I've used natural medicine for many years. Over the years I've always paid close attention to any mention of herbal medicine or nutrition. I heard someone talking about the olive tree on a religious program once. I don't think he was promoting it as a healing agent, just something about it being mentioned frequently in the Bible and all of the uses the Olive tree has. He mentioned the leaf as a herbal remedy for colds and such among other uses for the fruit and the tree. If I remember right, he was more involved with the value of the oil for cooking and it's alleged health benefits if used instead of shortening. It didn't pay that much attention, but the mention of the leaf stuck in my mind. I saw some olive leaf extract powder advertised on a website a few years ago while I was ordering some other bulk dietary supplemenhts I use and decided to order a small quantity as it was reasonably priced. Then one night I woke up in the middle of my night with a wheezing cough and sore throat starting. This is the symptoms that usually signals a cold for me (I have a really strong constitution and colds are mostly a major nusiance for me, I never get laid up by one, just fatigued and a bit achy). I didn't want to put up with a cold at that time since my work load was extrememlly heavy and I decided to try the Olive leaf. I took about a teaspoon full and mixed it with a small amount of water to swallow and chase with a full glass of water, my usual way of taking powdered herbs and nutirtionals. This is a mistake with olive leaf ... you cannot believe how vile the powder tastes. After recovering, I threw the rest of it out (taste was really bad. I mean really, really bad). About mid day, I realized that I had woken up with no symptoms and that I was feeling more energetic than I had been for a few days. I wasn't sure that the Olive leaf was responsible, but I bought some capsules and tried it again the next time I had a cold symptom and it worked again. It's worked every single time I have used it over the past few years, for almost anything. Over the past six or eight months I've heard some people on talk shows talking about it and I think it is gaining in popularity.