Olive Leaf Extract Cause Cytokine Storm?

by Scott
(Sweetwater, Texas)

Question:

I have MS and suffered a severe EBV infection in 1999.
I have heard Olive Leaf outright kills germs, but I have also heard warnings about it ramping up the immune system to a Cytokine Storm especially in the Lungs. Anybody have a response about this. Thanks from Texas.

Answer:

I have never had feedback about olive Leaf extract doing this.

This I believe would tend to happen more with immune boosters than with olive leaf extract as it targets the pathogen rather than the immune system. (It does also stimulate phagocytosis but does not appear to cause a cytokine storm).

Olive leaf extract has often been very effective in alleviating persistent chest infections, which is where phagocytosis occurs to a large extent.
In fact olive leaf extract is safer to use with an overactive immune system than the immune boosters, and has even be given to HIV + and AIDS patients.

You would probably be wise, if you decide to take olive leaf extract, to start off with weak olive leaf tea or pure organic olive leaf capsules, not olive leaf extract capsules. If you experience more than a normal mild herxheimer reaction when taking a low dosage, it would be better to leave it alone or take it under the supervision of a health care professional.