Olive Leaf Extract for Blood Pressure: What the Research Shows

A closer look at whether this olive tree compound can actually move the needle on blood pressure.

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By the Ration Editorial Team · Reviewed against primary research · Updated July 14, 2026

Olive leaf extract comes from the leaves of the olive tree, the same plant that gives us olive oil and table olives.

The leaves contain a concentrated dose of polyphenols, especially a compound called oleuropein.

Oleuropein and related compounds like hydroxytyrosol are thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory research.

People have used olive leaf tea and extracts for generations in Mediterranean folk medicine, often for circulation and general wellness.

Researchers think olive leaf polyphenols may support blood vessel function in a few ways.

• Improving the flexibility of blood vessel walls, which can ease resistance to blood flow
• Supporting nitric oxide activity, a molecule involved in relaxing blood vessels
• Reducing oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation, both linked to stiffer arteries over time
• Possibly offering mild diuretic effects, similar to some effects seen with potassium

None of these mechanisms are fully confirmed in humans, but they offer a plausible explanation for the blood pressure findings in clinical trials.

This is where olive leaf extract has its strongest data. Our database grades the evidence for lowering systolic blood pressure as an A, based on six sources.

• ↓Systolic Blood PressureAHuman trials

  Research may lower Systolic Blood Pressure · strong agreement · 6 studies

  View 5 studies on PubMed

  • Impact of phenolic-rich olive leaf extract on blood pressure, plasma lipids and inflammatory markers: a randomised controlled trial (2017)
  • Effects of a combination of olive leaf extract and potassium on blood pressure in participants with mild to moderate hypertension: A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (2026)
  • Efficacy of olive leaf extracts in controlling blood pressure in hypertensive patients: a double-blind randomized clinical trial (2025)
  • The effects of olive leaf extract on cardiovascular risk factors in the general adult population: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2022)
  • Health status, risk factors and effects of olive leaf extract infusion (Olea europaea L.) on blood pressure in a hypertensive population (2025)

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis pooling trials in prehypertensive and hypertensive adults found consistent reductions in blood pressure with olive leaf extract supplementation^[2].

An earlier 2022 meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials looked more broadly at cardiovascular risk factors in the general adult population and also found blood pressure benefits, alongside more modest or inconsistent effects on lipids^[5].

Individual randomized trials add more texture to the picture. A 2025 double-blind trial in hypertensive patients reported meaningful drops in blood pressure over the study period^[3].

A separate 2025 study looking at olive leaf extract infusion in a hypertensive population also observed improvements, though this was a more observational, health-status style analysis rather than a tightly controlled trial^[4].

A newer 2026 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial tested olive leaf extract combined with potassium in people with mild to moderate hypertension, and found the combination outperformed placebo^[1].

An older but frequently cited 2017 randomized controlled trial found that a phenolic-rich olive leaf extract lowered blood pressure and improved some inflammatory markers over several weeks, compared with a control group^[6].

Taken together, these studies span different populations, doses, and formulations, but they point in the same direction for systolic blood pressure. The effect sizes reported are generally modest, more comparable to a solid lifestyle change than to prescription medication.

The trials suggest the benefit is most visible in people who start out with elevated or high blood pressure.

• Adults with diagnosed mild to moderate hypertension^[1][3]
• People classified as prehypertensive, meaning blood pressure above normal but below the hypertension threshold^[2]
• General adult populations, where effects tend to be smaller and less consistent^[5]

People with normal, healthy blood pressure have not been the main focus of these trials, so it is unclear whether olive leaf extract offers much benefit if your numbers are already in a good range.

Olive leaf extract is sold as capsules, tablets, liquid tinctures, and dried leaf for tea or infusions.

Extracts are often standardized to a percentage of oleuropein content, commonly around 15 to 20 percent, though labeling varies by brand.

• Capsule or tablet doses in clinical trials have generally ranged from about 500 mg to 1,000 mg of extract per day
• Some trials use combination formulas, such as olive leaf extract paired with potassium^[1]
• Olive leaf tea or infusion is a lower dose, food based option studied in at least one population^[4]

There is no single agreed upon dose across the studies, and researchers have used varying formulations, which makes it hard to pin down one ideal amount.

Olive leaf extract has generally been well tolerated in the clinical trials conducted so far, with side effects reported as mild when they occur.

• Mild digestive upset in some participants
• Headache, reported occasionally
• Theoretical concern for people already on blood pressure medication, since combined effects could lower blood pressure further
• Limited long term safety data beyond the duration of these trials, which are mostly weeks to a few months long

Anyone currently managing blood pressure with medication, or dealing with a diagnosed cardiovascular condition, should loop in a healthcare provider before adding a new supplement, since interactions with blood pressure drugs are a reasonable concern.

Olive leaf extract has some of the more consistent supplement evidence for blood pressure support, with an A grade evidence rating across six sources in our database.

Multiple randomized trials and two separate meta-analyses point to modest reductions in systolic blood pressure, particularly in people who already have elevated readings^{[1][2][3][5][6]}.

It is not a replacement for prescribed treatment, and the effect sizes seen in trials are meaningful but not dramatic.

For someone looking for a food based, polyphenol rich addition to a broader blood pressure strategy, the current research is reasonably encouraging.