Olive Tree Medicine Medicine from Our Ancient Elders

Emine Boyner is an herbalist, artist, and craftswoman from Turkiye, living in the Eagean coast town of Ayvalik, home to Olive trees hundreds and thousands of years old. Her partner, Ali Kursat, is a fifth-generation olive farmer and olive oil producer, working on ancestral lands and producing olives through traditional methods. Their lives are intertwined with these ancient trees, and Emine’s herbal work is also deeply nourished and supported by the Olives. The Olive tree is an ancient elder in the lands of Anatolia, Turkiye, and many other places. They are called the immortal tree due to their resilience and capacity to thrive in harsh conditions. They may be thousands of years old and still bear one of the most healing fruits on Earth. We will discuss both the medicinal gifts of the Olive tree for the human body (the olive oil, olive leaf and bark), the teachings of these ancestor trees, and their connection to indigenous cultures and their resistance to settler colonialism in different lands of the Earth.