By Zahid Ikram
THE OLIVE
A HEALTH-GIVING PLANT
سُوۡرَةُ النّحل
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
يُنۢبِتُ لَكُم بِهِ ٱلزَّرۡعَ وَٱلزَّيۡتُونَ
وَٱلنَّخِيلَ وَٱلۡأَعۡنَـٰبَ وَمِن ڪُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِۗ
إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَةً۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَڪَّرُونَ
(١١) ِ
And by it He makes
crops grow for you and olives and dates and
grapes and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a
Sign in that for people who reflect. (Quran, 16:11)
اسی پانی سے وہ تمہارے لیے کھیتی اور زیتون اور کھجور اور
انگور (اور بےشمار درخت) اُگاتا ہے۔ اور ہر طرح کے پھل
(پیدا کرتا ہے) غور کرنے والوں کے لیے اس میں (قدرتِ خدا
کی بڑی) نشانی ہے (۱۱)
One
of the foods to which attention is drawn in the Quran is
the olive. Research in recent years has revealed that
the olive is not just a delicious food but also
represents an important source of good health. In
addition to the olive itself, olive oil is also an
important source of nutrition. Attention is drawn to the
oil of the olive tree in these terms in the Quran:
سُوۡرَةُ النُّور
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ مَثَلُ
نُورِهِۦ كَمِشۡكَوٰةٍ۬ فِيہَا مِصۡبَاحٌۖ ٱلۡمِصۡبَاحُ
فِى زُجَاجَةٍۖ ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّہَا كَوۡكَبٌ۬
دُرِّىٌّ۬ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ۬ مُّبَـٰرَڪَةٍ۬
زَيۡتُونَةٍ۬ لَّا شَرۡقِيَّةٍ۬ وَلَا غَرۡبِيَّةٍ۬
يَكَادُ زَيۡتُہَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوۡ لَمۡ تَمۡسَسۡهُ
نَارٌ۬ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ۬ۗ يَہۡدِى ٱللَّهُ
لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَيَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ
ٱلۡأَمۡثَـٰلَ لِلنَّاسِۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ
عَلِيمٌ۬ (٣٥)
Allah is the
Light of the heavens and the earth. The metaphor of His
Light is that of a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp
inside a glass, the glass like a brilliant star, lit
from a blessed tree, an olive,
neither of the east nor of the west, its oil all but
giving off light even if no fire touches it. Light upon
Light. Allah guides to His Light whoever He wills and
Allah makes metaphors for mankind and Allah has
knowledge of all things. (Quran, 24:35)
خدا آسمانوں اور زمین کا نور ہے۔ اس کے
نور کی مثال ایسی ہے کہ گویا ایک طاق ہے جس میں چراغ ہے۔
اور چراغ ایک قندیل میں ہے۔ اور قندیل (ایسی صاف شفاف ہے
کہ) گویا موتی کا سا چمکتا ہوا تارہ ہے اس میں ایک مبارک
درخت کا تیل جلایا جاتا ہے (یعنی) زیتون کہ
نہ مشرق کی طرف ہے نہ مغرب کی طرف۔ (ایسا معلوم ہوتا ہے
کہ) اس کا تیل خواہ آگ اسے نہ بھی چھوئے جلنے کو تیار ہے
(پڑی) روشنی پر روشنی (ہو رہی ہے) خدا اپنے نور سے جس کو
چاہتا ہے سیدھی راہ دکھاتا ہے۔ اور خدا نے (جو مثالیں)
بیان فرماتا ہے (تو) لوگوں کے (سمجھانے کے) لئے اور خدا ہر
چیز سے واقف ہے (۳۵)
The expression "mubarakatin zaytoonatin"
in the above verse describes the olive as being
"plentiful, sacred, auspicious, providing countless
blessings." Olive oil, referred to in the term "zaytuha,"
is known as one of the most highly recommended types of
oil by all experts, especially for coronary and arterial
health. Its health benefits may be summarised as
follows:
Benefits for Coronary and Arterial
Health:
Most
of the fatty acids in olives and olive oil are
mono-unsaturated. Mono-unsaturated fatty acids do not
contain cholesterol. Therefore, olive oil does not raise
cholesterol levels but instead keeps them under control.
Olive oil also contains omega-6 linoleic acid (EFA:
essential fatty acid), which is essential for the human
body. Due to this feature, health-related bodies (such
as The World Health Organization) recommend that at
least 30% of the fatty acid consumed in societies in
which hardened artery and diabetes levels are high
should consist of omega-6. This increases the importance
of the olive still further.Scientific
Encyclopedia, 207
Studies in this area have revealed much
lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and higher antioxidant
levels in people who consume 25 millilitres (about two
dessertspoonfuls) of natural olive oil a day for one
week. European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2002, 56: 114-120
Antioxidants are important as they
neutralise the harmful substances in the body known as
free radicals and prevent cell damage. It has also been
established in a great many studies that the consumption
of olive oil reduces cholesterol levels and prevents
heart disease. Archives
of Internal Medicine 1998; 158: 1181-1187
Olive oil is also recommended for patients
with heart and artery disease since it reduces the level
of harmful cholesterol (LDL) in the bloodstream and
raises that of useful cholesterol (HDL).
Keys A, Menotti A, Karvonen MJ et
al., “The diet and 15-year death rate in the Seven
Countries Study,” Am J Epidemiol 124: 903-915 (1986);
Willett WC, “Diet and coronary heart disease,”
Monographs in Epidemiology and Biostatistics 15: 341-379
(1990); World Health Organization, “Diet, nutrition, and
the prevention of chronic diseases,” Report of a WHO
Study Group. WHO Technical Report Series 797, Geneva
1990
In countries with high occurrences of
heart and artery diseases, saturated fats with high
cholesterol content are generally consumed.
In
addition, olive oil does not disrupt the proportion of
omega-6 to that of omega-3. It is very important that omega-3 and omega-6 be
present in the body at specific levels because any
imbalance in these proportions can lead to progression
in many diseases, especially those of the heart and
immune system and cancer.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
For all these reasons, many people enjoy
good health thanks to olive oil. The
American Heart Association suggests
that in order to reduce the risk of heart disease high
mono-unsaturated fats can be an alternative to a 30%
reduced fat diet. Journal
of the American Heart Association, September 1999
Cancer Prevention
One study, published by The Archives of Internal
Medicine, showed that women who consume high levels of
mono-unsaturated fat have a lower risk of developing
breast cancer. Archives
of Internal Medicine 1998; 158: 41-45
Another study by scientists at the University at
Buffalo, The State University of New York demonstrated
that b-sitosterol, a fat found in vegetable oils such as
olive oil, helps prevent the formation of prostate
cancer cells. The researchers concluded that b-sitosterol
strengthens the internal communication system of the
cell that issues the command for the cells to divide and
that cancer can thus be prevented before cell division
reaches an uncontrollable level.
A recent study
by doctors at the University of Oxford has shown that
olive oil has a protective effect against intestinal
cancer. The doctors discovered that olive oil enters
into a reaction with stomach acid in order to prevent
intestinal cancer from beginning. At the same time, the
University of Oxford researchers also established that
olive oil reduces the level of bile and raises that of
DAO (the enzyme diamine oxidase), thus protecting
against abnormal cell growth and cancer. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999; 70: 1077-1082.
Prevention of Arthritis
According to researchers' reports, people who consume
large quantities of olive oil and cooked vegetables can
have a reduced risk of rheumatic arthritis, a chronic
inflammatory disease of the joints.
Olive Oil Assists Bone Development
The vitamins E, A, D and K contained in olive oil
are particularly important from the point of view of
assisting bone development in adults and children, and
in strengthening the bones by fixing calcium. It is also
recommended for the elderly as it is easily digested and
through its minerals, it assists with the use of
vitamins in the body. It also prevents calcium loss by
stimulating bone mineralization. Bones are the
organism's mineral structure storehouses and an absence
of mineral accumulation in the bones can lead to serious
complications such as bone softening. Olive oil has a
most beneficial effect on the skeleton in this regard.
Prevention of Aging
Since the vitamins contained in olive oil have a
cell renewing effect they are also employed in the
treatment of the elderly, as well as nourishing and
protecting the skin. As foodstuffs are transformed into
energy in our bodies, certain substances known as
oxidants are formed. With the high levels of
anti-oxidants it contains, olive oil prevents damage by
harmful substances, renews our cells and delays aging in
the tissues and organs. Olive oil is also rich in
vitamin E, which suppresses the free radicals that
destroy the cells in our bodies and cause aging.
Contribution to Child Development
Due to the linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid)
contained in olives and olive oil, these are a most
healthy food for newborn babies and growing children. A
deficiency in linoleic acid leads to the emergence of a
retardation of development in babyhood and various skin
disorders.
Olive oil contains anti-oxidant
elements that prevent the destructive effects of harmful
substances in our bodies, and fatty acids of great
importance to human health. These support the hormones
and assist in cell membrane formation.
Olive oil
possesses a balanced polyunsaturated compound at a
similar level to that in human milk. Olive oil is a
sufficient source of these fatty acids, which cannot be
obtained from the human body but which are of the most
essential importance to it. These factors make olive oil
very important for new-born babies.
Since it
contributes to the natural development of the baby's
brain and nervous system before and after birth, olive
oil is the only oil recommended for mothers by experts.
As well as containing similar levels of linoleic acid to
those of mother's milk, when olive oil is added to
fatless cow's milk, it becomes as natural a food source
as mother's milk itself.
Blood
Pressure Reduction
One study published
in the 27 March 2000 edition of Archives of Internal
Medicine once more stressed the beneficial effect of
olive oil on high blood pressure. Medicines to reduce
high blood pressure are also made from olive leaves.
Benefits for the Internal Organs
Whether consumed hot or cold, olive oil protects the
stomach against diseases such as gastritis and ulcers by
reducing gastric acid levels. Muammer
Kayahan, "Saglikli Yasam ve Zeytinyagi," (Healthy Life
and Olive Oil) Bilim Teknik Dergisi (Journal of Science
and Technology), April 1995, 48
In addition to this, by activating the bile, it makes it
perfect. It regulates the discharge of the gall bladder
and reduces the risk of bile stone formation. Moreover,
thanks to the chloride it contains, it also assists the
functioning of the liver and thus helps the body
eliminate waste products. In addition, it also has a
beneficial effect on the brain arteries.
On
account of all these properties, olive oil has attracted
considerable expert attention in recent years.
The Olive Tree World, www.olivetree.eat-online.net/framehealth.htm .