Olive Oil

Olivae oleum

Olive oil, apart from its role as an extraction agent, also has a healing effect. Olive oil is obtained by cold pressing from the pericarp of an unripe olive fruit. The olive fruit is a round or oblong drupe, dark purple in color. The pericarp of the fruit contains 40-60%, and the seed kernel 12-15% of oil. The world’s largest producers of olives are Spain, Italy, Greece and Israel.

Olive oil is a clear, yellow liquid with a pleasant taste and smell. The oil obtained from ripe olive fruits is of lower quality and darker in color, and glycerides of oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids dominate in that oil.

Olive oil has many health benefits, especially for the digestive tract. It is used as an auxiliary therapy in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Some studies have proven that it also exhibits antitumor activity, as well as that it has a positive effect on the intestinal microbiota. In addition to all of the above, olive oil is an excellent cholagogue (stimulates the secretion of bile) and is used as a means to improve food digestion.

References

Effects of Olive Oil and Its Components on Intestinal Inflammation and Inflammatory Bowel Disease