Olive Oil - a Health and Beauty Aide
Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
by Yulia Berry
Great Home Remedies
People in the Mediterranean region have been cultivating olive trees for at least 6000 years. Olives and their valuable oil are mentioned by the Greeks and the Romans and have played an important role in biblical literature. The people of Crete were growing olives commercially since 3000 BC and researchers believe that the tree played an important role in the rise of the Minoan civilization. The Olive Branch is considered to be a sign of peace and olive oil has been used anoint kings and emperors. The olive leaf is a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. It was also an olive branch that was brought back by the dove that Noah sent out and the Mount of Olives is site of much biblical importance.
People have also benefitted from the Mediterranean Diet, in which olive oil plays a central role. This diet is considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, allowing it users to experience lower rates of heart disease, cancer and other degenerative diseases.
How olive oil is made and graded
Once the olives make it to the mill, they are mechanically pressed as soon as possible. It is then filtered, but otherwise left untreated and natural. Olives are graded according to their acidity. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has the lowest amount of oleic acid at .08 %. Regular Virgin Olive oil has about 2% oleic acid content. To be considered "virgin" the oil must be produced by physical means with no chemical treatments.
Regular olive oil is made by blending refined olive oil and virgin olive oil and has an oleic acid content of about 1.5 %. Refined olive oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes and acid content and is considered inferior in quality to the untreated virgin oils. Pomace olive oil is made by extracting oil from the pomace (the pressed remains) through the means of chemicals and heat and then blending it with virgin olive oil.
Olive as a health and beauty aide
Aside from it many healthful benefits, olive oil can also be used to help soften your hands, make your hair more manageable, prevent dandruff and be used for a relaxing massage. Many over the counter health and beauty products have olive oil in them, and here are a few recipes that you can do yourself.
For soft hands: Massage your hands with 1 teaspoon of olive oil mixed with teaspoon of salt. The salt exfoliates and the oil softens leaving your hands soft, smooth and blemish free. This remedy works especially well on your elbows, knees and feet. For really rough skin, substitute sugar for the salt.
For soft and shiny hair: Massage oil into your hair and leave in for as long as you can before washing out with shampoo. Do this once a week. Rubbing olive oil in the hair will also help with dandruff.
For earaches: Warm up some olive oil and then add a few drops to the ear canal, plugging it up with some cotton.
For a nice massage: warm up some olive oil and add some of your favorite essential oils.
Eating the fruit
Aside from the oil, the olive itself is considered a very healthy addition to any diet. It is loaded with the same monosaturated fats and antioxidants as the oil and also contains high amount of phytonutrients and polyphenols. Eating olives can help reduce the severity of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis which are all caused by free radical damage. There is even some evidence that suggests that olives may reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in menopausal women.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Thanks - good ideas! Marijo
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