What Is Olive Leaf Tea?

Herbal teas, which are also called tisanes, offer many different varieties and flavors as well as a handsome amount of health benefits. However, they are not considered true teas, that is, they do not originate from the Camellia sinensis plant which produce our white, green, oolong, and black traditional teas.

Tisanes can come from many plant species, and generally consist of roots, seeds, leaves, fruits, flowers, bark and other botanical parts. There is peppermint tea, spearmint tea, chamomile tea, marsh mellow root, rooibos, lemon grass, and many others. One tisane that remains somewhat unheard of, which not only offers a great flavor, but quite possibly provides the most health benefits of any herbal tea, is olive leaf tea...

Olive leaf tea, as its name implies, is steeped from the leaves of the olive tree. The names of these trees they are harvested from are called the "Mission" and "Manzanillo" trees.

Once prepared, olive tea produces a liquor that is light in color (darker if whole leaves are steeped), and has both an aroma and taste that is somewhat sweet with very mild olive-like tones. The tea is not bitter or vegetal as one might expect and leaves a pleasant flavor on the palate. Its texture is not thick or oily either, it has the same consistency as any other tea. It can even compare as a diluted soup rather than a tea. Altogether, this is a very enjoyable herbal tea favored by many who have come to know it.

Brewing is easy, and is done by pouring steaming water over the leaves in an infuser for about 4 to 5 minutes. The tea can come in either whole leaf, cut loose leaf, or tea bag form. However, for the best possible flavor, folks should always brew it loose leaf style!

Aside from great flavor, this tea offers many healthy benefits. Like green tea, it contains certain antioxidants and plant polyphenols that assist the body in several ways such as destroying free radicals. In fact, research shows that olive leaf tea scavenges free radicals almost twice as effective than green tea. Furthermore, olive leaves contain a secret substance that regular teas do not have, sort of like a secret weapon against bad bacteria and viruses. It is called oleuropein.

Oleuropein (ol-lee-or-oh-pin), has been studied for years and has shown to help with a number of things such as the ability to stop viruses from replicating, destroying bad bacteria while aiding the good, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, easing the pain of arthritis by abating inflammation, boosting the immune system, and much more. This is yet another good reason to steep it using loose leaves since it contains more of these healthy essentials over the tea bag particles.

Research done by Dr. James R. Privitera, a physician in Covina California, states that he regularly hears interesting findings from his patients who consume olive tea. He does state that while olive tea may not be a "cure all", there is enough evidence to solidify its claims, and this provides a substantive reason to keep drinking it.

While this tea may still seem quite young in the world of tea connoisseurs, it does have a history that goes back a few thousand years. Olives in natural are very healthy and provide their share of benefits. Olive oil remains a preferred cooking oil due to its low amounts of trans fat, so making a tea from the leaves of this ancient tree and stumbling upon its offerings isn't so surprising.

Finding olive leaf tea can sometimes pose as a challenge since not every health food store may carry it. Searching the internet for some is probably a more practical choice over driving around town. There is one merchant on the web that owns their own orchard which harvests, processes, and ships it themselves minus a middle-man. Their product is trustworthy, maintains an organic status, and is the real deal.

Since more folks these days are watching their health, steeping olive leaf tea along with other important daily factors could lead to a healthier lifestyle and better sense of well being.

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