by Ken McGowan
(GreenMedInfo) “I’ve never had but one wrinkle, and I’m sitting on it,” Jeanne Louise Calment famously quipped. Jeanne Louise Calment was a French supercentenarian who had the longest confirmed human life span in history, living to the age of 122 years and 164 days.
Jeanne Louise rubbed Olive Oil into her skin on a daily basis and credited Olive Oil with her youthful appearance and longevity.
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The Sisters Olive Trees of NoahOlive trees are famous for their longevity and are amongst the oldest living things in the world. A grove of sixteen olive trees in Lebanon known as “The Sisters” or “The Sisters Olive Trees of Noah” are estimated to be between 5,000 to 6,000 years old and still produce fruit and Olive Oil to this day.
Ancient civilizations revered the Olive for it’s longevity, life sustaining powers and skin regenerating properties. They believed that the qualities inherent in Olive trees, that allowed them to live for thousands of years, were contained in the fruit and oil of the tree. And that these qualities could be passed on to the peoples of the Earth who consumed Olives and it’s precious oil.
When the people of Athens asked the famous Greek philosopher Democritus, legendary for having lived more than one century himself, how to preserve one’s health and live a long life, he responded, “Let us bathe our insides in honey, and our exteriors in olive oil.”
The skin rejuvenating powers of Olive Oil were well known to the great physicians of antiquity. Hippocrates, Diocles and Galen all praised Olive Oil and utilized it their medical practices:
Hippocrates, known as “The Father of Medicine”, used Olive Oil based ointments as a topical treatment for skin traumas, diseases, and wounds. The Hippocratic Corpus (a collection of medical works associated with Hippocrates) records over 60 medicinal uses for Olive Oil, with the most common references pertaining to the healing of a wide variety of dermatological conditions.
Diocles recommends Olive Oil be used for hygienic purposes in his epic work, Archidamos. The Greeks and Romans embraced the idea and used Olive Oil, along with the strigil, to clean, exfoliate and care for their skin.
Galen, the Roman physician of Greek origin, is credited with the invention of cold cream. He used Olive Oil, Beeswax and Rosewater in the 2nd century AD as a moisturizer.
Today, modern research and evidence based medicine have not only confirmed Democritus, Hippocrates, Diocles and Galen’s recommendations and prescriptions for longevity and youthful radiant skin, (see this GreenMedInfo research on Olive Oil) they have explained the properties of Olive Oil that contribute to its’ tremendous ability to enhance and repair our skin.
Olive Oil is rich in vital antioxidants, essential amino acids, squalene, flavonoids, polyphenols (including a substance known as oleocanthal which has anti-inflammatory properties). Skin aging, as well as general body aging, seems to be closely tied to the inflammatory process. Olive Oil also contains Omega components such as Omega 9, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, traces of Vitamin C and Vitamin E which is, in and of itself, another antioxidant.
These are all powerful anti-aging agents that when used regularly, can slow down the aging process and help to maintain a healthy vibrant glowing skin.
How to maintain healthy radiant skin with Olive Oil: