Olive oil: its medicinal properties and many uses

Olive oil, the ancient nectar, born with human history, has been used in the past in the most diverse ways. Olive oil was appreciated already in Roman times especially to rub the human body and to power lamps, as well as food. "Morchia", that is liquid dripping during olive squeezing time, enjoyed considerable consideration and was used to grease leather, acted as fertilizer for olive groves and orchards and pesticide against codling moth, and also to grease the inside of  vessels for the storage of dried figs.

Since ancient times, olive trees were known as the medicinal plant of choice: the infusion of olive leaves or extract of olive leaves was used for its extraordinary antipyretic, astringent, antiseptic, regulating-blood-pressure and special cleansing properties. Today, health properties to fight cholesterol and regulate intestine and liver have been rediscovered.

Wild olive trees spread throughout the Mediterranean area before modern cultivars: among ancient Ligurians, olive oil was far from being unknown or rare. Ligurian olive oil, in particular that of Imperia, according to those in the field, is of superior quality and, actually, still almost unknown.