Left the ibuprofen tablets at the holiday villa? Then just drizzle a modest dose of oleocanthal over the avocado and rocket salad and take your medicine the Mediterranean way. For US researchers have identified an anti-inflammatory agent in extra virgin olive oil.

Gary Beauchamp, of the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, and colleagues, report in Nature today that they have identified a hitherto unknown compound, oleocanthal, that inhibits a set of enzymes called cyclooxygenase, and acts as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent.

He made the discovery at an olive oil tasting in Sicily, when he felt a sudden irritation at the back of his throat.

"I had considerable experience swallowing, and being stung in the back of the throat, by ibuprofen from previous studies on its sensory properties," Dr Beauchamp said. "So when I tasted newly-pressed olive oil while attending a meeting on molecular gastronomy, I was startled to notice that the throat sensations were virtually identical."

The scientists found the anti-inflammatory potency of extra virgin olive oil was directly related to the levels of the chemical they named oleocanthal.