Oregano

As a member of the Mint Family, Oregano is an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic and more.  It can relieve pain, kill germs and help fight cancer!  Find out how and why!  

Music composed and performed by V. Karaitis

Transcript

Hey!  Thanks for listening!  I’m Chris Wagenti, and this is Who Gets It, Naturally.  Music was composed and performed by V. Karaitis.  I’m not selling anything, diagnosing anything; offering any cures or replacing your doctor.  I’m just sharing my passion for natural products.  If you’re pregnant, please consult your doctor before trying anything new.  Everyone is different so you may need to tweak the recipes a bit to work for you.  Always start with the least amount of essential oils…you can always add, you can’t take away.  Remember, these remedies don’t last forever, you need to reapply as needed.  If you are allergic to any of the ingredients I use, please substitute for something you’re not allergic to.  Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to it.

I have to apologize again for sounding so rough.  Ragweed pollen has been soo over the top.  Eventually I’ll find something that helps minimize the effects allergens have on my voice.  

Today I want to talk about Oregano.  If you looked at the picture for this episode you may have said, “Why did she use a picture of Peppermint for an episode called Oregano?”  As you can see by the similarities, Oregano is in the Mint family.  Fresh Italian Oregano, which is pictured, closely resembles Peppermint.  Note I said “Italian Oregano.” Like all other plants, there’s a wide variety of Oregano…Italian, Mexican, Greek, Cuban, Syrian, Golden and common to name a few.  It’s mostly grown in the Mediterranean area, and is used heavily in Greek and Italian cuisine, but it is native in other areas.  In the UK, the common form of the plant is called Oregano and Marjoram.  These are 2 different herbs, however, both are in the Mint family, and are close cousins.  Marjoram is sweeter and milder than Oregano.  Oregano is more pungent and spicy.  

You can trace the use of Oregano back to the Assyrians in 3000 BC.  

Oregano originated on the mountainsides of Greece. That’s where it gets its name from, the Greek words oros and ganos, literally meaning “mountain joy”.   They believed the goddess Aphrodite created it.  The Greeks and Romans used it for health and medicinal purposes.  It was used to cure headaches, as an antidote for poison, to sooth insect and scorpion bites (I wish I knew this 6 years ago), and to relieve respiratory issues, among other things.  

According to Sally’s Organics.com, article can be found at www.sallysorganics.com/oregano-2/oregano-history/  QUOTE:  “Oregano wasn’t only used for medicinal purposes though. It also has many traditional uses in ancient cultures. For example, during Roman and Greek wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom would be crowned with laurels that included oregano. During the middle ages, oregano had a magical and spiritual following. It was planted around tombs and graves so that the deceased could rest in peace. The leaves were often carried as good luck charms and used in magic spells geared towards achieving happiness and tranquility. It was also a common plant to grow around homes to protect them from evil. It also became a more common food ingredient because it was one of the only spices that was easy to obtain.

The Romans can be credited with planting oregano throughout their empire as it grew, introducing it to new areas such as Northern Africa. It was during the Medieval period that oregano made its way to China, most likely through the spice road. It was quickly embraced as a medicinal herb and was used to relieve fevers, vomiting, diarrhea and itchy skin. The English were the first to use oregano as an additive to snuff.

It may come as a surprise that oregano was not a common herb in the United States until the first half of the 20th century. Soldiers coming home from World War I had developed a taste for the herb after experiencing it throughout Europe. With the pizza boom of the 1940s and 1950s, oregano found a permanent spot on spice racks throughout American homes.”  END QUOTE   Ok, I have to call this out… this is an exact quote from the website.  However, American troops didn’t bring it back with them until World War II.

More than 50% of Oregano Oil consists of phenolic compounds, mostly carvacrol and thymol.  Sound familiar?  Other constituents of Oregano are rosmarinic acid, tannins, flavonoids and triterpenes.  It also contains iron, vitamins, calcium, copper, niacin, magnesium and thiamine. 

Some properties of Oregano are anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, anti-cancer, insect repellent, analgesic.  These properties alone make it useful for so many different things.  Antiviral means it can help relieve cold and flu symptoms, some digestive issues, skin issues.  Anti-inflammatory means it can help ease pain of arthritis, fibromyalgia, muscle sprains, etc.  This is why I mention them.  Hopefully, as you continue listening to each episode, you build the understanding and recognition of some of the science-y stuff that explains how this stuff works and can start to pick up uses just by hearing its properties and or prevalent compounds.  For instance, have you noticed that just about all Mints are anti-inflammatories?  Why?  Because a common component of Mints is carvacrol.  Since they all have different amounts of carvacrol, the amount of relief they offer will differ.  Like, when you and your best friend have the same symptoms, but what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for the other.   This is one reason why.  Maybe you just need a little bit of carvacrol, Oregano has too much in it for you, so Basil works better.  Understanding what makes the herbs work helps you cut down on all the options you have.  That’s why I say to start with your favorite scents, or eliminate the ones you know you don’t like.  That’s a starting point and can narrow the playing field more than you’d think.  Don’t like the scent of Oregano?  Then you can eliminate anything with a high carvacrol content, since that is what gives Oregano its warm, pungent odor.  Find other herbs with high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-osteoclastic and anti-diabetic properties.  Sounds daunting, but one of the great things about essential oils is that you can mix and match.  You can also go with oils that have a few of the same properties, at lower levels, but then just increase the amount you use.  It really is easier than it sounds.

 Oregano has been used to treat fungal infections, including foot fungus and nail fungus; treat colds; prevent food born illnesses; it’s a natural preservative; reduces infections; can help reduce cholesterol; lowers blood sugar levels; eases allergy symptoms; helps relieve breathing issues caused by cough, asthma, nasal congestion and bronchitis; alleviates sore throat symptoms; reduces menstrual cramps, and other muscle aches; and so much more.

Research is being done on using Oregano Extract and Oregano Essential Oil as natural food preservatives. 

As an herb, Oregano enhances more than just pizza and pasta sauce.  It’s great with chicken, seafood, beef, beans, pesto.  It’s a great addition to salad dressing.  Unlike other herbs and spices, fresh Oregano is not as strong as dried Oregano.  The drying process intensifies the aroma and helps it reach its most intense flavors.  If you do use dried Oregano, crush it up before adding it to release its flavors and aroma.  

You can use Oregano Essential Oil to cook with, as long as it’s therapeutic grade, just remember, a very little bit goes a long way.  You truly only need a little bit.  I have cooked with Oregano Essential Oil…I used a toothpick dipped in the essential oil and stirred it in the sauce.  It’s a lot harder to cook with…it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right amount.  

Fresh Oregano can be stored if need be.  You can put it in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel to store in the fridge; put the stems in a glass of water and loosely cover it with a plastic bag; you can chop the leaves, put them in an ice cube tray, fill the tray with purified water and freeze them.  When you need some fresh Oregano, take an ice cube out of the freezer, let it melt and you have fresh Oregano any time of the year!  (you can do this with any herb)  

Dried Oregano should be stored in an air-tight glass container and kept in a cool dry spot.  

Does Oregano have any negatives?  Yes.  You can be allergic to it, especially if you are allergic to mint, basil, sage, lavender, marjoram or anything else in the Mint family.  The essential oil can irritate your skin, like all other essential oils.  Use a carrier oil.  You shouldn’t use Oregano supplements if you are taking blood thinners such as Warfarin, heparin or aspirin.  Double check with your health care provider before rubbing a bunch of Oregano Essential Oil into your skin, too.  Since it can lower blood sugar, you may not want to take Oregano supplements or use a lot of the essential oil if you’re on any anti-diabetic medications like insulin.  Always check for contraindications with your health care provider.

Oregano Essential Oil’s main compounds are Carvacrol and Thymol.  This gives it strong antifungal, anti-oxidant and antibacterial properties.  Oregano Essential Oil is a great option if you’re looking to fight bacteria (add it to your homemade cleaning supplies or add it to your diet to help relieve Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth); treat fungal infections like thrush, yeast infections and athlete’s foot; reduce oxidation which can relieve stress, arthritis, atherosclerosis and some cancers; reduce inflammation; heal wounds like cuts and scrapes; repel insects; relieve pain; help promote weight loss; aid digestion; and it’s an anti-parasitic.  Although you can use it to repel fleas safely around dogs, you probably shouldn’t feed it to them.  Check with your vet.  But it will help eliminate human parasites like roundworms and tapeworms.

My favorite recipe for using Oregano Essential Oil is Turn Two, my anti-itch hand sanitizer.  If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, it relieves itching from everything from sunburn to poison ivy.  It’s what I used to get rid of the rash I got when I tried Lactaid.  It instantly stopped the itching and soothed my skin.  

Quick recap of the recipe – for a 4 ounce amber Boston Round with a sprayer cap, drop about ½ teaspoon of vodka in the bottle, then add 10 drops each of Frankincense and Oregano Essential Oils and 20 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil, swish the bottle a bit to mix, then add about 3 to 3 ½ ounces of Witch Hazel.  Tighten the cap and shake.  You can increase or decrease the amounts according to the size of the bottle.  For an 8 ounce bottle, multiply the ingredients by 2.  For a 2 ounce bottle, divide the ingredients by 2.  The 2 ounce bottles are great to keep in your purse, or your car.  

You can add Oregano Essential Oil to your laundry detergent, dish detergent and other cleaning supplies to add some antiviral/antimicrobial cleaning power.  

Have acne, or dry scalp?  Add some Oregano Essential oil to your face wash, body wash, shampoo and conditioner.  

Achy muscles?  Add some Oregano Essential Oil to some Jojoba Oil and massage into the achy areas.  

Diffuse it in a diffuser or on a cotton ball.  Spray Turn Two to freshen the air in your home, car or office.  It’ll disinfect the area as well.  One of the girls in work came in, then got sick.  She ended up leaving, but was at her desk for a bit.  My manager mentioned disinfecting her area, but knew she has sensitivities to some smells.  I said, “I’ve got just the thing!”  I went to my car & got my bottle of Turn Two and sprayed it all over her cubicle.  I disinfected her area without the harsh smell of Lysol or Clorox.  The other girls enjoyed the scent! 

When I’m driving, if my nose starts to get stuffed, I’ll spray some Turn Two into my hands, hold my hands over my nose & mouth and inhale.  It does so much!  The Frankincense, Oregano and Peppermint are a triple threat!  It clears my sinuses, gives me a burst of energy and stimulates the brain a bit.  Plus, I know I’m helping my body with all the antiviral, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antioxidant and antifungal power packed in each spray.  

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email me at vobyjypsee@usa.com, or send a text from the podcast… You can follow me on X and Instagram … @vobyjypsee; or LinkedIn…search either Chris Wagenti, Who Gets It, Naturally or Voice Overs by Jypsee.  Please download this episode, and make Who Gets It, Naturally a favorite on your preferred channel so you don’t miss an episode.

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