Olive leaf extract is an ancient herbal supplement, used by British doctors hundreds of years ago and revered by the Ancient Egyptians. Today, it’s famous for regulating the immune system, but grows more interesting with each passing year.
Olive leaf extract may increase your skin’s resistance to UV radiation, preventing burns and damage and effectively acting as a natural sunscreen. It’s extremely dense in antioxidants like oleuropein, and may also feed healthy strains of gut bacteria. Research is continuing, but for those willing to push the boundaries, there are few herbal supplements which are more ripe for experimentation.
Olive leaf extract is a mysterious supplement, but a highly promising one. But which is the best brand?
That’s what we’re going to find out today. Before we begin, olive leaf extract isn’t renowned for its side effects, but may cause a few in the sensitive or when taken in high dosages. These include headaches, nausea, muscle pain and sweating. Discontinue supplementation if you notice such problems.
For a shortcut, Pure Encapsulations and Island Nutrition are the very best brands here.
Let’s get started:
One – Pure Encapsulations
Kicking off our olive leaf extract list we have the expertly formulated Pure Encapsulations.
This brands meets every requirement, beginning with a very high dosage of 500mg per capsule. That’s easily enough to enjoy sun protection and the immune system benefits. Meanwhile, the ingredients list is very short, reading hypoallergenic plant fiber (cellulose) and the vegetarian capsule (cellulose), both of which are harmless. Pure Encapsulations is among a handful of brands to be free from the anti-caking agent magnesium stearate.
Importantly, Pure Encapsulations is standardised, to consist of 15% oleuropein. What exactly is oleuropein? It’s a phenolic antioxidant found naturally in the olive fruit, oil, and leaf, but mostly the leaf. Oleuropein acts as a natural shield of defence for the plant, providing antioxidant and anti-microbial benefits, but it’s the main active medicinal compound in humans too. Oleuropein is responsible for olive leaf extract’s sunscreen, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Other compounds are important too, but oleuropein is the king, and Pure Encapsulations is guaranteed to contain it. The rate of 15% itself is high; some brands contain just 10%. Last but not least, Pure Encapsulations will last for months, featuring 120 capsules per bottle, all for an affordable price.
Pure Encapsulations is unbeatable for an olive leaf extract with guaranteed potency.
Amazon link: Pure Encapsulations Olive Leaf Extract.
Two – Gaia Herbs
An olive leaf extract which is about as natural as it gets. According to Gaia Herbs, their extract is cultivated in accordance with nature’s intent, and indeed, the olive leaves are picked fresh from the plant rather than being stored for months in a facility. The extract is produced using alcohol rather than chemical solvents, while for vegan readers, this supplement is entirely plant-derived.
The potency is also high, with each capsule containing 680mg of olive leaf extract, standardised to contain 50mg of oleuropein for guaranteed benefits. The additives list is top quality, containing just vegetable glycerin, vegetable cellulose, water, and no magnesium stearate. Importantly, Gaia Herbs is committed to clean and wholesome products with no heavy metal or pesticide contamination.
Gaia Herbs also sells a bottle of liquefied olive leaf extract, for adding to coffee, tea or water. It’s certified organic by the USDA, and fairly pure, although since it contains alcohol and needs to be dispensed, the pills are a safe and convenient option. Finally, Gaia Herbs contains a strong 120 day supply, easily sufficient for you to discover the truth about this supplement.
Gaia Herbs is another olive leaf extract which stands above the majority.
Three – Paradise Herbs
With Paradise Herbs we have an extra potent olive leaf extract. Its dosage per capsule is 250mg, with the oleuropein being standardised to a high 18%, but the olive leaf itself is an 8:1 extract. That means that 250mg of Paradise Herbs contains nutrition equivalent to 2000mg of normal olive leaf extract. That’s a huge figure, and one which will make Paradise Herbs extra powerful.
Paradise Herbs produces their extract from the finest Andalusian olive leaves from Spain, with no pesticides nor heavy metals to be found. The extraction process is natural and free from chemical solvents, preserving all of the leaf’s active and synergistic constituents.
The only additive, meanwhile, is the cellulose capsule, with no magnesium stearate included. An added advantage of Paradise Herbs is its strange affordability, and high capsule count, with 120 being included.
Paradise Herbs is close to the top of the olive leaf extract market.
Four – Olivus
As their name would suggest, Olivus are expert producers of olive tree health products, and their leaf extract is among the best around.
It’s a pure supplement, with only hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as the additive. The extraction processe uses no harsh chemical solvents. All in all, it’s another natural and expertly produced olive leaf supplement, but Olivus has a new concept for this list; a split between standardised and raw.
Each capsule contains 500mg of olive leaf, but 250mg consists of an extract standardised to contain 25% oleuropein, while the other 250mg is the non-standardised extract. Olivus leaves no stone unturned; the oleuropein will guarantee that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties are in place, while the non-standardised portion will deliver the fully natural experience, the experience that prehistoric caveman stumbling across the olive leaf growing on coastlines would have experienced long ago.
Remember that while olive leaf extract was recommended by British doctors as far back as the 1600s, oleuropein itself was only discovered in 1908. It’s optimal to have both bases covered. The only problem is that apparently, it contains a tiny amount of harmful chemicals which must be mentioned due to Californian law, so if your goal is ultimate purity, choose MaxX Labs instead.
Olivus is easily one of the better olive leaf extract brands you could buy.
Five – Island Nutrition
Our next brand is produced by a family owned business, and may be the most carefully produced and natural available today.
The quality of this olive leaf extract is exceptional. The leaves themselves are harvested from ancient trees from the finest, family run farms in Spain. Some of these trees even date back to the Roman empire. Farmers grow the leaves without any pesticides, herbicides or other agrochemicals. The extract, meanwhile, is produced using no solvents, opting for the natural alcohol extraction method.
Island Nutrition even features dual standardisation, for maximum benefits. Each capsule contains 525mg of olive leaf extract, but while 500mg is standardised to 25% oleuropein, an excellent level itself, the other 25mg is standardised to 16% hydroxytyrosol, the other main medicinal compound in olive leaves. Specifically, it is standardised to 16% pure hydroxytyrosol and 20% hydroxytyrosol complex.
Elsewhere, Island Nutrition is suitably pure, containing just cellulose and rice flour as its additives. For such an expertly produced product, the price is low, while the capsule count is 90. Finally, this brand has a 1 year refund guarantee, for complete safety.
Island Nutrition is perhaps the greatest olive leaf extract ever invented and manufactured.
Six – Pure Synergy
Pure Synergy is perfect in every way regarding purity, value for money and dosage, but has a unique feature.
Each capsule contains 700mg, with 60 capsules per bottle. However, this breaks down into 400mg of olive fruit and oil extract, standardised to be rich in oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. If oleuropein is the signature compound of the olive leaf, oleocanthal is the star of olive oil; it has extremely promising anti-inflammatory properties of its own.
The other 300mg, meanwhile, consists of olive leaf extract standardised to be rich in oleuropein and maslinic acid. This supplement has acne-clearing compounds galore. Island Nutrition is superior if you need pure olive leaf extract, but this combination has huge potential.
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Elsewhere, Pure Synergy contains the pullulan capsule as its sole additive, with no magnesium stearate to be found. The entire product is organic, including the oil, the fruit, and the leaf, being officially certified by the USDA.
Pure Synergy is a promising combination of every single power of the olive tree.
Seven – MaxXLabs
A reliable and effective olive leaf extract, with no unique features, but everything a supplement enthusiast could need. MaxXLabs contains a strong dosage, with 120 capsules of 750mg. The extract is standardised to consist of 20% oleuropein, giving you both the guaranteed nutrition and room for other phytonutrients.
The olive leaves are sourced exclusively from trees across the Mediterranean, while no stone is left unturned with the quality. MaxXLabs tests every batch of their olive leaf extract for purity and potency, and only source from premium suppliers.
The only additives are vegetable capsule (HPMC) and rice flour. MaxXLabs is free from the anti-caking agent magnesium stearate, and suspicious additives like croscarmellose sodium. This is a vegan product too, as is every olive leaf extract listed here.
MaxXLabs is another top quality olive leaf extract brand.
Amazon link: CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE.
Eight – Naravis
Thanks to its popularity for preventing the common cold, olive leaf extract is getting more popular by the millisecond. Brands are a dime a dozen in internet marketplaces, but Naravis stands out as superior to almost all.
This company is owned by a husband and wife team, who reportedly became inspired to create a fully natural supplement brand while wandering through the harsh yet beautiful environments of the high Slovenian alps. The brand name Naravis is actually Slovenian for natural, and they’ve succeeded in that respect, because Naravis is exceptional for a focussed, fully standardised olive leaf extract.
In fact, its power matches MaxX Labs exactly: 120 capsules of 750mg, standardised to 20%. The additives, meanwhile, are hypromellose and rice flour. The latter is a capsule filler, a safe one compared to the inflammatory corn flour. Rice powder is another term which you may see.
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The extract itself is sourced from non-GMO European olive trees, and the product is compliant with GMP, or Good Manufacturing Practises, a set of guidelines for pure and efficient factories.
Naravis is a flawless olive leaf extract, an excellent choice if you’re interested in this supplement.
Nine – Oregon’s Wild Harvest
Our next brand is Oregon’s Wild Harvest, one with a slightly different feature. The dosage per capsule is 350mg, but 40mg is standardised to 18% oleuropein while the other 310mg is whole olive leaf extract. It’s another split olive leaf to give you the best of both worlds.
Meanwhile, the additives are silicon dioxide, pullulan, and dextrin, which is a completely natural form of plant fiber. This brand uses a hydroalcoholic process to produce the extract, avoiding any harsh chemical solvents.
The capsule count, meanwhile, is 90 for a 3 month supply. What’s the optimal timespan in general? The promising study on UV radiation detected improvements after 2 weeks, but I would wait for longer, to allow the phytonutrients to migrate to your face. Additionally, olive leaf extract is a relatively mysterious supplement, so if it is destined to work, you should be patient. The whole olive leaf portion (310mg) is actually organic, while as a whole, Oregon’s Wild Harvest is dedicated to avoiding pesticides and heavy metals.
If you wish to experiment with olive leaf extract, Oregon’s Wild Harvest is the supplement for you.
Ten – GNC
A pure and reliable olive leaf extract which meets every requirement for acne.
Firstly, GNC contains 500mg of standardised olive leaf extract per capsule. Secondly, the only additive is vegetable cellulose. Thirdly, the product is extracted using solvent-free, state of the art natural methods. No allergens like soy are to be found and magnesium stearate is far away.
GNC also has a lower standardisation rate, consisting of 10% and therefore 50mg of oleuropein, and this can be advantageous. Olive leaf contains other, less famous phytonutrients with potent medicinal properties, including hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Keeping the oleuropein restricted allows these compounds to flourish. At the same time, it’s great to guarantee that oleuropein levels are high, so GNC features the best of both worlds.
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Another question is olive oil; since it’s a widely available food, why not just eat a tablespoon of olive oil every day? Because olive leaf extracts like GNC are a massively denser source of oleuropein. To obtain 50mg of oleuropein from olive oil you would have to drink 7 whole liters. Olive oil has its own features, like oleocanthal and vitamin E, but olive leaf extract wins for oleuropein with ease.
Finally, GNC contains a lengthy supply, with 100 capsules of goodness. GNC is an excellent choice for all olive leaf enthusiasts.
Conclusion
If you’ve convinced that olive leaf extract holds the secret to clear skin, and determined to experiment, your way forward is now clear. If the sunscreen properties or antioxidant powers prove to be stronger than anyone realises, you could be in for treat, a treat of brightly glowing skin and non-existent acne.
Overall, the market for olive leaf extract is pretty healthy, with several contaminated products but few outright frauds. The very best products are Island Nutrition and Pure Encapsulations, but every brand is a resounding success.
NEXT: learn the root causes of acne, clear your skin permanently
Thanks for reading!