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What is oleuropein?

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Oleuropein is a polyphenol that is found in the olive plant (Olea europaea) which has been used for thousands of years in the Mediterranean region.

Olive oil has along history of cosemetic and medicinal use.

Recent studies have found that olive oil which contains oleuorpein has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-atherogenic, hypoglycemic, hepatic-, cardiac- and neuro-protective effects

oleuropein olive leaf oil branch

Oleuropein can be found in the different parts of the olive plant including the leaves, branches, roots, buds, flowers, and olives.

Here is the amount of oleuropein that has been reported in the scientific literature

You can read more about clinical trials with olive oil and olive leaf here.

Source Oleuropein Content
Olive leaves 93–134 mg/g (DW)
6.1–13.3 mg/g (DW)
5.6–9.2 mg/g (DW)
34.0–38.1 mg/g (FW)
60–90 mg/g (DW)
2.1–24.8 mg/g (DW)
Olive branches 11–14 g/kg (DW)
18.9 g/kg (DW)
Olive roots 1.9–6.0 g/kg (DW)
Olive buds 15.7–58.4 mg/g (FW)
Olive flowers 15.3–20.9 mg/g (FW)
Olives (fruit) 2.5–8.9 mg/g (FW)
0.6–1.1 mg/g (DW)
13.6–50.8 mg/g (FW)
0.4–21.7 mg/g (DW)
1.3–5.8 mg/g (FW)
0.3–3.5 mg/g (FW)
Table olives 0.0–0.1 mg/g (DW)
0.0–0.5 mg/g (FW)
Virgin olive oil 0.0–11.2 mg/kg
0.0–4.7 mg/kg
2.0 mg/kg
3.8 mg/kg
Olive oil Virtually absent
Olive pomace 0.4 mg/g (DW)
Olive mill waste water 6.5 mg/g (DW)
Absent

 

DW = dry weight

FW = fresh weight

 

Reference

Barbaro et al.  Effects of the Olive-Derived Polyphenol Oleuropein on Human Health   International Journal of Molecular Science.  2014; Volume 15 (Issue 10): pages 18508–18524.

Jeremy Johnson, PharmD, PhD
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Categories: Antioxidant, Food