Called the tree of life in ancient times. In the past, it was mainly the leaves of the olive tree that were used, today it is the fruit, the olive. The content of polyphenols is much higher in the leaf than in the fruit. The bitter taste of the olive leaf comes from oleupein, which is also one of the most important ingredients.
The olive tree is an evergreen tree up to 20 meters high, often gnarled when old, from the olive tree genus (Olea), which belongs to the olive tree family (Oleaceae). The olive tree can live for several hundred years. It has been cultivated as a crop since the 4th millennium BC. The traditional rule is "the more crooked and gnarled, the better the yield". Depending on the area of distribution (Mediterranean region, Middle East and South Africa), olive trees flower from the end of April to the beginning of June. There are between 10 and 40 flowers on the inflorescences. The blossom is wind-pollinated.
The dried leaves (olive tree leaves - Oleae folii) and the oil from the fruit (olive oil - Olivae oleum) are used phytotherapeutically.