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Botany and appearance

Olea europaea belongs to the family Oleaceae. Olive leaves are dusty green on top and silvery-white underneath. They are narrow and oblong, measuring 4-10 centimetres long and 1-3 centimetres wide.

Taste and chemistry

When infused as a tea, the intensity is moderated, but an astringent flavor remains because of high levels of polyphenols and organic acids. Olive leaves have a rich content of polyphenols, which impart a sour taste. Phenolics are much more concentrated in the leaves than in olive oil or fruit: 1450 mg total phenolics per 100 grams fresh leaf, against 110 mg per 100 grams of fruit and 23 mg per 100 ml in extra virgin olive oil.

Unprocessed olive leaf contains oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, as well as polyphenols such as luteolin, rutin, caffeic acid, catechin and apigenin. Oleuropein is a glycosylated seco-iridoid, a bitter phenolic compound found in green olive skin, flesh, seeds and leaves. Oleuropein, 10-hydroxyoleuropein, ligstroside and 10-hydroxyligstroside are all tyrosol esters of elenolic acid. The phenolic composition of the extract varies with plant variety, harvesting season and method, leaf maturity, storage conditions and extraction method.

Uses

Olive tea has a pleasant astringent flavor owing to the bitter oleuropein. Olive leaves are mainly used to make olive leaf extract, tea, powder and capsules. Olive leaf extract has been marketed for purported health benefits, but there is no clinical evidence that it has any effect. The leaf is used whole as a tea infusion and as a food additive, mainly in the powder form of the extract. Several studies have examined the extract in food processing and preservation, including as an additive to dairy, minced beef and sausages.

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