Every family has spurious remedies for this, that and the other, passed down from some ancient aunt.  They swear by them but others dismiss them as mere old wive’s tales.

By definition an old wive’s tale is a spurious truth or a superstition generally passed down the maternal side of the family from mother to daughter. But what if it turns out that a supposed old wive’s tale works or has some truth to it? Perhaps previous generations knew that certain remedies worked, they knew they worked through generational experience. To us we look at non-conventional treatments and we are mostly conditioned to dismiss the majority of them but maybe, just maybe, there is some truth to them. Maybe, just maybe they are not old wive’s tales at all but natural remedies that work.

Our generation has a great interest in getting back to basics. We are starting to shun chemical based or enhanced products in favour of purely natural ingredients. We also now have the ability and the knowledge to scientifically test whether something really works or not and to what extent it works.

The traditional natural beauty industry is booming. One example can be seen in the use of olive based products. It is said that Cleopatra of Ancient Egypt used olive oil to condition her skin some 2000 years ago. It has continuously been used to a greater or lesser extent ever since and has recently seen a real renaissance in the products available.

Olive oil claims to be a good skin moisturizer, cleanser and anti-bacterial agent. It is considered a cure for  seborrheic dermatitis, acne, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. It was also claimed by Ancient Greeks to be a good muscle relaxant when used by a good masseuse. 

People are no longer willing to take claims at face value and so olive oil has undergone many scientific studies to try to validate its believed benefits. In essence trying to shake off even the smallest doubt that they may just be an old wive’s tale.

The studies do seem to collaborate some of the claims made. Laboratory tests show that they contain high levels of the antioxidant, hydroxytyrosol, a very rare and extremely potent polyphenol compound, a good anti-inflammatory. It has also been proven to be a very good water barrier.

The market for olive oil based products is booming based on the new scientific evidence. However, not all products are equal. Some of the larger companies may not be able to produce such potent products on such a large scale. Companies such as Olea Essence based round the Sea Of Galilee are very attractive to consumers because they provide authenticity, people when buying natural beauty products will pay more for these products. They also produce on a smaller scale with an emphasis on making sure that the products are as potent and well blended as possible. This is all backed up by laboratory research and testing, reassuring the user that not only is the product safe but ultimately it works.

It is now time to stop dismissing old wive’s tales on principle and start trying to prove their validity using the great scientific knowledge that we have.