Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Immune Heart & Circulation Skin & Beauty

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African Wild Olive

Olea europaea africana

Also known as Wild Olive, African Olive, Umnquma (Zulu), Olienhout (Afrikaans), Mutlhwari

At a glance

Family

Oleaceae

Type

Evergreen tree

Parts used

Leaves (primarily), also bark and fruit

Size

Typically 8 to 15 feet as a garden tree, though old wild specimens can reach 30 feet or more

Bloom

Small, cream to white flowers in late spring to early summer, followed by small dark, olive-like fruit

Habitat

Woodlands, forest margins, riverbanks, and rocky hillsides across much of sub-Saharan Africa

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditionally supports immune resilience

Traditionally supports healthy circulation

Rich in antioxidant compounds

Traditionally soothing for skin

Traditional uses

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Long before the cultivated olive traveled the Mediterranean, its African cousin was already deeply woven into the herbal traditions of southern and eastern Africa. Communities including the Zulu and Xhosa have traditionally steeped the bitter, leathery leaves into teas and washes used as a general tonic and for easing fevers. The tree itself, slow growing and famously hardy, was also prized for its dense, tool-worthy wood and for fruit that birds and people alike have foraged for generations. Its close kinship to the olive that fills groves from Spain to Greece meant that as herbalism crossed continents, the two came to be used in strikingly similar ways.

Growing guide

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Sun

Full sun. This tree thrives in bright, open positions and will grow leggy and sparse in heavy shade.

Soil

Not fussy. It tolerates poor, rocky, or sandy soil so long as drainage is good, and it dislikes waterlogged roots.

Water

Drought tolerant once established. Water regularly for the first year or two, then let the tree largely fend for itself.

Planting

Grow from fresh seed (soak and nick the hard coat to help germination) or from semi-hardwood cuttings. It is slow to establish but very long lived, and makes a wonderful hedge, windbreak, or specimen tree once it settles in.

Fresh to dried

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Harvest

Because the tree is evergreen, leaves can be gathered any time of year. Choose mature, unblemished leaves and harvest lightly so the tree keeps its shade and shelter for wildlife.

Drying

Spread the leaves in a single layer somewhere warm, dry, and out of direct sun, turning occasionally, until they are crisp and easily crumbled, usually within a week or two.

Storage

Store dried, whole leaves in an airtight glass jar away from light and heat. They will keep their character for up to a year, though crumbling them just before use preserves the most flavor and potency.

Best forms

Dried leaf for tea and infusions is the most traditional and accessible form.

Traditional preparations

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Featured preparation

Wild Olive Leaf Tea

A bitter, herbaceous infusion traditionally taken as a gentle daily tonic.

How it's made. Steep 1 teaspoon of dried, crumbled leaves in 250 ml of just-boiled water for 10 minutes, then strain. Traditionally taken once daily, often sweetened lightly with honey to soften the bitterness.

Pairs well with

✦Hawthorn
✦Hibiscus
✦Lemon balm

Substitutes

✦European olive leaf (Olea europaea)
✦Green tea

Choose it when

“For a steady, bitter-green tonic carried down from the woodland traditions of Africa.”

Did you know?

African wild olive is not a separate species at all, but a subspecies of the very same tree, Olea europaea, that gives the world its cultivated olives and olive oil, just adapted over millennia to African woodlands rather than Mediterranean groves.

Safety

Olive leaf can lower blood pressure and blood sugar, so it may intensify the effects of medications for hypertension or diabetes.