OLIVE fruit & Oil - Nutrient, help gastric and duodenal ulcers, treating of Renal failure, soften the Skin crusts in eczema and psoriasis.

HEALTH BENEFITS - FROM OLIVE

(OLEA EUROPAEA LINN.)

OLIVE :  (OLEA EUROPAEA LINN.)

COMMON NAMES of Olive

Olive (Eng., Fr., Ger.)

Zait (Arab.)

Zaitun (Arab., Pers., Punj., Hindi, Urdu)

Oliva (Russ., Lat., It.)

Uliva (It.) 

Olivo (Sp.)

Elia (Gr.)

Zayit (Herb.)

BOTANICAL NAME  : Olea europaea Linn. (Family : Oleaceae)

Parts used : Oil of the Fruit, Leaves and bark.

System Affected : Digestive.

Specific Action : Emolient, gastrotonic, appetizer and astringent.

HISTORY

It is cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region, but the chief areas of cultivation are Spain, Italy, Turkey, Tunesia and Morocco. according to an estimate there were at least 200 million Olive trees in Spain and 123 million in Italy in 1964.

Olive tree was considered as a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. The victorious in war and friendly games were crowned with the leaves of Olive. Olive is not a tall tree. It hardly goes upto 6 metres in hight. It is believed that Olive originated in Phoenicia where it was domasticated around 2000 B.C., and from Phoenicia the Olive brought to the West i.e. Europe and Africa and to the East i.e. Afghanistan and Iran. 

Olive is cultivated through grafting as the ungrafted plants yield tasteless fruits. Olive fruits are oval shaped and 2 to 3 cm in length. On an average, 10 to 20 kgs. of  fruits are produced by a single tree. The pilp of fruit is the source of the finest quality of fixed oil, 15 percent or more in yield. The oil is obtained through expression. The very first crushing gives the best grade oh the oil which does not need any refining. The major constituents of this non-drying oil is Oleic acid (80%) with small amounts of palmitic, stearic, linoleic, archidic and myristic acids. from the residue after the first crushing, inedible oil is extract which is commercially known as sulphur-oil or Sausa-oil widely used for soap making.

Edible oil is an great demand in Europe as a table oil for Salads etc. The can be consumed as such without cooking, in the olden days. Arab soldiers during their fighting expeditions were supplied bread and Olive oil or honey for their meals. This saved their time in cooking the food and relished taking bread with uncooked oil or honey. 

The total world production of Olive oil is around 20 million metric tonnes. Italy and Spain are the main suppliers of this oil in the world market. In India there is hardly any cultivation worth its name but recently, experimental cultivation has been started in the hilly areas of Central India.

MEDICAL PROPERTIES

• Olive oil is great medicinal value. When taken internally, it acts as a nutrient, demulcent and a mild purgative. 
• It helps the patient with gastric and duodenal ulcers.
• It is also given as a nitrogen free diet during the treatment of renal failures.
• Olive oil is an emollient and its external application softens the skin and crusts in eczema and psoriasis.
• It is also good oil for massage and is an important ingredient of many ointments and plasters. 
• The unripe Olive fruits are bitter in taste and are used for pickles and chutney. 

Olive is a very useful fuel for lamps. The good quality cream coloured Oilve oil is so clear and transparent, sometimes with a greenish tinge, that when put in a glass container it gives the impression of a very bright object and when lighted in a lamp, it adds to the brightness all around. The quality of the oil is described as the nur-un-Ala-Nur (Arabic) meaning ' Lights all around'.

The dove bird with Olive branch in its beak has become a universal symbol of Peace and Unity. This symbol originated in the story of Noah's Ark. According to the story, when God's twig in its beak, signifying relief and peace.

Note : The information given is meant for educational purpose only.

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About G A Moinuddin

Ahmed Moinuddin retired from his position as HR Manager in a top Indian Public Sector Organization. He holds Masters in Sciences and has versatile experience in managing people and departments. His passion is to share knowledge from the bucket of experiences he had over these years at personal and professional front.