All these days we are very much habituated to Green teas, Lemon teas, and Black teas. Now, Indian desert state Rajasthan is all set to be the path-breaker, as the same is about to launch India’s first Olive tea.

This tea is brewed from olive leaves, talking about the same, the State Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini said the “The Olive Tea” will be launched “very soon” by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

“The process has been completed and we will launch it as soon as we get time from the chief minister. It will be the first time in the country and the world that a green tea alternative will be produced out of olive leaves,” he said.

Back in 2007, the state started cultivating olives in collaboration with Israel and now the state cultivates them on 5,000 hectares, the minister said. “And we have made a lot of progress since then. An olive refinery is operational in the state at Bikaner, also the country’s first. We have also begun production of olive honey,” said the minister.

Talking about the health benefits of the Olive tea, the minister added, “I am a Ph.D. in Agriculture myself, and I knew olive leaves have several health benefits. So I decided to get some study and lab testing done about it.”

Saini showed several papers with findings of the lab studies, referring to the lab test, conducted in July, he confirmed the presence of several antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and other such substances in the olive leaves. One of the substances found was Luteolin. “Experiments with Luteolin show that it suppresses bacteria-induced inflammation. Luteolin is an oxygen scavenger,” the report read.

According to him, the lab tests confirmed the presence of “such strong anti-oxidant” in olive leaves that they can help prevent cancer oriented diseases like blood cancer, prostate cancer, and ovaries cancer. “It will medically benefit those who suffer from mental stress, cardiac disease. It has anti-inflammatory properties as well,” said Saini.

The Olitia, The Olive Tea, the packet also claims it has zero caffeine, builds immunity, fight fatigue and has anti-aging properties. Saini said the “olive green tea” will come in multiple flavors which are in vogue these days like exotic, lemon and mint. “We are trying to diversify and produces other flavors like ginger, Tulsi etc, we have received proposals from various countries including the UK, the USA and from the Gulf, that they want to sign MoUs in this regard,” he concluded.

Post this, the Agricultural minister has said that 66 per cent of “our state has arid or semi-arid climatic conditions. But we are among the leaders in the country as far as agricultural innovation is concerned thanks to the chief minister, scientists, officials and the people”.

Well, it looks like a good motive, however, the marketing diversity and its success depends on both taste and benefits.

Talking about the major benefits of the Olive tea:

1. Protection against colon, breast and skin cancer: With abundant phenolic antioxidants as well as the anti-cancer compounds squalene and terpenoid they help in balancing the metabolism. They also contain high levels of the monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, which reduces excessive inflammation.

2. Good for the heart: The oil contains biophenols, which suppress the oxidization of LDL which has been shown to play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

3. Helps in Pain reduction: Containing a compound called oleocanthal it acts as strong anti-inflammatory properties, mimicking the action of ibuprofen.

4. Protect from ulcers: Olive has a great many antimicrobial properties which may help to combat the bacteria responsible for causing stomach ulcers. Studies have shown their high levels of polyphenols protect against eight strains of ulcer-causing bacteria.

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