Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mimics Ibuprofen

Good news for lovers of extra virgin olive oil. Besides being delicious on salads, it also contains a compound that mimics the effects ibuprofen. Natural pain killers like extra virgin olive oil is one of the drug-free remedies that is just as effective in relieving pain without producing any side effects.

Olive oil has been found to contain a natural chemical which acts like the anti-inflammatory pain killer ibuprofen. The active ingredient in olive oil is oleocanthal which influences the same biochemical pathway as ibuprofen and other non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). A daily dose of 50g or 4 tablespoons of olive oil confers the equivalent of around 10% of the recommended ibuprofen dose for adult pain relief, says reserechers led by Paul Breslin of the Monell Chenical Senses Center in Philadelphia who discoverd the effect. The compound called olecanthal, acts in the same way as ibuprofen to stifle components of a pain pathway called the prostaglandin system. It may or may not cure your headache, but regular olive oil comsumption is expected to provide some of the long lasting benefits of ibuprofen.