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Olive leaf extract

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
Hi everyone,

This is my first post here. I've had CFS for 11 years and recently came across some old conversations on this forum about olive leaf extract, which I'd never heard of before. But I've tried about 1001 different treatments over the years, both allopathic and naturopathic, and I thought this was something new worth a go. It's entirely possible that I've got a latent herpes virus or similar that my body can't get rid of on its own. (n.b. I've recently been back to my GP and he's willing to put me on a trial of valcyte, but I'm always happier trying a 'natural' treatment first and would like to see if olive leaf extract will do the job for me).

I'm wondering if anyone reading this has tried olive leaf extract, and what your experience has been?

I've only taken one capsule so far and while there may be a glimmer of a positive effect, my body is very reactive to things. Instant upset stomach, bit of dizziness/brain fog - these are not too bad and may go away over time. Biggest problem, though, is a drop in my blood pressure, which was not particularly high to begin with. Diastolic is 70 or a bit below at rest, while normally it's 80 or a bit above. Again, this in itself isn't such a problem, but I'm also having constant, mild, fluttery palpitations. I will get palpitations for almost any reason - even harmless-seeming foods will set them off, or kneeling or standing up too fast - but these are definitely connected with the one capsule of olive leaf extract, and I'm wondering if they're a direct result of the lowered blood pressure.

It's hard to know whether to persevere and possibly make myself very ill, in the hope that my body will adjust. From what I've researched on this forum, I'd need to aim to take about 6 capsules a day (I've got Nature's Way 20% oleuropein), so this kind of a reaction to one capsule in 36 hours is a concern. Typically for a herb, there's not a great deal of reliable info out there on the internet, certainly not for people taking it for CFS. I've come across some pretty stupid claims too (i.e. it has an antibacterial effect only on 'bad' gut bacteria and leaves the 'good' alone - like it's actually got the capacity to recognise each kind and make smart decisions about what it's going to do).

Any thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. would be much appreciated. I'd like to make this work - not fond of the idea of valcyte messing up my liver, or being dependent on my GP for how much I'm allowed to use and when - but I don't want to make myself sicker either. Thanks in advance.

(By the way, I have a daily regime of vitamins, herbs and minerals that basically allows me to function, but my CFS story would take a long time to tell - and I imagine you've heard similar stories from many others here. I started typing it up once in the 'introduce yourself' area of the forum and it accidentally got deleted before I finished. Maybe I'll try again sometime LOL.)
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
Hi Sushi, thank you. That is one of the threads I found through a Google, which initially brought me here; and since it's 5 or 6 years old, I was wondering if anyone might be able to add something new. I think many of the people in that thread were taking mild doses for health-enhancing effects, but not necessarily in an attempt to eliminate a virus. One person began to document the beginning of their regime but didn't continue with posting. I'm wondering, particularly, if there might be a way to mitigate the low blood pressure effects. I've researched some herbs, but am not sure any of them will work to address the problem when it's a side-effect from something else, as opposed to an endogenous problem.
 

ahmo

Senior Member
Messages
4,805
Location
Northcoast NSW, Australia
Olive leaf extract was the thing that knocked out my herpes. I used a pharma antiviral for a couple weeks, until I reacted to it, and then went to olive leaf. OLE is also an excellent antioxidant. I don't know how to deal with blood pressure, but for brain fog, you might use bicarb baths or footbaths to help detox. I use coffee enemas, link in my signature, to support liver and eliminate toxins. Here's an info site I came across. Might not be new to you.
 

Rlman

Senior Member
Messages
389
Location
Toronto, Canada
sounds like you're getting a herx from the OLE. So its probably killing off something. Don't know how to stop low BP but licorice raises BP so you can try taking it at the same time. Licorice is also anti viral. I took liquid Barlean's OLE for a few days at high dose but felt nothing. Another member called JAM ( i think) wrote a lot about her experience about a year ago, she got big reactions.
 

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
Yes, there are newer threads on OLE I think. @JAM if she's still posting may be able to help.
As regards blood pressure have you considered Orthostatic Intolerance?
And welcome to PR.
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
Thanks for all the info; various things to look into here when I have a bit more time. I used to take liquorice extract and it helped me a lot (as many adrenal fatigue types of supplements have); when I tried to take it again recently, I discovered I don't react to it in the same way anymore and it made me feel pretty bad. Nothing seems to be predictable with this condition!

I know everyone is different, but Ahmo - just out of curiosity, how long do you reckon it took to get rid of the herpes, and what dose of olive leaf extract were you taking?
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
Since I've started this thread, I will continue to update it. I've carried on with one capsule a day and the effects are no longer as dramatic as they were, but are still enough to give me cause for concern about needing to increase the dosage significantly, even if I do it over time - mainly overstimulation of my system, causing sleep problems amongst other things, and stomach upset (I have a probiotic I can take to mitigate antibiotic effects, but I'm not sure that's the main cause of the upset). I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.

There's a frustratingly small amount of information about this on the internet. I will follow up some of the info kindly offered on this thread over the next few days and see if I can find anything that seems relevant to my particular situation. Cheers.
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
I'm feeling worse today; headache and stomach ache are the main problems, though I still have the thing going on with my heart - occasional pain there making the headache worse (though the palpitations have mostly died down since the first capsule I took).

There's no way I'll be able to take more than one capsule a day any time soon. The one I'm taking is bothering me enough. I doubt if I'm having a herx reaction from a dose that low, but it would be helpful to know; it would mean the difference between riding out the symptoms in the knowledge that they will get better, and being stupidly stubborn with a supplement that my body can't handle. I guess for now all I can do is stick with it and see if there are any more changes.
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
I couldn't get on with the olive leaf extract I was taking; just the one capsule was making me feel bad. However, not one to give up on such a promising prospect, I decided to try a different brand before admitting defeat.

I have just started taking Swanson's super-strength olive leaf extract (750mg per capsule, 20% oleuropein) and though it's early days, I am not experiencing the same troublesome symptoms - at least, not to the same degree. I may be able to work up to the dose I want to regularly take - 3 capsules a day - very soon. This is quite a relief. Sourcing herbs and herbal extracts can be quite hit-and-miss because they're not standardised; the variety of herb, the way it's grown and processed, the other ingredients added to the final product, all can create different effects. Hopefully I've found something that works for me now. If anything changes, I'll post again.
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
That's certainly how I felt with the first brand I tried. This one I seem to be OK with, though the high dose will take some getting used to. I remember someone else writing the opposite - that it was the Swanson OLE that gave them gastrointestinal problems. Horses for courses maybe.
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
Unfortunately I've come to the conclusion that I will need to stop taking the olive leaf extract. It's overstimulating my system and aggravating a few of my symptoms to the point where they are unmanageable, particularly depressive feelings and a disrupted sleep cycle where I get drop-down sleepy in the evening and come wide awake in the middle of the night, which leaves me feeling jet-lagged all the time. I've tried lowering the dose, but in order to cope with day-to-day stuff I really think I'll just have to stop. It's a shame, because there have been benefits too; at first the OLE got rid of symptoms of a cold that had been trying to go full-blown, and gave me an energy boost (which was pretty well negated over time by the overstimulation, leaving me feeling zombie-like). I still don't know if my CFS has a viral element to it; it always seems to be guesswork with this. My next move will be to have an MRI and then see if my doctor is still willing to put me on a trial of valcyte. If that doesn't work either . . . maybe it will be time to get back to viewing the CFS as a part of life and just dealing with the symptoms as best I can.
 

Violeta

Senior Member
Messages
2,895
I get relief and unfortunately symptoms too from olive leaf, but lomatium causes only improvement. I take that with echinacea and then added in an astragalus formula. Don't give up.

I wouldn't throw away the olive leaf extract, though, just take it only occasionally. It's a very potent antioxidant. Look at this study and all the studies down the sidebar.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23394606
 
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Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
Hi Violeta, thanks for your post. No plans to throw away the OLE for sure; during the first few days I took it (the Swanson brand, that is), I really liked the way it seemed to get rid of my nascent cold and give me energy - enough to clean my daughter's room, which was a hugely daunting task, I can tell you! It made a nice change not getting the usual fatigue symptoms while I was doing that. In fact, I was raring to go, whereas I'm usually sitting on the sofa downstairs mentally going over what I have to get done but don't feel up to doing. All great, though of course my hope was that I could get on with the OLE long-term and hopefully see some permanent improvement. But it will be handy to keep around just the same.

I've never heard of lomatium; a Google shows me that it's a herb in the parsley family. Can you tell me more about how it's used for CFS, or perhaps post a link?
 

Violeta

Senior Member
Messages
2,895
Hi @Kitsune, Ha, I know what you mean about sitting on the sofa going over what needs to be done but not feeling well enough to do it. It feels so good when you can get some cleaning done, for sure it is one of my new high points in life.

I take the lomatium for viruses, I actually bought if for my husband who was having herpes simplex outbreaks last spring. I thought I would try it because taking the OLE every day was too strong, actually even causing nose bleeds. I can't remember what I read about it, though, except that I looked up what Buhner has to say about it, and he considers it something that should only be taken two weeks at a time.

I also have cistus incanus loose leaf tea. That actually helps my chronic fatigue more that the lomatium, but I don't always feel like drinking the tea. I am making myself a promise right now to start drinking it again today. It's not too bad tasting, but it's not actually good tasting.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Just a quick post without reading all the others - examine.com is a good site for finding lots of info about supplements, herbs, etc. Here is their page about OLE.
 

Kitsune

Senior Member
Messages
136
MeSci - thanks for the link x

Violeta - Yes it's wonderful to be able to get up and clean, isn't it. Unfortunately at the moment I'm back to sitting on the sofa feeling frustrated about what I don't feel up to doing (i.e. mowing the grass) - though hopefully it's just down to the effects of coming off the OLE and trying to reach an equilibrium again.

I've been reading some positive things about lomatium. Can I ask what form you take it in (i.e. liquid extract, pill?) and the dose? Any particular ingredient that's important (like oleuropein in the OLE)?
 

Violeta

Senior Member
Messages
2,895
Bummer, yes, and I'm having my second day in a row of feeling not like moving.

I take a tincture made by Michael Cottingham, who makes his own and often sells them at a very good price. I found him on facebook, he had been writing information at a Lyme forum.

I don't know what exactly the particular ingredient of lomatium is, but if I find it I'll be back with it.

This is the most comprehensive information I've ever seen about it, even gives a dosage. It's interesting about combining it with elderberry and gum weed.

https://www.beneficialbotanicals.com/tincture-information/lomatium.html