Oregano Essential Oil
Origanum Vulgare
Description
Aroma: spicy, herbaceous, sharp
Note: Middle
Extraction: Steam Distilled
Part Used: Leaf
Origin: Spain
Description
Oregano essential oil is a powerful defense against fungal, bacterial and viral infections. It offers a potent natural treatment option for nail fungus without the side effects or expense of prescriptions. Oregano is a remarkable oil that can help treat gum disease, tonsillitis, strep, flu, colds, or other viruses, and candida or fungal issues. It can even be used for as a tasty spice for cooking! With so many potential applications, it should be considered a ‘must have’ around the house.
Health Benefits
- Bacterial Infection: Oregano has been shown to be active against various types of harmful bacteria including some antibiotic resistant strains including MRSA.
- Cold/Flu: Gargle just a drop in a glass of water to help wipe out the flu and strep virus or to treat tonsillitis.
- Food Flavorant: Oregano is an extremely popular spice in most homes, and the essential oil can be used for the same delicious purpose. It is very potent, so be very conservative until you learn how much oil you prefer in your recipes.
- Fungus: Oregano essential oil is a great option for the treatment toenail fungus, ringworm, and athlete’s foot.
- Gum Disease: Helps treat gum disease and prevent tooth loss.
- Immune: Effective defense against antibiotic resistant bacterias, while its stimulating properties provide a boost for the immune system as a whole.
Properties
Antibacterial
Antifungal
Antimicrobial
Antiviral
Anxiolytic
Immunity Aid
Insecticidal
Available Sizes & Bottle Styles
- Aromatherapy Style Bottles come in 2 ml, 5ml, 10ml, and 30ml sizes and are 100% pure & potent therapeutic grade essential oil.
- Our Ready-to-Go Roll-on Style Bottle comes in a 10ml size and is made of 100% pure & potent therapeutic grade essential oil expertly mixed with high quality carrier oil to make these roll-ons ready to use on-the-go with the ideal balance of aroma, potency & safety.
Suggested Uses
TOPICALLY:
Apply diluted oil to bottom of feet to increase immune function
Apply less than 1 drop (use toothpick or Q-tip) diluted with carrier oil to mouth sores to promote healing
Use 1-2 diluted drops diluted as a chest rub to aid healthy respiratory function
Oregano is considered a ‘hot’ oil, meaning that it can irritate the skin if not sufficiently diluted. Please see our Dilutions Guidelines for more information.
INTERNALLY: (see Internal Use safety recommendations)
Dilute with carrier oil & add to cold or hot beverage to increase immune function and aid healthy digestion
Add 1-10 diluted drops to capsule
Add 1-2 diluted drops to water and gargle to at first sign of sickness or to soothe irritated throat
CULINARY:
Add 1 drop to marinades, or italian dishes to enhance the flavor of foods. To maintain health benefits, add after heating food
Safety
Oregano oil is considered a “hot” oil, which means it has a high probability of skin irritation, so it should always be diluted with a carrier oil before use. For more information on dilution, please visit our Dilutions Guidelines page.
Hazards: Drug interactions; inhibits blood clotting; embryotoxicity; skin irritation (low risk); mucous membrane irritation (moderate risk).
Contraindications (all routes): Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Cautions (dermal): Hypersensitive, diseased or damaged skin, children under two years of age.
Cautions (oral): Diabetic medication, anticoagulant medication, major surgery, peptic ulcer, hemophilia, other bleeding disorders (Box 7.1).
Our Recommendations: If pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have liver or kidney disfunction, consult your physician before use. Avoid eyes, mucous membranes, and sensitive skin. Keep out of reach of children.
If applying an essential oil to your skin always perform a small patch test to an insensitive part of the body (If it is not already diluted, dilute with a carrier oil).
Store in a covered or dark, airtight container in the refrigerator or cool area for longest shelf life.
GC/MS
Research
Antibacterial
Antimicrobial activity was shown against pathogenic and environmental bacteria and fungi. Oregano, thyme, clove and arborvitae showed very strong antibacterial activity against all tested strains at both full strength and reduced concentrations. These essential oils showed different fungistatic and fungicidal activities when tested by direct application and in the vapor phase.
- Puškárová, A., Bučková, M., Kraková, L., Pangallo, D., & Kozics, K. (2017). The antibacterial and antifungal activity of six essential oils and their cyto/genotoxicity to human HEL 12469 cells. Scientific reports, 7(1), 8211. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-08673-9
Reported as showing antibacterial effects against foodborne and food-spoilage bacteria
- Nabavi SM, Marchese A, Izadi M, Curti V, Daglia M, Nabavi SF. 2015. Plants belonging to the genous Thymus as antibacterial agents: from farm to pharmacy. Food Chem. 173: 339-347.
- Mith H, Dure R, Delcenserie V, Zhiri A, Daube G, Clinquart A. 2014. Antimicrobial activities of commercial essential oils and their components against food-borne pathogens and food spoilage bacteria. Food Sci. Nutr. 2: 403-416.
The essential oil inhibited the growth of all bacteria, causing greater reductions on both Listeria strains (L. monocytogenes and L. innocua).
- Teixeira B, Marques A, Ramos C, Serrano C, Matos O, Neng NR, Nogueira JM, Saraiva JA, Nunes ML. (2013) Chemical composition and bioactivity of different oregano (Origanum vulgare) extracts and essential oil. J Sci Food Agric. Aut 30;93(11):2707-14. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.6089. Epub 2013 Apr 2.
Antifungal
Within the limitations of the study, it was concluded that (a)O.vulgare is anticandidal for clinical isolates of oral Candida
- Bhat, V., Sharma, S. M., Shetty, V., Shastry, C. S., Rao, C. V., Shenoy, S., … Balaji, S. (2018). Characterization of Herbal Antifungal Agent, Origanum vulgare against Oral Candida spp. Isolated from Patients with Candida-Associated Denture Stomatitis: An In vitro Study. Contemporary clinical dentistry, 9(Suppl 1), S3–S10. doi:10.4103/ccd.ccd_537_17
Our findings highlight the potential effectiveness of thyme, oregano EOs, and carvacrol as natural and cost-effective adjuvants when used in combination with itraconazole. Identification of EOs exerting these effects could be one of the feasible ways to overcome drug resistance, reducing drug concentration and side effects.
- Scalas, D., Mandras, N., Roana, J., Tardugno, R., Cuffini, A. M., Ghisetti, V., … Tullio, V. (2018). Use of Pinus sylvestris L. (Pinaceae), Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae), and Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae) essential oils and their main components to enhance itraconazole activity against azole susceptible/not-susceptible Cryptococcus neoformans strains. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 143. doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2219-4
Six essential oils (from oregano, thyme, clove, lavender, clary sage, and arborvitae) exhibited different antibacterial and antifungal properties. Antimicrobial activity was shown against pathogenic and environmental bacteria and fungi. Oregano, thyme, clove and arborvitae showed very strong antibacterial activity against all tested strains at both full strength and reduced concentrations. These essential oils showed different fungistatic and fungicidal activities when tested by direct application and in the vapor phase.
- Puškárová, A., Bučková, M., Kraková, L., Pangallo, D., & Kozics, K. (2017). The antibacterial and antifungal activity of six essential oils and their cyto/genotoxicity to human HEL 12469 cells. Scientific reports, 7(1), 8211. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-08673-9
The essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L., Origanum vulgare L., and Thymus vulgaris L. were analyzed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and assayed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The antimicrobial activity was tested against 13 bacterial strains and six fungi. The most effective antibacterial activity was expressed by the essential oil of oregano, even on multiresistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. A significant rate of antifungal activity of all of the examined essential oils was also exhibited.
- Bozin B., Mimica-Dukic N., Simin N., Anackov G. Characterization of the volatile composition of essential oils of some lamiaceae spices and the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the entire oils. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2006;54(5):1822–1828. doi: 10.1021/jf051922u.
In this study we investigated a synergistic effect between the essential oils Origanum vulgare, Pelargonium graveolens and Melaleuca alternifolia and the antifungal compound Nystatin. The essential oil O. vulgare appeared to be the most effective, inhibiting all the Candida species evaluated in this study.
- Rosato A., Vitali C., Piarulli M., Mazzotta M., Argentieri M. P., Mallamaci R. In vitro synergic efficacy of the combination of Nystatin with the essential oils of Origanum vulgareand Pelargonium graveolens against some Candida species. Phytomedicine. 2009;16(10):972–975. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2009.02.011.
Carvacrol, the main constituent of Oregano essential oil, a monoterpenic phenol, has emerged for its wide spectrum activity extended to food spoilage or pathogenic fungi, yeast and bacteria as well as human, animal and plant pathogenic microorganisms including drug-resistant and biofilm forming microorganisms.
- Antonia Nostro and Teresa Papalia, (2012) “Antimicrobial Activity of Carvacrol: Current Progress and Future Prospectives ”, Recent Patents on Anti-Infective Drug Discovery 7: 28. https://doi.org/10.2174/157489112799829684
Antimicrobial
The essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L., Origanum vulgare L., and Thymus vulgaris L. were analyzed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and assayed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The antimicrobial activity was tested against 13 bacterial strains and six fungi. The most effective antibacterial activity was expressed by the essential oil of oregano, even on multiresistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. A significant rate of antifungal activity of all of the examined essential oils was also exhibited.
- Bozin B., Mimica-Dukic N., Simin N., Anackov G. Characterization of the volatile composition of essential oils of some lamiaceae spices and the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the entire oils. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2006;54(5):1822–1828. doi: 10.1021/jf051922u.
The components thymol, and carvacrol, among others, were tested for their use against ear infections (experimental acute otitis media caused by pneumococci or Haemophilus influenzae). Essential oils or their components placed in the ear canal can provide effective treatment of acute otitis media.
- Karl G Kristinsson, Anna B Magnusdottir, Hannes Petersen, Ann Hermansson, Effective Treatment of Experimental Acute Otitis Media by Application of Volatile Fluids into the Ear Canal, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 191, Issue 11, 1 June 2005, Pages 1876–1880, https://doi.org/10.1086/430003
In the present study, 52 plant oils and extracts were investigated for activity against Acinetobacter baumanii, Aeromonas veronii biogroup sobria, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype typhimurium, Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus, using an agar dilution method. Lemongrass, oregano and bay inhibited all organisms at concentrations of ≤2·0% (v/v)
- Hammer KA, Carson CT, & Riley TV. (1999) Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts. J Appl Microbiol. Jun;86(6):985-90
Antiviral
This study provides novel findings on the antiviral properties of oregano oil and carvacrol against MNV and demonstrates the potential of carvacrol as a natural food and surface (fomite) sanitizer to control human norovirus.
- Gilling, D. , Kitajima, M. , Torrey, J. and Bright, K. (2014), Antiviral efficacy and mechanisms of action of oregano essential oil and its primary component carvacrol against murine norovirus. J Appl Microbiol, 116: 1149-1163. doi:10.1111/jam.12453
Anxiolytic
Carvacrol (5-isopropyl-2-methylphenol), a major component in Oregano and Thyme essential oils, has been shown to present anxiolytic effects.
- Melo FH, Venâncio ET, de Sousa DP, de França Fonteles MM, de Vasconcelos SM, Viana GS, de Sousa FC. (2010) Anxiolytic-like effect of Carvacrol (5-isopropyl-2-methylphenol) in mice: involvement with GABAergic transmission. Fundam Clin Pharmacol. Aug;24;(4):437-43.
Insecticidal
The oregano essential oils have been reported to contain highly bioactive compounds that have acaricidal(kills arachnids such as ticks and mites) and insecticidal effects
- Cetin H, Cilek J, Aydin L, Yanikoglu A. 2009. Acaricidal effects of the essential oil of Origanum minutiflorum (Lamiaceae) against Rhipicephalus turanicus(Acari: Ixodidae). Vet. Parasitol. 160: 359-361.
