Wonders of Olive Oil
“Allah is the light of the Heavens and the Earth. An example of His light is like a lantern inside which there is a torch, the torch is in a glass bulb, the glass bulb is like a bright planet lit by a blessed olive tree, neither Eastern nor Western, its oil almost glows, even without fire touching it, light upon light.” (24:35)
If the Creator has mentioned it like this imagine what it could do and how blessed this little fruit could be. When it comes to health what boundaries people do not tend to cross in order to achieve the desired condition. Some go for allopathic cures, some believe in homeopathic style, some refer the Hakeems and others just let nature handle it. Indeed at times nature does handle it well and even the experts of medical agree to it.
Olives are found all over the world from Asia minor to Tunisia, from Spain to Peru and even in the southern part of Australia. They are eaten, extracted, worn, inhaled and even used as preservatives. Rich in minerals, vitamins and monounsaturated fats, they are also very effective antioxidants. Mostly used in the form of olive oil, the importance and benefits of olive oil are greater than mentioned. The Prophet (SAW) even laid out its importance and said, “Eat the olive oil and massage it over your bodies since it is a holy tree”.
Remedial usage of olive oil is a never ending series with still more room to be discovered. Tibb-al-Nabvi by Imam Jalaluddin as Suyuti describes the usage of olive oil and its remedial implications in a very interesting way. The essence and value of olive oil can be realized by looking at the benefits it provides. Prophet (SAW) says it contains cure for 70 diseases. Lets have a look how much science and medical experts have figured the wonders it can do inside the body and outside.
Skin Care
For those who want to take care of their skin naturally olive oil has a lot of usage. Applying after bath makes it a bath oil or shaving oil, wearing it at night replaces the night cream, mixing it with vinegar makes it an exfoliant and moisturizer, putting up on chapped lips makes it a lip balm and applying it after exposure in sun makes it a sun block. Its also used on nails with butter to soften cuticles and strengthen brittle nails. It also smoothes skin irritation caused by Psoriasis and Exzema.
Hair
Olive oil is an excellent conditioner for hair. Preventing dandruff and hair loss is very much possible by using hot olive oil which even accelerates the hair growth process. The concentrated extracts of olive leaves and fruits mixed with vinegar helps in recovering from Alopecia.
Body Muscles
As the Prophet (SAW) also pointed out olive oil is the best massage oil for the body. It strengthens and tones up muscles as well as relaxes tired muscles when mixed with other oils. It is known for its therapeutic properties and is a remedy for Arthritis.
Mouth
Olive oil when mixed with common salt is an excellent remedy for gum diseases. When mixed with clove oil it soothes tooth aches. It fights gingivitis and helps reducing swelling on gums by rinsing the mouth with it. It also helps in recovering from lip and mouth ulcers. Leukoplaquea which is the soreness of tongue or inside of a cheek can be treated with olive oil solutions.
Ear
Olive oil is a natural remedy for ear infections. It can soothe the outer ear wall and provide a protection layer so the infection does not spread to the inner ear.
Feet
Contributing more to the beauty treatment olive oil is used on feet to soften and smooth cracked or dried heels. Its also used for fungal treatments between toes.
Imam Tirmidhi mentions in his book (Shama’il of at-Tirmidhi) that the Prophet (SAW) used so much olive oil that his shawl was often saturated with it. The external usage of olive oil shows tremendous results in the body and yet there are a lot of undiscovered remedies that it can handle. Part 2 of this series will focus on the local usage of olive oil and the wonders it can do to the body of human beings.
Sadaf Siddique