Oregano

Overview:

One of Italy’s most cherished spices and one you yourself are likely quite familiar with is oregano. Oregano is a flavorful herb belonging to the mint family which is known for its robust taste and aromatic qualities. It’s native to the Mediterranean region but is now cultivated and used worldwide typically for culinary purposes. But you may not have known that oregano is great for a number of health related applications which we will highlight here.

History:

Oregano is a herb from the mint, or Lamiaceae family. People have used it for thousands of years to add flavor to dishes and to treat health conditions. It features in the Mediterranean diet. The Greeks and Romans associated oregano with joy and happiness. The name comes from the Greek words “oros,” meaning mountain, and “ganos,” meaning joy.

There are different types of oregano. The most common type is Oregano vulgare, also known as Spanish thyme and wild marjoram.
People use oregano in the diet as supplements and as an aromatic oil. The antioxidants thymol, carvacrol, limonene, terpinene, ocimene, and caryophyllene give the herb its flavor and scent. They also contribute to the health benefits of oregano oil. Oregano provides other antioxidants when people consume it in the diet.

Extended Information and Mechanisms of Benefits:

Overview:

People around the Mediterranean region have used oregano for centuries in herbal medicine to treat many ailments, including:

skins sores
aching muscles
asthma
cramping
diarrhea
indigestion
colds
to boost overall health

Scientists need to do more research to confirm the benefits of using oregano, but there is some evidence that it could help:

fight bacteria
relieve inflammation
regulate blood sugar and lipids
fight cancer

Oregano and other herbs provide antioxidants. Dietary antioxidants help the body eliminate free radicals, which are toxic substances that result from natural processes and environmental stresses. A buildup of free radicals can trigger oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can lead to cell damage that may result in various diseases, including cancer and diabetes.

Antibacterial

The main components of oregano essential oil are carvacrol and thymol. These may have antimicrobial properties. In a 2019 laboratory study, carvacrol and thymol prevented various strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria from developing in meat and dairy products, suggesting that it could help control bacterial growth in foods.

Amid growing concerns about diseases becoming resistant to antibiotics, researchers carried out lab tests to investigate the effects of oregano oil on various microbes that do not respond to other drugs. The oil showed “significant antibacterial activity” against 11 such microbes. This suggests that substances in oregano could play a role in fighting diseases that no longer respond to antibiotics.

Prevention of Cancer

Some of the ingredients in oregano may have anticancer properties. Scientists have found evidence that extracts may help prevent DNA damage in cells due to oxidative stress, radiation, and mitogens, a type of protein that can cause unwanted cell division.

Researchers have also found evidence that carvacrol and thymol may prevent melanoma cells from growing and skin cancer from spreading.

While eating oregano by itself is unlikely to prevent cancer, a varied, plant-based diet that is rich in antioxidants may help prevent cell changes that can lead to cancer.

Anti-Viral Effects

In addition to fighting off bacteria, some test-tube studies have found that oregano and its components may also protect against some viruses. In particular, carvacrol and thymol are two compounds in oregano that have been associated with antiviral properties.

In one test-tube study, carvacrol inactivated norovirus, a viral infection that causes diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain, within one hour of treatment.

Another test-tube study found that thymol and carvacrol inactivated 90% of the herpes simplex virus within just one hour

Anti-Inflammatory

Inflammation is a normal immune response that occurs as a result of illness or injury. However, chronic inflammation is believed to contribute to the development of diseases like heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune conditions.

Oregano is rich in antioxidants, which can help neutralize free radicals and reduce inflammation. It also contains compounds like carvacrol that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. In one animal study, carvacrol reduced swelling in the paws of mice by up to 57%.

Another animal study showed that a mixture of thyme and oregano essential oils reduced the number of inflammatory markers in mice with colitis, or an inflamed colon

Anti-Parasitic

It has also been found that oregano exhibits strong anti-parasitic properties. In 2000, a study found oregano oil to be heavily effective in fighting parasites.

The study claimed: Oil of Mediterranean oregano Oreganum vulgare was orally administered to 14 adult patients whose stools tested positive for enteric parasites, Blastocystis hominis, Entamoeba hartmanni and Endolimax nana. After 6 weeks of supplementation with 600 mg emulsified oil of oregano daily, there was complete disappearance of Entamoeba hartmanni (four cases), Endolimax nana (one case), and Blastocystis hominis in eight cases. Also, Blastocystis hominis scores declined in three additional cases. Gastrointestinal symptoms improved in seven of the 11 patients who had tested positive for Blastocystis hominis.

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