* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Medicinal Usage
Stimulant, carminative, diaphoretic, nervine, and emmenagogic properties have been attributed to oregano. It has been used in indigestion, headaches, nervous tension, insect bites, toothaches, and coughs.
The oil contains carvacrol and thymol as the primary components. These two phenols may constitute as much as 90 percent of the oil. They possess fungicidal and worm expellant properties.
Oregano contains vitamin A, niacin, phosporus, potassium calcium, iron and traces of zinc.
Oregano more properly refers to a flavor rather than one particular plant. 0. heracleoticum is commercially cultivated and sold as oregano along with 0. vulgare and 0. onites. Lippia graveolens of the verbena family is grown in Mexico and sold as Mexican oregano. Other plants producing "oregano" include members of the genera Coleus, Salvia, Satureja, Thymus, Monarda, Hedeoma, Calamintha, and Lantana. In essence, plants containing high percentages of the phenols carvacrol and lesser amounts of thymol in their essential oils have an "oregano" flavor and aroma.
General Herb Information
The genus Origanum contains about twenty species, five of which are commonly grown in-herb gardens. In the mint family, this genus is characterized by tight cylindrical heads of sessile flowers called spikelets or spicules. Leaf-like bracts cover the flowers just as shingles overlap on a roof. The oreganos are dwarf shrubs or annual, biennial, or perennial herbs native to the Mediterranean region and central Asia.
0. vulgare L., oregano or wild marjoram, is a hairy perennial growing to 2 1/2 feet tall, often branching at the top. The leaves are opposite, oval, entire or toothed, and up to 1 1/2 inches long. The flower heads are in a panicle or corymb, each spikelet being up to 11/8 inches long. The bracts are purple. Each calyx has five equal-sized teeth. The flowers are white-purple and about one-fourth inch long. Flowering begins in late July and lasts into September. The species has many variants. 0. vulgare 'Aureum' has yellow leaves, 0. vulgare 'Viride' has green bracts and white flowers.
0. heracleoticum L. native to southeast Europe, resembles 0. vulgare, and in fact, was once classified as one of its varieties. It too has five equal teeth on the calyces. The bracts are usually one-eighth inch long, are densely covered with oil glands on the lower surface, and are green or purple (rare). Flowers are white, or infrequently pink.
0. onites L., pot marjoram, is a hairy perennial growing to two feet in height. The leaves are oval or rounded, one-fourth to three-fourths inch long, sessile, and sparsely toothed. The flowers are in a dense terminal corymb up to three inches across. Each spikelet is about three-fourths inch long. The bracts are pointed and about one-eighth inch long. The one-fourth inch flowers are white, sometimes purple. It is a tender plant and not cultivated as widely as other species. It is a close relative of sweet marjoram, both having calyces rounded at the top with a deep slit down one side. Pot marjoram is a Mediterranean native.
0. dictamnus L., dittany of Crete, is the genus's most distinctive looking plant. It is a tender perennial growing to a foot in height, with opposite, rounded or oval, white woolly leaves. The loose panicles of three-eighths inch long bracts have a hop-like appearance. Flowers are pink and about one-half inch long. It blooms in the summer or autumn and hails from the isle of Crete.
You can propagate oreganos from seeds, stem cuttings, or root divisions, but seeds are sometimes slow to germinate. Both dittany of Crete and pot marjoram are not hardy in cold climates and must be started anew each year. It is best to propagate oreganos asexually, as seed grown plants may not be true to flavor or completely flavorless. When buying plants, stroke the leaves and make sure the plant has some fragrance.
Oreganos like a light, well-drained, slightly alkaline soil with full sun. In a rich, moist soil, their aroma and flavor is weak. Harvest as plants begin to bloom.
The post-war baby boom generation was the first group of Americans to grow up with oregano. After World War II, G.I.s who had tasted oregano-rich pizza in Italy made it popular in the United States. Oregano is good with tomato dishes, meats, omelettes, beans, and deviled eggs, and has a special affinity with basil.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Not recommended if you are pregnant or lactating.
Do not use if you are allergic to any member of the labiatae family, such as thyme, basil or marjoram.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
