Olive Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Olive (Olea europaea) is a long-lived evergreen tree of the olive family, Oleaceae, native to the Mediterranean basin and grown there for oil and fruit for at least 6,000 years, with ancient groves in Spain, Italy, Greece and the Levant. It grows 8-15 m with a gnarled, twisted trunk and narrow, leathery leaves that are grey-green above and silvery beneath, so the canopy shimmers in wind. Small, fragrant cream flowers are followed by the familiar green-to-black drupes. The leaves are bitter and astringent. We extract the dried leaf.