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.)
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.)