Botanical atlas

Olive

Olea europaea

For thousands of years the olive tree has stood as one of the great pillars of Mediterranean life, its fruit pressed into oil for cooking, lamplight, anointing, and trade long before written history caught up with it. Beyond the kitchen, the silvery leaves have their own long folk history, steeped into bitter teas across Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African households and traditionally reached for during fevers, colds, and to support healthy blood pressure and circulation. The olive branch itself became a universal symbol of peace and renewal, an idea nearly as old as the tree.

Safety.

Olive fruit straight from the tree is bitter and must be cured or brined before eating, it isn't a toxicity concern, just unpalatable raw. Olive leaf preparations have traditionally supported blood pressure and blood sugar, so anyone on blood pressure medication, diabetes medication, or blood thinners should be cautious of combined effects.