OLIVE OILS AND HEALTH 198 17.1. Introduction Products derived from Olea europaea -including bark, fruits, leaves, wood, seeds, and oil- have long been used in European and Asian folk medicine, either alone or in combination with other natural substances. Olive seed oil was traditionally ingested as a laxative and applied topically to reduce inflammation. Decoctions of dried leaves and fruits were used to treat diarrhea, respiratory and urinary infections, and gastrointestinal conditions, and were also employed as a mouthwash. Continued topical application of olive oil was believed to prevent hair loss. In the Canary Islands, olive leaf infusions were taken orally to reduce blood pressure and administered rectally for haemorrhoids. In East Africa, bark infusions were used against tapeworms. In Greece and Italy, various olive extracts were used for hypertension, renal lithiasis, burns, rheumatism, and to improve circulation. In Japan, olive leaf preparations addressed stomach and liver complaints. In the United States, olive oil was used to treat hypertension, restlessness, and as a laxative and vermifuge. In the Mediterranean, Olea europaea leaves were remedies for gout and inflammation. In Tunisia, they were used for gingivitis, otitis, jaundice, and cough. Olive fruits and leaves were also applied to treat haemorrhoids, rheumatism, and vascular conditions, while infusions were used for eye infections and sore throat. In Palestine, Morocco, and Algeria, olive leaf decoctions treated hypertension and diabetes. This chapter reviews scientific evidence on the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as an analgesic and for maintaining bone and gastrointestinal health, validated primarily in animal models, with promising early evidence in human studies (Figure 17.1). 17.2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pain “Chance favors only the prepared mind” (Louis Pasteur). Scientific advances often originate from unexpected events. Such was the case in 1999, when American researcher Dr. Gary Beauchamp attended a molecular nutrition conference in Sicily. During a lunch hosted by the physicists Massimo Ugo Palma and Marie Beatrice Voltarelli, Dr. Beauchamp tasted freshly pressed EVOO and, like the others, he noticed a tingling sensation in his throat. Un-
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