Extra-virgin olive oil
Polyphenol-rich fat whose oleocanthal inhibits COX enzymes the way ibuprofen does.
Targets: Inflammation
A bench candidate, not currently in the drink — the best-evidenced anti-inflammatory fat we’re tracking for a future revision.
Use extra-virgin specifically: the polyphenols and the anti-inflammatory compound oleocanthal are largely stripped out of refined olive oil. A peppery sting at the back of the throat is the rough marker of a high-oleocanthal oil. Oleocanthal inhibits the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes — the same targets as ibuprofen — and in controlled feeding trials, diets supplemented with EVOO lowered circulating inflammatory markers (IL-6, hs-CRP, TNF-α).
It would slot in as a creamy fat (≈1 tbsp), where it also helps absorb the fat-soluble actives from other ingredients (e.g. curcumin from turmeric). The fair caveat: the human evidence is mostly biomarker-level and sits inside an overall Mediterranean pattern — a sound, low-risk fat, not a drug.
In the recipe
Not in the current recipe — a bench candidate we're tracking for a future revision.