Olive Leaf: the natural mama’s favorite herb!

Want to know about one of my favorite herbs as a mama with littles?

I was introduced to olive leaf by my midwife in 2010- around the time our fourth child was born.

It has since been a staple in my “medicine” cabinet.  And for good reason!

Olive leaf is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant, and has powerful anti-microbial, anti-fungal,  anti-parasitic, and anti-inflammatory properties.

It is highly effective in fighting disease, killing off yeast and parasites, building the immune system, lowering blood pressure, promoting cardiovascular health, and fighting free radical damage.  Its antioxidant capacity is almost double green tea extract and 400% higher than vitamin C!

Surprisingly, this potent herb is very mild in flavor and can be safely consumed by children, babies, and pregnant and lactating women.  It is truly an herb to benefit all stages and ages of life!

Our family has used olive leaf in the following ways, with excellent results:

• As a cleanse
• To boost immunity
• As an anti-parasitic
• As a tea during colds or illness
• Following an olive leaf “cleanse” last year, one of our children suddenly stopped wetting the bed. I’m not sure what the connection is here, unless the bed wetting had been caused from a yeast problem. We had tried everything for several years and nothing worked; after a two week olive leaf cleanse, the night time “accidents” suddenly disappeared.

Olive leaf is an excellent “boost” during illness, but is mild enough to be enjoyed on a daily basis as a “maintenance” supplement.  We enjoy the leaves mixed with other teas, such as peppermint, for added flavor.

My favorite way to use olive leaf is as a tea or in tincture form.

I used to buy the herb in bulk and make my own tincture, but these days I prefer to purchase a quality herbal tincture, like this one from Mountain Meadow Herbs.

I recommend olive leaf for every natural mama’s medicine cabinet!

This post was originally written and published on this site on January 12, 2011.