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Olives, olive oil, Olea europaea
L., because of the high salt
content in prepared olives I recommend you wash them, removing some of
the salt.
In Spain, olives stuffed with anchovies or salmon are worth looking for. (More) |
| SPANISH MEDICINE: Olivo; Catalan: olivera:
Basque: olibo. Fruit is called in Spanish: aceituna(s).
Olives and olive oil are considered hypotensive, anti-atherosclerotic, a
vasodilator, febrifuge (lower fevers) anti-cancer and a tonic. Oil is
used as a laxative. The scented resin of the plant is used as an
inhalant to suppress bronchitis.
NOTE: High salt content in olives is problematic for people suffering from high blood pressure. A higher than average incidence of stomach cancer in Mediterranean countries may be due to high salt content in their diet. Wood like the wood of Spanish Broom is used in making bowls and other turned wood products. Dense. Animals will forage on leaves. |
BREAST CANCER (other cancers): Javier Menendez and
his research team at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
have shown oleic acid in olive oil blocks the production of Her2/neu, a
protein associated with fast-growing, aggressive tumors. Olive oil that
has a higher acidic content may contain more free oleic acid, oil
quality is often measured by the amount of acid in it--lower acid
sweeter oil--but more acidic olive oil may be preferred as nutritional
therapy. Sweeter oils have more of their oleic acid locked up in fat
molecules and digestion is required to free them.
Even so, diets rich with olive oil may half the production of Her2/neu protein. Menendez suggest that olive oil might be used with the anti-cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) as adjunct nutritional therapy. (see New Scientist 13 May 2000 and Jan 15 2005; also, Annals of Oncology, DOI:10.1093/annonc/mdiO90). |