This is a continuation of the interview with Mr ManHon Shiew, CEO, CreAgri International on OLIVA Forte. You can read the 1st & 2nd parts of the interview here, here and on Mr ManHon here.
MarcieMom: What are the ingredients of Oliva Forte? I’ve read that allergy to olive is uncommon but are there additives used in Oliva Forte that parents ought to be aware of?
ManHon: There are several different products under the OLIVA Forte umbrella – ESSENCE, EASEFLEX and ENCHANT. ESSENCE contains pure HIDROX®, whilst EASEFLEX is made up of HIDROX® and Glucosamine for joint health and ENCHANT is formulated with HIDROX® and Alpha Lipoic Acid for skin health and whitening effect. There are no other additives that should worry anyone. If a person is not allergic to olives, glucosamine or alpha lipoic acid, he can safely consume OLIVA forte. For parents who are thinking of giving OLIVA forte to their children, they should consider ESSENCE, since it is the purest form with no additives.
MarcieMom: Can you share with us if CreAgri controls the manufacturing process of Oliva Forte or is this part of the value chain handled by another party that purchases HIDROX® from CreAgri?
ManHon: As you know by now, CreAgri controls the manufacturing process and parameters of HIDROX®. Product formulations using HIDROX® are also developed by CreAgri. The actual production of finished products is contracted to external factories. These factories execute production based on parameters set by CreAgri.
Marcie Mom: Specifically on HIDROX®, it is made of the polyphenol known as hydroxytyrosol which has strong anti-inflammatory properties. It works by inhibiting nitric oxide and and prostaglandin which are pro-inflammatory compounds, protect against the damaging effects of free radicals and also aids reduction of ‘bad cholesterol’. Versus directly eating olives, it contains higher antioxidant effects as antioxidants are lost in the processing of olives for sale (see here for more FAQ).
I noted in your website that clinical trials for skin orders that include eczema have been conducted but the sample size is 10 patients. Are there other trials of a larger sample size?
ManHon: You must be referring to the small trial conducted by Prof Fujio Numano from the Tokyo Vascular Institute. In addition to that, I like to draw your attention to a larger trial with more than 100 patients conducted by Arizona State University. More significantly is that this larger study was a double blinded placebo control trial. The results from this study confirm the anti-inflammatory properties of HIDROX®.
Marcie Mom: There are various product ranges in Oliva Forte – which one is recommended for children with eczema? What is the dosage recommended for children? And given that it is a very potent antioxidant, is there a need to take precautions when taking Oliva Forte? Is there certain food to take with Oliva Forte to ensure it can be better absorbed into the body? What is the difference between taking Oliva Forte and taking HIDROX®? Can Oliva Forte be used as olive oil, e.g. in bath, removal of cradle cap?
ManHon: Let me first get the easy part of your question out the way. OLIVA Forte is formulated for consumption (ingestion) as capsule or in its natural liquid form. It is not suitable to be use topically as a bath additive or to remove cradle cap.
Now that we have clarified that, we recommend OLIVA Forte ESSENCE liquid for children with eczema. This allows parents to conveniently feed even young children who are not able to swallow capsules. The liquid can be dropped into their favorite juices or just plain water. The natural olive flavour will remind children of their pizza with olive toppings! The dosage for children below 6 years is 0.5mL TWICE a day whilst those above 6 (including adults) are recommended to take 1ml TWICE daily. If the child is able to swallow capsules without problem, the equivalent is for them to take OLIVA Forte ESSENCE capsules. One capsule is the bio equivalent of 1mL of liquid.
HIDROX® is an ambiphilic molecule which means it is soluble in water as well as fat. This means you can consume OLIVA Forte either with or without food. CreAgri has conducted bioavailability studies (absorption) to show that HIDROX® is absorbed within minutes into the blood stream. This makes OLIVA Forte a highly versatile product with proven efficacy for eczema and other inflammatory conditions.
You can find out more about HIDROX® and see the organic farm in California including the Integrale Process in this video on CreAgri’s YouTube channel.
Marcie Mom: Thanks ManHon for being patient with me and answering all my questions on Olive Forte, it’s always a pleasure to meet a company that is open about its products. p.s. to readers of eczemablues.com, I didn’t receive any money from Steward Cross, CreAgri or Oliva Forte for this interview.