Olive
Complete exhaustion after a long stretch of real effort
What it feels like
You are deeply, thoroughly tired, and you have earned it. A long illness, a run of night feeds, months of caring for a parent, a project that ate the year. Sleep does not fix it any more. Things you normally enjoy feel like too much effort, not because you have lost interest but because there is nothing left to spend. Small tasks take twice as long. You may find yourself crying at things that would not normally touch you, purely because you are empty. This is not the reluctance of a Monday morning. This is the tiredness of a battery at nothing.
Signs you might need it
- You are exhausted after a genuinely long or hard stretch
- Sleep no longer leaves you feeling recovered
- Everyday tasks take much more out of you than they should
- Things you usually enjoy feel like too much effort
- You are tearful simply because you are so tired
- You have been through illness, caring or long strain
What it helps with
Strength starts coming back, and rest starts working again. People describe it as feeling restored rather than energized, which is what real tiredness actually needs.
Not to be confused with
Hornbeam, which is tiredness before the effort rather than after it, and lifts once you get going. Oak is the person who is just as exhausted but refuses to stop, so the two are often taken together.
Those who have suffered much mentally or physically and are so exhausted and weary that they feel they have no more strength to make any effort. Daily life is hard work for them, without pleasure.
The plant
One of the few remedy plants that does not grow wild in Britain. Bach prepared it in Italy, from a tree that fruits on dry stony ground and lives for centuries, giving something back long after most plants would have failed.
How to take it
The usual way is two drops from the stock bottle into a small glass of water, sipped through the day. If you are mixing several remedies, put two drops of each into a 30ml bottle of spring water and take four drops from that, four times a day.
There is no need to time it around meals, and you can take it as often as you like. Most people give it two weeks before deciding whether it is doing anything. The full guide to taking them covers mixing bottles, timing and the alcohol question.
Often mixed up with Olive
Often taken alongside
Blends that include Olive
Combinations mixed for a situation rather than for a person. Each one is shown with the reason Olive is in it.
Common questions
These are about Olive. The questions about the remedies in general, alcohol, children, timing, live in the FAQ.
Is Olive good for burnout?
It is the closest match in the system for exhaustion that follows a long hard stretch. People describe feeling restored rather than energized, which is what real tiredness actually needs. It sits alongside rest and being looked after.
What is the difference between Olive and Hornbeam?
Timing. Hornbeam is tired at the thought of the day and usually perks up once started. Olive is tired because of what has already happened, and starting does not help. If both are true, taking them together is common.
Can I take Olive while recovering from illness?
It is one of the most commonly chosen remedies during convalescence, for that flattened feeling in the weeks after being unwell. It is gentle enough to take alongside anything else you are doing while your strength comes back.
Not sure Olive is the one?
Choosing works by recognizing yourself in a description, so if this one only half fits, it is worth seeing what else comes up. The quiz narrows all 38 in about a minute, and the not fully here group holds the nearest neighbors.
Where to buy Olive
Bach remedies are widely stocked. If you are buying online, check the bottle says Olive and comes in the standard 20ml stock size.
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