The Herbarium
Print plate
Olive botanical plate

Herb. No. 133 · Oleaceae

RangeFig. atlas
Approximate native range — a teaching atlas, not a survey

Eastern Mediterranean evergreen. A sun-belt orchard tree, a pot specimen north of the frost line.

Native · Mediterranean

Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant

Olive

Olea europaea

Medicinal herbsKitchenHarvest

The silver tree of the Mediterranean — oil, fruit, and a bitter leaf with a long heart-folklore.

Olive is a long-lived Mediterranean evergreen. The fruit is food after curing; the oil is the daily fat of that kitchen. Leaf has a traditional use as a bitter for circulation folklore. Culinary oil and a few cured olives are the daily path. Leaf extract is a labeled product, not a backyard tincture to replace a prescription.

Flavor

Oil is grassy, peppery, or buttery by cultivar. Leaf tea is bitter-green.

Parts used

Fruit · Oil · Leaf

Helpful

  • A true food tree
  • A pot specimen north of the frost line

Cautions

  • Fruit needs curing or it is inedible
  • Leaf is not a blood-pressure medicine

Field assistant

Ask about traditional use, safety, or the law. The assistant will not teach illegal cultivation or give medical orders.

Related symptoms

indigestionhigh blood pressureinflammation

Remedies with this plant

  • Hawthorn hedgerow

    Adult: 1 tsp dried berry per 8 oz, once daily, with food. Garlic: food cloves. Olive leaf: 1–2 tsp dried, not a concentrated extract unless labeled.

Harvest this plant

When to cut, how to dry, and how to store it — garden and kitchen crops only.

Open harvest notes