Heartburn

by Maryke
(Johannesburg)

I used to take the tincture and found that it gave me dreadful heartburn. I read about the pros & cons of taking caps and note that tincture may be better, so just wanted to know what caused the heartburn?

Such a great website,

Thank you!!

Answer:

Hi Maryke,

To be honest this is the first time I have heard of olive leaf extract causing heartburn, in fact, it is on record for preventing acid reflux from the stomach with the accompanying symptoms of heartburn.

Most probably in your case, alcohol is a trigger for heartburn, as it is for a lot of people.

For you, a capsule or a glycerol-based tincture would be a better option. I am sure if you tried these you would have no problem with heartburn, and they may give you relief from other incidences of heartburn as well.

I would suggest you try a fairly mild capsule, either containing only good quality olive leaf or a mixture of olive leaf and olive leaf extract.

I would be very interested to know if this fixes the problem. If you do give it a try, please let me know.

Thank you for your contribution.



Comments for Heartburn

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Olive leaf &heartburn
by: Anonymous

Question:

I have taken pure olive leaf extract on &off for years whenever feeling low, tired or just not well with great results. Then a year ago I started having heartburn symptoms which gradually increased to severe and I am now on medication for it. After a while I was only taking medication on a needs basis as the heartburn was going away. I thought it might be food related, onion in particular. I have had a bad cold recently and was not picking up so decided to go back on olive leaf. After the first dose I started to feel the heartburn returning but did not associate the two. Next day I had olive leaf (pure extract unflavoured) again and the heartburn returned in its full horror. Then it occurred to me that the heartburn returned with resuming the olive leaf. I am disappointed, does this now mean I can't take olive leaf, what is a better alternative?

Answer:

I would suggest taking Oregano oil or Echinacea if the heartburn is Olive-leaf related.
Echinacea seems to work well for some people - not me. If that is you as well, the Oregano oil can be very effective.
Olive Leaf Extract Super Strength 750 MG
by: Lefty

I have been taking this for about 1 month now.
I have suffered from Acid reflux long before taking it. I have been getting heart burn a lot lately but will continue to take it.
When you people post you should state how long you have taken it. My acid Reflux has not been a problem, just heart burn. There is a difference.

If I plan on eating certain things that affects my Reflux I take a Prilosec 1-2 hours before eating. Crazy thing is,I don't get Heart burn for two days. When I was younger I always had heart burn and consumed a lot of Tums. I still take some once in a while.
I think once I have been taking this for 6 months I will be much better off. I take one 750 MG a day with the 20% Oleuropein. One thing to note: I have a hiatal hernia which I have had since i was 20. I am now 60.
Raspberry flavour
by: Anonymous

Thanks so much for your response.

It was actually Rasberry flavor.

I'm so upset as I was really looking forward to taking it on a regular basis as it seems so beneficial for your health.

I'm on medication now from the doctor, and taking gaviscon has helped to sooth and let the area and inflammation heal. It's around day 11 and its a dull ache now, thankfully the intense burn has gone.

Thanks for your suggestion might look at tablet form or in tea as well once I have no more pain and the area is completely healed internally.

Thanks again xx
response to July 16th entry
by: Anonymous

To the woman who wrote in on July 16th: Was it the peppermint flavoured one? I found I got heartburn with that but not with regular. Apparently peppermint can relax the muscle in your oesophagus that causes heartburn. I also found making tea from the leaves was fine. Good luck!
Intense Heartburn
by: Anonymous

I have experienced quite severe heart burn to the point where I have been to see a doctor and now am on medication for it.

I have never had heartburn in my life and this is quite intense.

The only thing it has been put down to by my doctor is olive leaf extract as I had taken it in liquid form 4 days prior and this was the absolute only thing that was changed in my diet & lifestyle and after 30 years of never having heartburn even during 2 pregnancies, it was the only thing that was introduced and that my doctor had put it down to - after a complete heart and health check.

I obviously stopped taking it, which is a shame as I was looking forward to the health benefits of the product.

Just wanted to share my experience as if I had read and known that this might have been a side effect for me knowing the excruciating pain that comes with intense heartburn I would have perhaps looked at the capsules instead.

Btw it's now been 8 days and I still have the heartburn.

Thanks xx
Heartburn
by: Donna

I am on ppi's for acid reflux. I could not handle the extra heartburn on an empty stomach so I'm now taking it with food every other day, still some heartburn but I'm biting the bullet.

Thanks for the feedback.
Keep in touch and let us know how it works out for you.
Terence
Burning in the throat
by: Mary

I have been taking a liquid Olive Leaf Complex (Comvita) from time to time to ward off colds and flu and on the odd occasion I find that it 'burns' or catches in my throat when I swallow it. When this happens I get an irritation in the back of my mouth right at the top of my throat that causes me to cough and clear my throat continuously for about 15-25 minutes after swallowing until the irritation finally subsides. Both my husband and sister have experienced the same problem taking this product... its not every time though...sometimes we can take it without this happening. Olive leaf doesn't cause me heartburn, indigestion or any other gut problem at all, only the burn straight after swallowing. Could it be just that particular brand of olive leaf?

Suggestion:
If you try a capsule form it should solve the problem. I will try to get some feedback from the manufacturer in the mean time.
More on the Heartburn
by: Anonymous

Today I tried mixing the olive leaf complex into water (one tablespoon of the olive leaf) and making sure I ate at the same time but the same thing happened - for the rest of the day and evening I felt an uncomfortable burning sensation at what I am guessing is the bottom of my esophagus . I dont normally get heart burn so am guessing this is what it is.

So bummed, as I want to take this for all the benefits, but not at the cost of damaging my esophagus!

Thanks

Suggestion:
Why not try olive leaf tea or capsules? If you take between meals it may not cause reflux and there should be no acid in your stomach.
If it works, please let us know.
This will need looking into.
by: Terence

Judging from these comments, this is not as uncommon a problem as I thought.
I will do some investigation and look for a solution which I will post here.

Thank you for the contribution and watch this space.

-------------------------------------------

Some light on the subject:

I contacted Barleans concerning acid reflux.

They were most helpful, saying that the cause could be the peppermint oil used as flavouring.
This is an excerpt from their reply.

"Peppermint is a smooth muscle relaxant, so the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach--which is already loose in acid reflux sufferers--begins to open further when the peppermint oil comes along and the heartburn and reflux begins.
Many people avoid this by diluting the serving of OLC in a container of water or tea. But if it can't be avoided we would recommend to stop the product."

While the vast majority of people can take flavoured or unflavoured olive leaf liquid, reflux apparently does happen on occasion with unflavoured olive leaf products as well, and I have had reports of other brands causing a burning sensation in the throat which I did not then attribute to acid reflux but am having second thoughts now.

I do know that olive leaf extract relieves diarrhoea caused by gut infections and have read that it has anti-spasmodic properties which would concur with this. It may be possible then that the olive leaf extract itself in a strong enough form could also result in acid reflux in some people as it passes down the oesophagus.
This may be the case with the originator of the heartburn question and not the ethanol.
In this case a capsule may be a more appropriate dosage form to try as a last resort. It will only begin to act as it passes from the stomach further down the G.I. tract.
Olive leaf gave me heartburn
by: Anonymous

Hi

I have been taking Barleans olive leaf complex for only 2 days but I too am experiencing a burning pain in the chest that feels like heartburn. After I take the olive leaf it lasts the rest of the day. I dont normally get heartburn.
The Barleans is not alcohol based.

I am disappointed as I really want the benefits of the olive leaf complex.
Heartburn when taking olive leaf extract
by: Marga

The olive leaf extract I am having is one of the finest available in the market -no added alcohol, and is somehow causing me acid indigestion. I would like to know why? I am worried that I may not be able to continue taking it!

Answer:

Hi Marga,
I assume this is a glycerine tincture.
I'll need to know a few more details before trying to figure this out.
1. Do you normally have acid indigestion, and are you sure that is what it is?
2. Do you have a stomach ulcer or helicobacter pylori infection?
3. Any other problems with digestion, sluggish bowel, constipation?
4. Are you on any other medication?

I'm not a doctor but there may be an obvious reason. If you would prefer to answer on the "contact us" link that is fine.

Regards

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