Some Healthy Benefits of Olive Oil
Filed Under: Do It Yourself, Susatainable Living on September 8, 2009
I’ve mentioned olive oil in the past for a couple of uses: an earache remedy, for one, and as a way to relieve constipation for another. I thought it was time to get a little more in-depth with the thing that made every episode between Popeye and Brutus so contentious.
Olive oil can be used medicinally, as I’ve covered, for various personal care uses, in home improvement and cleaning, and more. It’s great stuff with some unique properties.
There are a lot of health benefits to consuming olive oil as-is, in your cooking, and more. There are people who say that olive oil can lower blood pressure, help with cholesterol, balance some blood sugar problems, and more. To see some of these in a more complete list, check out the Healing Food Reference where Mike Adams lists the health benefits of olive oil and how to find out more about the information behind those claims.
Know Your Oil
Before we look any deeper into the uses of olive oil, however, let’s look at what kinds of olive oil there are out there. Olive oil comes from olives, obviously, but it’s refined in many ways, depending on the region and type of oil preferred. What you’re looking for in medicinal or health use is olive oil that has had less processing. Avoid “extra virgin” and similar oils, as they have been heavily refined to get to just the “oil” without much of the “olive” left behind.
For these purposes, look for the thick, chunky sorts of oil. The ones with little floaties in them. Those leftover olives, unfiltered, are a sign that the stuff is pure. Most of these oils will need to be refrigerated after opening, another good sign.
Your olive oil doesn’t have to come from the Mediterranean to be great stuff, either. In fact, environmentally-speaking, it’s much nicer if it doesn’t (unless that’s where you live, of course). Most Americans can find great California and even Florida or Mexican oils that are much less expensive and traveled far fewer miles to find you. Buying organics goes without saying, if at all possible.
Here at our house, we buy olive oil by the gallon container, making it much cheaper per litre, but requiring more refrigerator space to store. It will keep for a very long time if the cap is kept on when not in use, though.
Great Medicinal Uses of Olive Oil
Outside of earaches and constipation, covered elsewhere, there are a lot of other uses for olive oil as a daily or periodic medicine to keep some problems at bay. While this won’t be a complete list, it will give you an idea, covering each major medicinal use.
Two caveats with ingested (eaten) olive oil: do not give it to young children and do not give it to small animals. Dosages are hard to gauge and it’s possible to give harmful diarrhea and other problems to smaller bodies. They aren’t likely to be fatal or even very serious, but they aren’t pleasant and are best avoided by using alternatives to olives.
For snoring, you can sip some olive oil to keep your throat lubricated by drinking a capful (or teaspoon) of it before bed time. Olive oil is a mild laxative, but most adults require at least a tablespoon or more to have this happen. This same remedy is also helpful for lightly sore throats and many opera singers have used olive oil as a throat lubricant to alleviate scratchiness after a performance. Pavarotti was said to do this, in fact.
Those with heart burn can use honey (preferred) to help get rid of the burn, but if you’re allergic to honey or have none available, olive oil also works well. Again, about a teaspoon swallowed in a gulp will soothe the burn and ache.
On human and animal hair, olive oil can do wonders. When rubbed into hair while showering, olive oil can quickly pull out tangles, give a special shine to hair, and make it much more mangeable and naturally sheen. Be sure to rinse it out thoroughly.
For cats and dogs, olive oil can be used to pull out “naps” in fur while gently brushing. Be sure to wipe most of it off when you’re done so the cat or dog doesn’t get the “runs” when licking it form themselves. Many pets will readily eat olive oil (not always a good thing).
If you have a rash, dry skin, or other and similar problem or are just wanting to ad a little shine and softness to your epidermis, olive oil is just the thing. Rub it in liberally, let it sit for a while, wipe off with a moist rag (to prevent it from smelling). The little that’s left behind will help retain moisture in the skin (olive oil has linoleic acid in it, an ingredient in many lotions). Just eating olive oil promotes healthy skin (Vitamin E).
For shaving, olive oil can help lubricate the blade and moisturize the skin, which helps make for a smoother cut and less abrasions from shaving too closely. It can also be used after shaving to soothe razor burn (as above).
Many other non-medicinal uses for olive oil also abound. As a lubricant for squeaky hinges, buckles, zippers, and so forth. I personally don’t recommend this as olive oil can “go bad” and begin to stink after a while, so I would only use the cheaper, “extra virgin” or other oils that are mostly oil and not much olive for this sort of thing.
Olive oil is also a great shiner for wooden furniture, but the same caveat applies. Leather is similar, but I much prefer more permanent softeners like saddle soap for leather as it does not cause any “rot.”
We use olive oil as a pan protectant, however. After scrubbing and rinsing pots and pans–especially copper, aluminum, and iron–a light coating of olive oil can keep rust and tarnish at bay. Make sure to wipe it with a damp cloth to clean before putting on a fire or hot stove again, however. The oil can “flame up,” but this isn’t too likely.
There are definitely a lot of uses for the great stuff. Olive oil is one of the kitchen essentials that no home should be without!
Thank you Aaron! Did not know olive oil helps “relax” snoring! :) Stumbled: http://su.pr/1htCTX
Thanks! And thanks for the Stumble too! I slack on doing that stuff myself. lol