Oregano is a popular and commonly used herb, chiefly famous for pasta sauces and pizza. Oregano oil is olive oil infused with oregano used in cooking, similar to chilli oil or garlic oil. However, there is another oregano oil that most people are less familiar with, and this is used for health purposes.
Typically available in capsule form, oregano oil is actually a natural health product used primarily to aid good digestive health, but also to promote overall good health due to high levels of antioxidants and powerful antimicrobial properties.
This oregano oil comes from a different oregano plant than the common herb used in cooking. The herb comes from Oreganum Marjoram and the oil comes from Oreganum Vulgare. Although ofthe same genus, these two plants have radically different properties when it comes to health benefits, and the Oreganum Vulgare is much more effective for health uses.
The main benefit of taking oregano oil capsules is to assist the growth of healthy gut flora. Gut flora is the collective name for the millions of microorganisms that inhabit our digestive tracts that we share a symbiotically beneficial existence with. They aid digestion and processing/production of key vitamins. It is perfectly possible for us to exist without them, but the health benefits of abundant gut flora are significant.
Partly as a corollary to this, and partly as a result of high levels of antioxidants, oregano oil can also contribute to overall general health. It is also an effective antimicrobial meaning that it is effective particularly against yeast infections, although this also introduces a caveat to regular oregano oil use: it is advisable to accompany persistent use with a strong probiotic as oregano oil used regularly can kill off friendly bacteria in the gut whilst promoting gut flora.
As oregano oil is mainly recommended for short term use and comes in convenient capsule form, it is often recommended as a travel companion. Anyone who has visited an exotic clime with an unfamiliar diet will know that digestion can be a problem on these journeys, and a natural, convenient remedy to have on hand can be extremely useful.
Oregano may be most famous as a pizza topping, but the related plant holds just as many wonders as the common herb.