Rich golden-green extra virgin olive oil in a glass jug beside fresh olives on pale stone in warm Moroccan daylight

Dr Gundry Olive Oil: How It Compares on Origin and Polyphenols

By Yusuf Elsayed, Founder of Sidr & Stone · Last updated 4 June 2026

If you have come across Dr Gundry olive oil, you have probably seen the headline claim: a Moroccan extra virgin oil with "up to 30 times" more polyphenols than ordinary supermarket oil. It is one of the more talked-about bottles in the high-polyphenol category, sold by Gundry MD, the brand founded by the former cardiac surgeon Dr Steven Gundry. The questions most people actually have are simpler than the marketing: is it a genuinely good oil, what is verified versus claimed, and how does it compare with other single-origin oils? This article looks at all three, honestly and on the facts.

For our own oil, see our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil.

The Short Answer

  • Dr Gundry olive oil — sold as Gundry MD Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil — is a single-ingredient organic extra virgin olive oil sourced from desert olive groves in Morocco.
  • It is USDA organic certified, first cold-pressed, and described by the brand as third-party tested. Those are real strengths, and we will not pretend otherwise.
  • The headline "up to 30 times more polyphenols" is an "up to" claim, not a measured per-batch figure. Independent analysis reported by Olive Oil Times put the oil in the 561–612 ppm range — high, but a long way from "30 times" any specific oil.
  • Polyphenol content depends on olive variety, ripeness, harvest, pressing, and storage — it is not a single fixed number you can read off a slogan.
  • Sidr & Stone's olive oil is also Moroccan, but single-estate from one family grove near Marrakech: rain-fed, organically grown, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest.
  • The honest way to choose any olive oil is to look at origin, harvest, pressing, and what the producer is willing to verify — not the boldest number on the label.

Who Is Dr Gundry, and What Is Gundry MD Olive Oil?

Dr Steven Gundry is a former cardiac surgeon who became widely known for his books and his supplement company, Gundry MD. The brand sells a range of wellness products, and its olive oil — marketed as Gundry MD Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil — has become one of its most visible. The pitch is built around polyphenols, the family of plant compounds in olive oil that a substantial body of research has found genuinely interesting.

On the product facts, Gundry MD is clear and, in several respects, strong. The oil is a single ingredient — organic extra virgin olive oil, nothing else. It is USDA organic certified, which is a formal, audited certification and a genuine mark in its favour. It is first cold-pressed, and the brand states the oil is third-party tested. The olives are grown in Morocco, in dry desert conditions that the brand argues stress the trees into producing more polyphenols. We have no reason to dispute any of that, and we credit it openly.

Where the picture gets more nuanced is the headline number, and the gap between what is claimed in marketing and what an independent test actually measures. That is worth unpacking on its own.

Rows of olive trees growing in a dry sunlit Moroccan landscape with pale earth and distant hills under a clear sky

The Polyphenol Claim: What "Up to 30 Times More" Actually Means

Polyphenols are the reason this oil exists as a product, so they are worth understanding plainly. They are antioxidant compounds — hydroxytyrosol and oleocanthal among them — and the published research around them, particularly in the context of the Mediterranean diet, is one of the more substantial evidence bases in nutrition. The EU even carries a registered health claim for olive oil polyphenols protecting blood lipids from oxidative stress, which requires at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of oil. For the full picture, see our guide to olive oil polyphenols and the compounds that actually matter.

Now the claim. "Up to 30 times more polyphenols than conventional olive oil" is the line Gundry MD is best known for. The honest reading of any "up to" claim is that it describes a ceiling, not an average — and "conventional olive oil" is a moving baseline, since a tired, oxidised supermarket oil can be very low in polyphenols indeed. Against a weak enough comparison, large multiples are easy to reach.

It helps to look at an actual number. Analyses reported by Olive Oil Times placed Gundry MD's oil in the region of 561–612 ppm total phenols. That is a high-polyphenol oil by any fair standard, and we are happy to say so. But it is a measured figure in the hundreds of parts per million, which is a different thing from a marketing multiple. The useful takeaway is not "30 times" — it is that polyphenol content is real, variable, and best judged by a published figure rather than a slogan.

A glass beaker of vivid green-gold olive oil beside a pipette and a plain notebook on a clean pale laboratory surface in soft light

Origin and Method: Both Moroccan, but Not the Same Story

One genuinely interesting overlap is that Dr Gundry olive oil and Sidr & Stone olive oil are both Moroccan. Morocco has quietly become one of the more interesting single-origin olive regions, and the desert-stress argument Gundry MD makes — that harsher growing conditions can push polyphenol levels up — is a reasonable one, supported by the broader literature on how environmental stress affects olive chemistry.

The difference is in the specifics. Gundry MD describes its oil as coming from desert olive groves in Morocco. Sidr & Stone's oil comes from a single, named source: one family-owned grove on the plains outside Marrakech. The trees are rain-fed, taking only what the season gives them, and the grove is organically grown — without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides. The harvest is a single small batch each year, picked only when the season says the fruit is ready, sometimes weeks later than neighbouring farms.

Then there is the pressing. Our oil is cold-pressed within hours of harvest and bottled unfiltered, which keeps flavour, aroma, and polyphenols intact and may leave a little natural sediment in the bottle — normal, and a sign of minimal processing. We should also be honest about one thing: Sidr & Stone is organically grown but not USDA organic certified, where Gundry MD is. We describe our growing practices accurately rather than claim a certificate we do not hold. What we offer instead is single-estate traceability — you can read more about why single-estate origin and traceability matter — and a harvest small enough to know exactly where it came from.

A heap of freshly harvested green and purple olives beside a small dish of deep golden-green oil on a rustic stone surface in warm light

How to Choose a Quality Olive Oil

Whichever brand you are weighing up, the criteria that actually matter are the same, and none of them is the boldest number on the front of the bottle. A few worth holding onto:

  • Origin you can name. "Product of more than one country" tells you little. A single estate or a named region tells you a great deal.
  • A recent harvest. Olive oil is a fresh product, not a vintage one. Polyphenols and flavour fade with time, so a clear harvest date matters more than a best-before.
  • Genuine cold pressing. Extra virgin, cold-pressed, and unrefined — extracted mechanically without heat or chemistry.
  • Dark glass. Light degrades polyphenols, so protective packaging is not just presentation.
  • What the producer will verify. A published polyphenol figure, a certification, or clear sourcing — something checkable rather than a superlative.

For a fuller walkthrough, see our UK buyer's guide to choosing a quality olive oil. The short version: judge an oil on what its maker is willing to show you, not on the size of the claim.

A row of unbranded olive oil bottles of varied shapes and oil shades on a clean light shop shelf in soft daylight

Why Sidr & Stone

Sidr & Stone exists to do one simple thing well: sell honestly described, properly made natural products. Our olive oil is the second of those, and it is built on facts a reader can check rather than claims they have to take on faith.

  • Single-estate — one family-owned grove near Marrakech, Morocco; no blending across origins.
  • Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives.
  • Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides.
  • Single harvest — a small, limited batch; once the season's pressing is gone, it is gone until next year.
  • Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — flavour, aroma, and polyphenols preserved.
  • Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, may show natural sediment.
  • 100% natural — a single ingredient, nothing added.
  • Dark glass with a gold label — protective packaging against light.
  • Halal certified, with 10% of profits given to charity.
  • Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.

We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the very claim this article warns against. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — and that the evidence of that care is in the taste, the colour, and the season's small limited batch.

Sidr & Stone olive oil bottle in dark glass with gold label standing on pale stone beside fresh olives in warm directional daylight

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dr Gundry olive oil?

It is Gundry MD Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil, a single-ingredient organic extra virgin olive oil sourced from desert olive groves in Morocco and sold by Dr Steven Gundry's brand, Gundry MD. It is marketed primarily on its polyphenol content.

Is Dr Gundry olive oil really 30 times higher in polyphenols?

"Up to 30 times" is a ceiling claim measured against conventional olive oil, which can be very low in polyphenols. Independent analysis reported by Olive Oil Times placed the oil around 561–612 ppm total phenols — genuinely high, but not a fixed "30 times" any specific oil.

Is Gundry MD olive oil good quality?

On the verifiable facts it is a strong product: single ingredient, USDA organic certified, first cold-pressed, and described as third-party tested. Whether it suits you comes down to flavour preference, price, and how much the polyphenol angle matters to you.

Where is Dr Gundry olive oil from?

Morocco. The brand describes desert olive groves where dry conditions are said to raise polyphenol levels. Sidr & Stone's olive oil is also Moroccan, but single-estate from one named family grove near Marrakech.

How does Sidr & Stone olive oil compare?

Both are Moroccan extra virgin oils. The main differences are traceability and method: Sidr & Stone is single-estate, rain-fed, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, while Gundry MD holds USDA organic certification that we describe honestly as a genuine strength we do not currently match.

What should I look for in a high-polyphenol olive oil?

A named origin, a recent harvest date, genuine cold pressing, dark glass, and ideally a published polyphenol figure. Be cautious of large multiples quoted against an unnamed "conventional" baseline.

Can I buy Sidr & Stone olive oil now?

Our single-estate Marrakech olive oil is available to pre-order ahead of the first harvest, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US. It is a small limited batch, so quantities are finite.

Is olive oil a medicine?

No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.

Final Thoughts

Dr Gundry olive oil is a serious entry in the high-polyphenol category, and we have tried to treat it fairly: a single-ingredient, USDA organic certified, Moroccan extra virgin oil with a real polyphenol story behind it. Those are genuine strengths. The one piece of marketing worth holding lightly is the "up to 30 times" line — not because it is dishonest, but because an "up to" multiple against an unnamed baseline tells you less than a measured figure does.

The better habit, with any olive oil, is to ask what the producer will actually show you: where the olives grew, when they were picked, how the oil was pressed, and what is verified. Judge the bottle on that, and the marketing matters a good deal less.

Sidr & Stone's answer to those questions is a single grove near Marrakech, a rain-fed and organically grown harvest, and an oil cold-pressed within hours of picking. Our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil is available to pre-order now, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.

Sidr & Stone olive oil bottle in dark glass with gold label beside a small dish of deep golden-green oil on pale stone in soft daylight

Pre-Order Sidr & Stone Organic Marrakech Olive Oil — Limited First Harvest →

Disclaimer: This article describes Dr Gundry olive oil and Gundry MD's published product information at the time of writing; specifications, certifications, and brand practices may change, and readers should check current sources. Comparisons are made in good faith and in fair terms. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.

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