olive oil every day!!

We are probably more familiar with the fruit of the olive tree and it's oil than we are with the rest of the tree. I won't go over the common benefits of olives and olive oil, but focus on some of the more unexpected benefits and bizarre treatments.

Small amounts of olive oil daily (around 2 Tbs.), ingested internally and applied externally has been known to speedily cure hemorrhoids, anal fissures, gall stones, kidney stones, gastrointestinal ulcers. It reduces risk of heart disease and in one study on rats it greatly reduced the occurrence of colon cancer, as it was found to reduce oxidative damage to DNA and RNA.


Olive Leaf

We don't normally use the olive tree leaf, despite it being medicinally well known and used in more ancient times. It has recently come into attention with several studies done on olive leaf extract benefits.

Olive leaf is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, enhances the immune system, and it contains elenolic acid which, a Dutch researcher discovered, reduces the growth and replication of viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens in the body.

Drinking olive leaf tea prevents food cravings, treats metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and reduces weight.

It can fight any viral, bacterial, or fungal infection. This translates into the treatment of a huge variety of ailments caused by pathogens from the inside out. In fact, it is hailed most for its antiviral properties and in treating conditions like herpes, shingles, and Ebstein-Barr disease.

It also reduces blood pressure, reduces psoriasis, and treats acne.

No studies have been done on safety for pregnant or nursing women. Some people experience Herxheimers reaction, a detoxification reaction and not a counteraction to the olive leaf. Symptoms include greater fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, muscle/joint aches or flu-like symptoms and are dealt with by drinking plenty of water and temporarily cuting back on the amount taken.


Oil Pulling

A bizarre treatment originating from India and Ayurvedic medicine is known as oil pulling. It's originally was meant to be used with sunflower or sesame seed oil, but people have reported great success with olive oil. The idea is to draw toxins, bacteria, and pathogens which dissolve in the oil from the mouth and saliva, and subsequently from the rest of the body.
Every morning, before eating or drinking, place 1 Tbs. of oil in your mouth. Proceed to slowly swish, chomp, force through your teeth for at least ten minutes before spitting it out. It should be thin, white, and foamy otherwise you're spitting out too soon.
Warning: DO NOT gargle the oil in your throat or swallow it as it will be filled with pathogens and bacteria.

So what does this cure? Apparently everything. People have said it has cured their cavities, sores, acne, wrinkles, lung infections, allergies, nerve pain, muscle pain, joint pain, better color vision, depression, hair grew back on a bald spot, cracked heal, keratosis on upper arms, bloating, PMS, insomnia, pulmonary fibrosis, whitened teeth, dark circles, ear infections, looked ten year younger and so on and so forth until I've pretty much read the name every ailment in existence. If you have it, this probably treats it.

I'm actually thinking of trying this for a bit to see if I can get rid of the keratosis pillaris on my arms (it's a benign genetic condition present in 40% of all adults, and 50-80% of adolescents where the extra keratin in the skin plugs pores around hair follicles and results in bumby skin).


Lastly, I want to mention a really amazing website. It's a community run site of ailments and natural remedies, with people posting their fixes and each remedy getting a number of Yeas or Nays so you know how dependable it is. It's easily and clearly organized so you quickly find what you need. I've learned so much from it, and it has actually helped me treat a wart last year in a matter of days, and a cold sore this week (usually takes 2 weeks, but it was gone in 3 days!!). Also, that seemingly incurable rash on my leg (which the dermatologist told me was either psoriasis or lichen planus)? Well, the good people with psoriasis on the site recommended drinking apple cider vinegar tonic daily. I did that yesterday, and again today, and after only 2 times, it's looking better than it's ever looked (even when I was trying steroid creams). Honestly! Sometimes, who needs doctors! Try it.

www.earthclinic.com