Why fresh olive leaf extract is better than dried

Why choose fresh olive leaf extract?

Learn why fresh olive leaf extract is better than dried - and many times more potent than other forms of antioxidants too. 

The saying ‘fresh is best’ is never truer than in nature. Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, fresh seafood: all are at their most nutrient-rich when freshly plucked from a branch, a plant, the earth or the sea. It’s the same with olive leaf extract.

At Olive Life, we use only fresh-pickedᵀᴹ leaves in our olive leaf extract - and NEVER dried leaves or reconstituted powders. Why? Because after many years of research, science has shown us what nature already knows - that fresh is best.¹

Read on to see how fresh olive leaf extract stacks up over dried leaf as well as several other popular natural antioxidants, including vitamin C... 

How does olive leaf extract made with fresh leaves compare to dried leaves?

Extremely well actually. A 2005 study conducted by Australia's Southern Cross University¹ compared olive leaf extract made with fresh leaves with olive leaf extract made with dried olive leaves. 

When it comes to fresh versus dried, there's no comparison - with fresh leaf olive leaf extract coming in at a whopping 6 times higher antioxidant activity than olive leaf extract made from dried olive leaf.

What’s the reason for this huge difference? Well, drying, preserving or storing olive leaves causes deterioration of the polyphenol compounds in leaves and reduces the high levels of oleuropein in the final product.

The combination of fresh-pickedᵀᴹ leaves combined with our gentle water extraction method means that our olive leaf extract retains a balanced, synergistic combination of antioxidant and protective compounds found naturally in the fresh leaf.  

Olive Leaf Extract is more potent than other natural antioxidants too

Green tea extract (camellia sinensis) has long been well regarded for its antioxidant properties thanks to its powerful green tea polyphenols (plant-based antioxidants). However, our fresh-pickedᵀᴹ olive leaf extract’s antioxidant activity is considerably higher than green tea – almost double, in fact.

What’s more, Olive Lifeᵀᴹ Olive Leaf Extract contains up to five times more antioxidant power than that famous immune booster, vitamin C. Which suggests that, like Vitamin C, freshly picked olive leaf extract can be used to support everyday wellbeing, immunity and vitality too.⁷

It’s also around ten timestwo times higher than grape seed extract, which (like olive leaf extract), has been shown in several studies to support cardiovascular health and cholesterol levels.⁸,⁹ 

Olive Leaf extract versus extra virgin olive oil

The positive comparisons don’t stop there. Most of us know that extra virgin olive oil is good for us thanks to their powerful antioxidant polyphenols. However, what you may not know is that fresh olive leaves contain much higher concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols than olive oil or fruit - around 60 times as much! ¹⁰⁻¹²

The ‘super-phenols’ and real heroes of olive leaf extract are - oleuropein and its derivative, hydroxytyrosol. Oleuropein is a naturally occurring, plant compound that’s chock-full of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other bioactive properties – and is thought to play a huge role in olive leaf extract’s protective qualities.¹⁰⁻¹²

In the case of Olive Life, every capsule or 25mg spoonful contains a super-charged dose of 136mg of oleuropein, as well as other natural flavonoids and polyphenols found within fresh olive leaves to support cardiovascular health and general wellbeing.²⁻⁷

That’s the equivalent of 50 table spoonfuls of good quality extra virgin olive oil, but it’s a whole lot easier to take!  

How is our olive leaf extract made?

While many olive leaf extract formulations are made from dried leaves or reconstituted powders, that’s not for us. No way.
Olive Lifeᵀᴹ is made from only fresh-pickedᵀᴹ leaves sustainably grown on our own olive farms in Australia.

Our pickers are up early – before dawn - to harvest our leaves when they’re fresh, dewy and ‘alive’, locking in the naturally occurring olive polyphenols (antioxidant-rich, plant-based compounds).

Within minutes, the leaves enter our gentle proprietary water extraction process designed to protect the active compounds in the leaves, including oleuropein, a polyphenol that’s thought to play a key role in olive leaf extract’s amazing antioxidant properties.⁵⁻⁷

Finally, the concentrated extract is tested for quality and potency and packaged to protect it from light, air and impurities. So why not start enjoying the natural antioxidant properties of our fresh-pickedᵀᴹ olive leaf extract today. As the above study shows... fresh feels good. 

Note: The contents of this blog are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider if you have any questions regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. 

References

1. Stevenson, L., Hunter, D. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of olive leaf extract. Natural Products Unit of Southern Cross University. Tests conducted using the internationally accepted ORAC testing techniques developed by Brunswick Laboratories, USA. 2005.

2. Lockyer et al. (2017). Impact of phenolic-rich olive leaf extract on blood pressure, plasma lipids and inflammatory markers: a randomised controlled trial. Eur J Nutr, 56, 1421–1432.

3. Lockyer et al. (2015). Secoiridoids delivered as olive leaf extract induce acute improvements in human vascular function and reduction of an inflammatory cytokine: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Brit J Nutr, 114, 75–83.

4. De Bock et al. (2013). Olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf polyphenols improve insulin sensitivity in middle-aged overweight men: a randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. PLoS ONE, 8, e57622. 

5. Omar et al. (2017). Olive (Olea europaea L.) biophenols: a nutriceutical against oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells. Molecules, 22, 1858.

6. Magrone et al. (2018). Olive leaf extracts act as modulators of the human immune response. Endocr Metab Immune Disord, 18, 85–93

7. Pandey & Rizvi (2009). Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2(5), 270–278.

8. The impact of grape seed extract treatment on blood pressure changes: a meta-analysis: H. Zhang, MM Shuang Lui, L. Li, S. Liu, S. Liu, J. Mi, G. Tian, 2016 Aug; 95(33): e4247.

9. Health Effects of Grape Seed and Skin Extracts and Their Influence on Biochemical Markers; L. Sochorova, B. Prusova, M. Cebova, T. Jurikova, J. Micek, A. Adamkova, S. Nedomova, M. Baron, J. Sochor, 2020 Nov 14;25(22):5311.

10. Silva S, Gomes L, Leitao F et al (2006) Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of Olea europaea L. fruits and leaves. Food Sci Tech Int 12:385–395 7. 

11. Kountouri AM, Mylona A, Kaliora AC et al (2007) Bioavailability of the phenolic compounds of the fruits (drupes) of Olea europaea (olives): impact on plasma antioxidant status in humans. Phytomedicine 14:659–667 8.  

12. Owen RW, Mier W, Giacosa A et al (2000) Phenolic compounds and squalene in olive oils: the concentration and antioxidant potential of total phenols, simple phenols, secoiridoids, lignans and squalene. Food Chem Toxicol 38:647–659. doi:10.1016/ S0278-6915(00)00061-2