People since antiquity have been fascinated by the olive tree. Through the course of human history no other plant on earth has
been given quite the amount of esteem the olive tree has. The olive tree has influenced the culture, health and beauty care of the
Mediterranean people. Its fruit, olive oil and olive leaves as tea and elixir have constituted an essential part of everyday Mediterranean
cuisine for thousands of years. Traditional treatments, secret recipes and learned knowledge about the fascinating effect of the
tree of life have been and will be handed down from generation to generation. In this way ancient wisdom has been preserved up
to today.
The history of the olive tree begins over 7.000 years ago in Mesopotamia. It is therefore the oldest cultivated plant on earth. Even
the ancient Egyptians used the treasures of the olive tree for health and beauty. Because the olive leaf symbolized the heavens
they used it to embalm their pharaohs. The ancient Hellenes worshiped the olive tree and Homer, the oldest poet in the Western
world, praised the fluid gold oil of its fruit.
Olive tree products were an essential ingredient in ancient Greek and Roman medicine, personal hygiene and skin care. The Bible
speaks of the „King of Trees” whose fruit serve as nutrition and leaves as a medicinal. Even the blessed Hildegard von Bingen
used the healing properties of the olive tree.
She recommended making tea from the leaves and used olive oil and leaves to treat infections, fever and aches. Ancient wisdom
about the vitality of the olive tree has not only been proven by modern scientific research, expectations have even been surpassed – by far.
