Oil of Oregano

What is Oil of Oregano?

Oil of oregano is one of the most potent antiseptics known to man. Its anti-microbial properties have been thoroughly tested and it no microbe as proved a match for it. With man-made antiseptics there is a tendency for the microbes to build resistance, but this isn’t the case with oregano oil. It is so effective that in terms of its ability to kill a wide range of microbes, there is nothing better in either synthetic or natural medicine.

As the name suggests, oil of oregano is obtained from the oregano plant. But not all oregano plants are the same, and the medicinal quality oil is distilled from specific species of wild oregano, usually grown in the pristine mountains of the Mediterranean. As far as its antiseptic properties go, the medicinal variety of oregano bears no relation at all to the commercial oregano grown for food production. This point often causes a great deal of confusion.

The distillation process used to extract the oil is a special process that has been used for thousands of years. This particular method ensures that there is minimal alteration to the active ingredients, the main one being carvacrol. It takes approximately 200 pounds of oregano to produce just two pound of the oil.

Carvacrol is a type of phenol and is only found in a few herbs, most notably, oregano. Phenols are well known as being potent antiseptics and synthetic phenol, known carbolic acid, was the standard antiseptic in use for much of the 20th century.  Even as late as the 1950s, carbolic acid was used in hospitals to sterilize instruments prior to surgery.

Oil of oregano also contains a very small amount of thymol, which is another phenol. The oil contains less than 2% of this, so is completely safe for human consumption. Carvacrol and thymol work together and it is though that this is partly what makes this oil so potent.

What are the Benefits of Oil of Oregano?

As already mentioned, the main benefits of oil of oregano are its use as a very potent antiseptic.  Just on its own it has the ability to either kill or block the growth of almost any fungus. As well as this ability to halt the growth of fungus, it can also destroy parasites and viruses. It can also destroy or inhibit the growth of the majority of bacteria. According to research done at Georgetown University in 2004, it even kills antibiotic-resistant super-germs. And it does this without causing any bacterial resistance. This is something that even powerful pharmaceutical drugs are unable to do.

What are the Medicinal Uses of Oil of Oregano?

Once use that would appeal to many of today’s teenagers would be in the treatment of acne. While the exact cause of acne is still disputed, many cases of acne can be due to some kind of microbial overgrowth. This makes oregano oil an ideal treatment. You can add a few drops of the oil to liquid soap and also dab some oil directly onto the skin.

Oil of oregano has also been known to help in many cases of arthritis. While arthritis has many causes and many contributory factors, it is at heart an inflammatory disease. As oil of oregano possesses very strong anti-inflammatory powers, it is ideally suited to the treatment of arthritis. It can work by taking the oil internally or by rubbing at the point of pain. The oil can also alleviate pain, so this is makes it double helpful in the treatment of arthritis. Phytotherapie Research published a study that showed that the oil had morphine-like properties, and so is well-suited to pain relief. 

These are just two of the medicinal uses, but there are hundreds more. The ailments it can treat include allergies, asthma, athlete’s foot, back pain, bites, bronchitis, candidiasis, canker sores, colds, cold sores, colitis, congestion, diarrhea, earaches, eczema, fatigue, flu, gastritis, gum disease, neuritis, prostatitis, psoriasis, ringworm, sinusitis, wounds and many, many more. See the truly excellent book "The Cure is in The Cupboard by Dr. Cass Ingram"

Oil of Oregano Research

Research by Siddiqui, published in Medical Science Research, proved that the oil is able to destroy a wide variety of viruses. Oregano oil was also able to kill virtually all species of parasites, including worms, amoebas, and protozoans.

The International Journal of Food Microbiology (1988) published research comparing the antiseptic powers of various spices such as basil, bay leaf, coriander, dill, mustard, spearmint, and oregano. It was the oregano that possessed the greatest microbial-destroying ability.

Related Oil of Oregano Articles

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