Olive Oil: The Powerful Medicine for Brain and Heart
There are multiple health benefits of olive oil. Its use dates back centuries, and it is used for health and beauty today.
How do you use olive oil? If you're only cooking with it, you are missing out on some great benefits. Olive oil has been used to anoint the champions of ancient Olympic Games and even played a role in Cleopatra's cosmetic kit. The ancients understood olive oil's healing properties and their effects on both the inner and outer body. Once you know the benefits of olive oil, you will want to incorporate it into various aspects of your life.
Exterior Health Benefits
If you're suffering from dry skin, try massaging olive oil on it while showering, and it'll restore your skin to a velvety softness. You can even ramp up its fragrance by infusing the oil with a few drops of lavender essence. Olive oil isn't greasy. You can use a small amount of it on your face, especially in areas that are dry or flaky. Elbows and hands that are generally plagued by dry skin are apt to show improvements after rubbing olive oil on them just a few times.
If you are prone to rashes, suffer from an insect bite, or have sunburn, use olive oil as an ointment on your skin to heal irritations and decrease discomfort. In many nations, especially in the Mediterranean region, olive oil is even used to treat diaper rash.
Olive oil isn't just for skin; it has long been considered one of the most effective natural hair conditioners. If you have dandruff or dry hair, olive oil's healing and restorative properties can cure your flaky scalp and improve the health of your hair. If your hair is dry due to coloring or styling, make sure you give your tresses an olive oil treatment on a routine basis. As long as you don't use too much, your hair will appear healthy and not greasy.
Helping Your Insides Too
While olive oil can work wonders for the skin and hair, it can also supply your insides with some extraordinary health benefits too. According to a report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, olive oil may reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. In Mediterranean countries like Israel, women have long been drinking a quarter-cup of olive oil to ward off weight gain, and the practice also appears to have heart health benefits.
Aside from promoting a healthy cardiovascular disease, olive oil has also been proven to reduce the risk of some kinds of cancers (particularly colon and breast cancer) and Alzheimer's disease, and can even help guard against the creation of gallstones.
The oleocanthal from the olive oil has been shown to decrease inflammation--a precursor to many kinds of diseases. The American Diabetes Association also recommends that people with diabetesor people struggling with obesity--replace unhealthy fats with the healthy ones contained in olive oil.
Summary
According to health and beauty experts, it's ideal to utilize extra-virgin olive oil. Extra-virgin is not heavily processed as other forms of the oil. Other oils contain the oleocanthal that is associated with most of these health and beauty benefits. Do yourself a BIG favor, and start adding olive oil to your daily menu for maximum health.