Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is an herb that is a member of the mint family (Labiatae). It has been considered a precious plant commodity for over 2,500 years in folk medicines that originated across the globe.
It has a very long use in traditional medicine for treating colds, indigestion and upset stomachs.
You might have some experience cooking with fresh or dried oregano leaves — such as oregano spice, one of the top herbs for healing — but oregano essential oil is far from what you’d put in your pizza sauce.
Found in the Mediterranean, throughout many parts of Europe, and in South and Central Asia, medicinal grade oregano is distilled to extract the essential oil from the herb, which is where a high concentration of the herb’s active constituents are found. It takes over 1,000 pounds of wild oregano to produce just one pound of oregano essential oil, in fact.
The oil’s active ingredients are preserved in alcohol and used in essential oil form both topically (on the skin) and internally.
When made into a medicinal supplement or essential oil, oregano is often called “oil of oregano.” As mentioned above, oregano oil is a considered a natural alternative to prescription antibiotics.
Oil of oregano contains two powerful compounds called carvacrol and thymol, both of which have been shown in studies to have strong antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Oregano’s oil is primarily made of carvacrol, while studies show that the plant’s leaves contain a variety of antioxidant compounds, such as phenols, triterpenes, rosmarinic acid, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid.