The researchers found that a pill made from the leaves of olive could prove a powerful weapon in the battle against heart disease. It is as effective as some prescribed medicines for diminishing blood pressure. It also seems to reduce the levels of harmful blood fats known as triglycerides.
In order to analyze the effects of olive leaf extract, research teams from the University of Indonesia, in Jakarta conscripted nearly two hundred patients of high blood pressure and divide them into two groups. One group received olive leaf pill for eight weeks and the other was provided with an anti hypertension drug known as captopril that can cause dizziness.
It was found that the systolic blood pressure of the group who was given olive leaf pill dropped by eleven and half points in comparison to group who was given captopril. Diastolic blood pressure fell by nearly five points in group give olive leaf pill in comparison to six and half point given the prescribed medicine.
The participants those olive leaf pill group also shown a significant reduction in triglycerides levels, reported the study published in the journal Phytomedicine. In recent years, studies have shown that olive oil can protect the heart by reducing the build-up of fatty deposits inside the coronary arteries.
Olive oil has also been credited with helping to diminish the risk of breast cancer, ulcerative colitis and even depression. The thin, flat leaves also seem to fend off sickness because of having high levels of composites known as polyphenols. These plant chemicals have been shown to slash the threat of major ailments by protecting against the harmful effects of free radicals.
If additional studies corroborate the influential effects of olive leaf tablets, they could be used to help patients who struggle to take blood pressure drugs due to their side-effects. High blood pressure is believed to be answerable for fifty percent of all heart attacks and strokes.
According to researcher Prof Endang Susalit, the leaves of the olive tree have been used since ancient times to fight against high blood pressure, atherosclerosis term used for blocked arteries and diabetes. The anti-hypertensive action of the extract was comparable to captopril and its beneficial effects in plummeting triglyceride levels were strongly pointed out.