Written by Tatyana Phelps, Managing Editor

Olive oil is an essential household item. It’s used for cooking, hair, and is often used as an anti-aging skincare product. How shocked would you be if you found out that olive oil can even be used as a cure for HIV and cancer?

If you’re having a difficult time believing this, it’s because you are right.

As hopeful as people are to find cures for HIV and cancer, unfortunately, olive oil is not one them. According to iflscience.com, 63-year-old Gilbert Deya has been giving people false hope that he has somehow developed a specialized formula of olive oil that can cure HIV and cancer. Apparently, Deya has been selling HIV and cancer victims “personally anointed” bottles of extra virgin olive oil, according to The Sun.

It’s actually pretty disgusting and inhumane that a man would give people the idea that by only using his “special” oil and no other oil, their illness will disappear. However, it isn’t completely ridiculous that it has been so easy for Deya to sell this idea to people.

According to IFLS, “Olive oil, key to the famous ‘Mediterranean diet,’ is rich in ‘healthy’ fats called monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to be beneficial for cholesterol levels and blood sugar. In addition, olive oil contains high levels of the antioxidant oleocanthal, which lab studies have shown can exert anticancer activities on cells in a dish.”

Oddly enough, Deya isn’t the first person to believe that olive oil is an all-healing substance. The Victorious Pentecostal Assembly sold concoctions of olive oil mixed with blackcurrant juice a few years ago, claiming that it could cure diseases such as HIV and cancer.

Although olive oil has all of these health benefits and great characteristics, this does not mean that this commonly used item can do something as huge as healing people with HIV or with cancer.

A cure is out there somewhere, but we can probably bet that it won’t be found in our kitchen cabinets.