Will the Real Olive Leaf Please Stand Up?

I've received several calls over the last few days regarding "harsh chemicals and solvents" in our Olive Leaf Extract. Unfortunately, there is some confusion surrounding this issue and I feel the need to set the record straight.

First, our number one priority is to kill fungus - so we try to make each product as powerful as possible. In order to do this, we concentrate the active ingredients. I have no problem with a company that sells whole herb products - but don't market them as extracts and don't make false claims about other extracts.

The best way to concentrate the active nutrients, is by using alcohol. The reason is that alcohol will break down fibers and other parts of the plant that don't do anything, concentrating the active nutrients and leaving parts of the whole plant in the product. Then it evaporates. There is little or no alcohol in most herbal extracts. The only "harsh chemical or solvent" that is used is ethanol. Once it has done it's job, it evaporates. Every batch of every extract we use is tested for heavy metals and alcohol - the result is always virtually zero - less than you would get from eating ripe fruit.

Science has also proven that we don't always want to completely isolate active ingredients. As an example, it is commonly believed that oleuropein is the most antifungal component of Olive Leaf Extract. However, by itself, oleuropein is ineffective. It needs it's derivatives and other parts of the plant to be effective. On the other hand, if you concentrate the oleuropein and it's derivatives, you can make the product stronger.

Think of it this way. If you take the gas out of your car, it will not go anywhere. But if you use a higher octane gas, you will get better gas mileage and better performance. That's what we want - the best possible antifungal nutrients available.

Again, I have no problem with whole plant or herb products. In fact, I'm a big fan. But when it comes to killing fungus, I want to have the strongest, most concentrated product I can.

Here are a couple things to think about...

*You can eat 5 lbs of yogurt - or you can take a couple of probiotic capsules.

*You can eat 2 bushels of broccoli - or you can take one tiny capsule of chromium picolinate.

*It is nearly impossible to get all the nutrients you need from food alone - that's why we take a multivitamin. The ingredients in multivitamins are extracts! How else would they be able to get individual nutrients out of the plant?

A whole herb (not "extract") olive leaf contains about 1% oleuropein - ours contains 18%. Not to mention that we have 800mg in a capsule - the strongest you can buy.