Health and diet

Since antiquity and the time of Hippocrates, olive oil, and the leaves, flowers and even the juice and ash of olive trees have been used in medical science as medicines or as inactive ingredients in medicines. Hippocrates called the olive the "great healer", and Plutarch suggested it should be used for the treatment of mastitis in women. The Hippocratic Code lists more than fifty pharmaceutical uses of olive oil.

Even today, and despite the evolution of pharmacology, because of its beneficial properties olive oil is used to protect skin from burns (from solar radiation and more), and is also used as a cosmetic. It helps the digestive system by increasing digestive secretions which in turn facilitate the digestion of other foods. It helps cells function by providing elements that are necessary for their structure and which are not produced by our body. It plays an important role in the development and evolution of the central nervous system, the skin, the liver and the bone system of the human body as it enriches our bones with metallic elements. It also contributes to good vision as it facilitates the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.