Examining of Nutritional and Remedial Properties of Olive in Quran, Hadiths, Traditional and Modern Medicine

Olive (Olea europaea), a species in the family of Oleaceae, is one of the fruits that grows in the Mediterranean region, central Asia and some parts of Africa. Annual production of this fruit is about 17.4 million tons in the world. With scientific development in various fields in recent years, new medical and nutritional properties of olive have been discovered. It was found that many of demonstrated properties of this fruit in modern science have already been pointed out in the Quran, narrations and hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and Imams (AS). Olive generally is effective in the treatment of stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal diseases, hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bone fractures and osteoporosis, cutaneous diseases, stimulation of urination, prevention of hair loss and reduction of inflammation and fever.
In this study, medical properties of olive were investigated in the Quran, hadiths, traditional medicine as well as recent scientific researches (2000 - 2016). All ethical issues were observed. Moreover, the authors did not report conflict of interest.
Along with the recommendations of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (s), Imams and traditional medicine about the consumption of olive, findings of recent studies also indicate that this fruit is effective in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancers of colon, skin, prostate, breast, uterine and ovarian, diabetes, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases such as Down syndrome. Anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties also reported for olive.
The findings of this research can be an effective step confirming the scientific aspects of the Quran and narratives of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and Imams (AS), especially in the case of fruits like olive.