SCIENCE MEETS SPIRIT · PUBLIC HEALTH · HEALTH & WELLNESS
Olive oil is not a wellness hack. It is an ancestral inheritance — one of the oldest medicines on earth, carried across continents, pressed into scripture, and passed down through the hands of healers, cooks, and spiritual practitioners for more than six thousand years.
Long before it appeared on grocery store shelves in sleek dark bottles, olive oil was anointing the heads of kings, sealing wounds on battlefields, and moisturizing the skin of women in North Africa and the Levant. It was burned in temple lamps, offered to ancestors, and used to prepare the bodies of the dead for their transition. Its presence in the ancient world was not accidental — it was sacred.
Today, modern science is catching up to what our ancestors already knew. The research on olive oil’s impact on heart health, brain function, inflammation, and skin is among the most robust in nutritional medicine. This guide explores olive oil not as a trend, but as a tradition — one that belongs to all of us who have inherited the wisdom of communities that have always understood that food is medicine, and medicine is sacred.
The Sacred History: Olive Oil Across Africa, the Mediterranean, and Scripture
The olive tree — Olea europaea — is native to the Mediterranean basin and parts of North Africa, regions where African, Middle Eastern, and European civilizations have intersected for millennia. Ancient Egyptians used olive oil in the embalming process, in cosmetic preparations, and as fuel for sacred lamps. Olive branches were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The oil was not incidental to daily life — it was woven into the rituals of birth, death, healing, and worship.
In Hebrew scripture, olive oil appears more than 140 times. It was the oil used to anoint priests and kings — the word “Messiah” itself derives from the Hebrew mashiach, meaning “anointed one.” In the New Testament, the disciples anointed the sick with oil. In Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: “Use olive oil as food and as ointment, for it comes from a blessed tree.” Across the Abrahamic traditions, olive oil was not merely functional — it was understood as a vessel of divine blessing.
In North and East Africa — in Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco — olive oil has been used for centuries in hair care, skin moisturizing, and wound healing. Berber women of North Africa passed down olive oil beauty rituals across generations. Ethiopian Orthodox traditions incorporate anointing with oil as a sacrament of healing.
When we reach for olive oil today, we are reaching across thousands of years of ancestral practice. That is not a small thing. That is a lineage.
What Science Confirms: Heart, Brain, and Body
Modern research has spent decades investigating what Mediterranean and North African communities have practiced for millennia — and the findings are consistent. Olive oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, is one of the most studied foods in nutritional science, and its benefits are wide-ranging — standing alongside other Mediterranean staples like the deeply pigmented grapes grown in the same soil, whose nutritional powerhouse of polyphenols tells a similar story of ancestral wisdom vindicated by modern science.
What the Research Shows
- Heart health: Olive oil is rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that lowers LDL (harmful) cholesterol while preserving HDL (protective) cholesterol. Studies consistently link regular olive oil consumption to reduced rates of heart disease and stroke.
- Brain health: Oleocanthal, a polyphenol in extra virgin olive oil, has been shown to help clear amyloid plaques — one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Emerging research suggests olive oil may be one of the most powerful dietary tools for protecting cognitive function.
- Anti-inflammatory action: Olive oil contains more than 30 phenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation is at the root of most modern diseases — diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune conditions among them.
- Antimicrobial properties: The polyphenols in olive oil have demonstrated antimicrobial activity against harmful bacteria, including Helicobacter pylori, which is linked to stomach ulcers and gastric cancer.
- Blood sugar regulation: Olive oil slows the absorption of glucose after meals, helping to moderate post-meal blood sugar spikes — particularly relevant for communities managing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
The science is not new. What is new is our culture’s willingness to finally call it what our ancestors always knew it was: medicine.
Ancestral Beauty: Olive Oil for Skin, Hair, and Nails
Across North Africa and the Mediterranean, olive oil has been a cornerstone of beauty practice for thousands of years. Cleopatra is said to have used it on her skin. Berber women of Morocco and Algeria incorporated it into hair treatments passed down through generations. It was not a luxury — it was knowledge, freely shared within communities that understood the body as sacred.
For melanin-rich skin, olive oil offers particular benefits. Its vitamin E content and antioxidant profile help protect skin from oxidative stress, support elasticity, and soothe conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. As a carrier oil, it dilutes essential oils safely and helps them absorb deeply into the skin.
Practical Ancestral Beauty Uses
- Deep skin moisturizer: Apply a few drops to damp skin after bathing to seal in moisture — particularly effective for dry elbows, knees, and heels
- Hair and scalp treatment: Warm olive oil applied to the scalp and hair before washing strengthens strands, reduces breakage, and soothes a dry scalp — a practice used by North African and Mediterranean women for centuries
- Cuticle and nail care: Massage into cuticles nightly to hydrate and strengthen
- Natural makeup remover: Gentle enough for the eye area, effective against waterproof formulas
- DIY body scrub: Mix with raw cane sugar and a few drops of citrus essential oil for an exfoliating, brightening scrub rooted in ancestral beauty traditions
- Carrier oil for aromatherapy blends: Dilute frankincense, lavender, or myrrh in olive oil for anointing and body rituals
When we tend to our bodies with olive oil, we are not following a trend. We are continuing a practice of self-care that predates the modern beauty industry by thousands of years.
The Sacred Pour: Olive Oil in Spiritual and Ceremonial Practice
In many African diasporic spiritual traditions — including Yoruba, Vodou, Candomblé, and Hoodoo — oil is understood as a conductor of spiritual energy. It is used to anoint the body before prayer, to dress candles for ritual work, to consecrate sacred objects, and to clear spaces of stagnant or harmful energy. Olive oil, with its deep scriptural roots and cross-cultural sacred history, is one of the most widely used anointing oils across these traditions.
In Hoodoo and rootwork traditions rooted in the American South and deeply connected to West African spiritual practice, olive oil is used as a base for condition oils — blended with herbs, roots, and intentions to draw love, protection, abundance, or healing. The act of anointing is understood as a physical prayer, an embodied intention. This connection between ancestral wisdom and physical healing is also explored in our writing on epigenetics and ancestral memory.
Ways to Work with Olive Oil Spiritually
- Morning anointing: Place a small amount on the fingertips and anoint the crown, forehead, throat, and heart while setting an intention for the day
- Candle dressing: Dress a candle with olive oil — applying from wick to base to draw something toward you, or from base to wick to release or send something away
- Protection ritual: Anoint door thresholds and windowsills with olive oil to create a protective boundary around your home
- Ancestor altar offering: A small dish of olive oil placed on your ancestor altar is a traditional offering in many diasporic spiritual practices
- Bath ritual: Add olive oil to a ritual bath along with herbs, flowers, and prayer to cleanse the energetic body
Whether your spiritual practice is rooted in scripture, in African tradition, or in a personal relationship with the sacred, olive oil is a bridge — between the physical and the spiritual, between the ancient and the present.
A Note on How We Hold This
Herbal and spiritual knowledge — hoodoo, rootwork, Santería, Vodoun, or any other lineage carried down through generations — is cultural memory and historical record, offered here for its cultural, historical, and educational significance, not as instruction toward harm. A tool does not choose what it is used for. Ubuntu Village does not support or endorse using any tool, herbal or otherwise, toward ill intent against another person. When harm is done, it is done by the practitioner’s choice, not by the practice or tradition itself — the same way a blade is not blamed for a wound.
Cooking with Intention: Olive Oil as Food Medicine
In communities across the African diaspora and the Mediterranean world, cooking has never been separated from care. The act of preparing food for someone — selecting ingredients with attention, seasoning with knowledge, cooking with love — is itself a healing practice. Olive oil belongs at the center of that tradition.
Extra virgin olive oil is best used at low to medium heat to preserve its polyphenols and nutritional integrity. At high temperatures, its beneficial compounds begin to degrade. For high-heat cooking, use refined olive oil or another ancestral fat such as coconut oil or ghee. Reserve your best extra virgin oil for dressings, finishing drizzles, and raw applications — where its full nutritional and flavor profile remains intact.
Intentional Kitchen Uses
- Finishing drizzle: Over soups, stews, roasted vegetables, or grain bowls — adds flavor and boosts absorption of fat-soluble nutrients
- Herb-infused oil: Steep rosemary, thyme, garlic, or chili in olive oil for a week to create a deeply flavored, medicinal cooking oil
- Salad dressings: Whisk with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and dijon for a liver-supportive, anti-inflammatory dressing
- Bread dipping: A bowl of quality olive oil with dukkah (an Egyptian nut and spice blend) honors the North African roots of this ingredient
- Morning ritual: A tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil taken on an empty stomach in the morning is a traditional practice in Mediterranean communities, associated with digestive support and anti-inflammatory benefit
When we cook with olive oil, we are not just adding a fat to a pan. We are participating in a practice of nourishment that stretches back to the ancient world. That intention matters. It changes the energy of what we create.
How to Choose and Store Olive Oil
Not all olive oil is equal. The market is flooded with products labeled “olive oil” that are diluted with cheaper refined oils or have been stored so long that their polyphenols have degraded. Choosing well is an act of respect for the tradition — and for your body.
What to Look For
- Extra virgin designation: The highest quality grade; cold-pressed without heat or chemicals, retaining the most polyphenols and flavor
- Harvest date: Look for a harvest date, not just a best-by date — fresher is better. Aim for oil pressed within the last 12–18 months
- Dark glass bottle: Light degrades olive oil rapidly; dark glass or tin containers protect it
- Single-origin sourcing: Oils from Greece, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, Italy, or California with named estates tend to be more traceable and authentic
- Peppery finish: Quality extra virgin olive oil has a slight peppery bite at the back of the throat — that sensation is oleocanthal, one of its most potent anti-inflammatory compounds
How to Store It
- Store away from heat, light, and air — a cool, dark pantry or cupboard is ideal
- Never store next to the stove or on a sunny countertop
- Use within 12 months of the harvest date and within 6 weeks of opening for peak flavor and nutrition
- Keep separate bottles for cooking and for ritual or beauty use
References + Related Reading
- Healthline — 11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil
- Eating Well — Is Olive Oil Healthy?
- US News Health — What Is the Healthiest Olive Oil?
- Ubuntu Village — What the Brain Remembers: Dementia, Ancestral Aging & the Village That Protects It
- Ubuntu Village — Healing with Essential Oils
- Ubuntu Village — Medicine of the Senses: The Complete Guide to Ancestral Healing
Community is the medicine.
Olive oil is ancestral inheritance — carried across continents and pressed into scripture. Ubuntu Village carries forward the wisdom our communities have always held: that food is sacred, and healing is communal.
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Michele Mitchell is the Founder, President & CEO of Ubuntu Village Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with programs in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. A writer, advocate, and community strategist working at the intersection of ancestral wisdom, public health, and community power, Michele leads Ubuntu Village’s work to center communities as the protagonists of their own healing. She writes from the conviction that science and spirit are complementary, that healing is relational, and that community is the medicine. Read more about Michele, or connect with her on LinkedIn.