Oregano oil is an essential oil derived from the oregano plant. This remarkable substance contains dozens of compounds with diverse effects, including the potent carvacrol and thymol (discussed below), polyphenols, tannins, anthocyanins and flavonoids. (R)
It’s antibacterial, antioxidant, (R) anti-inflammatory, cancer-preventing, and modulates the immune system in beneficial ways. (R)
It fights all types of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, making it a rarity in the medical world. And when tested alongside other essential oils, it routinely comes out one of the toughest – as you’ll see below.
In addition to internal use, it also benefits the skin and has uses in the home and in food.
Table of Contents
The oregano oil I take
Safety
A study that gave animals massive doses of oregano oil for 90 days saw no adverse effects; (R) researchers consider oregano oil to be nontoxic. (R)
Oregano oil is also safe to apply directly to the skin. (R)
Oregano oil fights bacteria
Oregano oil enhances the action of many antibiotics against E. coli. (R)
It and carvacrol are also effective against Staph – including antibiotic-resistant Staph. (R)
Oregano oil fights dangerous bacteria on produce, including listeria, E. coli, and salmonella. (R)
It’s effective against both types of bacteria, Gram-positive and Gram-negative. (R) It’s effective against a breathtaking number of species. (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5)
When studies look at the antimicrobial action of many different essential oils, oregano oil is routinely one of the strongest. (R1, R2, R3)
Oregano oil’s strong phenols (carvacrol and thymol in particular) are to thank for its microbe-fighting power. (R)
Carvacrol shifts the native population of bacteria in the large intestine in beneficial ways, reducing numbers of harmful species and boosting helpful ones. (R)
This property of carvacrol may make it useful in combating C. difficile, (R) a common and troubling infection induced by use of antibiotics. (R)
Adding oregano oil to regular soap makes it as effective as antimicrobial brands in killing bacteria on your hands. Oregano oil is also a useful surface cleaner. (R)
Oregano oil is antiviral
A study looking at oregano oil’s use as an antiviral found that Mexican oregano oil specifically, as well as carvacrol, acted against both DNA and RNA viruses. They have a unique ability to fight viruses at many stages of infection, giving them an edge over even pharmaceutical antiviral drugs. (R)
Mexican oregano oil and carvacrol fight HRSV (a major cause of respiratory infections), some bovine herpesviruses, and herpes simplex.(R) Carvacrol also fights norovirus. (R)
Oregano oil fights parasites
Oregano oil is an anti-malarial substance. (R)
A study of 14 people with intestinal parasites found that oregano oil eradicated 13 cases of parasites, including three different species. Gut symptoms also improved in most patients with a troubling species, Blastocystic hominis. (R)
Oregano oil and carvacrol are effective in fighting the dangerous cryptosporidium parvum, which causes severe diarrhea. (R)
Oregano oil fights parasites that live outside the body, including fleas, ticks and mites. Supplementing with oregano oil prevented fleas in animals (R), while applying oregano oil to the fur of animals infected with ticks and mites totally eliminated the pests. (R)
Oregano oil fights yeast
Oregano oil stops growth of the common yeast infection Candida completely in its tracks. (R)
Oregano oil is more effective than the antifungal drug clotrimazole in stopping growth of Candida and killing it. (R)
A study of six essential oils found oregano oil to be the most potent by far in fighting one form of Candida. (R)
Oregano oil fights mold
Oregano oil fights the fungus Alternia alternata, which is commonly found on hundreds of species of plants, including produce. (R)
A study of four species of fungi found that oregano oil was the most potent antifungal of seven essential oils tested. (R)
In a study of nine species of molds, oregano oil stopped the growth of all nine in their tracks. Adding salt bolstered its antifungal impact. (R)
One study of six essential oils on the fungus that produces ringworm in animals found oregano oil to be the strongest in fighting it. (R)
Oregano oil and biofilms
A biofilm is a gel-like substance pathogens can create inside the body to shield themselves from the body’s immune system and antibiotics. (R)
Of 79 essential oils tested, oregano oil and thyme red oil were found to be the most potent in fighting formation of biofilms by E. coli. (R)
Oregano oil destroyed biofilms of 13 different pathogens in another study, including MRSA (antibiotic-resistant Staph). These pathogens also developed no resistance to the oil when in contact with it over long periods. (R)
Oregano oil helps wounds heal
Patients using oregano ointment after surgery had a much lower rate of infection at the surgical site, and their scars healed better than those of other patients. (R)
Oregano oil also drastically reduced bacteria counts when applied to third-degree burns. (R)
In a study of acne, oregano oil was the most effective of seven tested oils in healing it and fighting its bacteria. (R)
Carvacrol is very effective in healing gastric lesions. (R)
Oregano oil is anti-inflammatory
Researchers speculate that oregano oil likely assists in healing gastric ulcers by stopping the release and production of inflammatory substances. (R)
Carvacrol powerfully reduces swelling, or edema, in the body – an inflammatory process. (R)
Oregano oil prevents production and function of pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta,
(R) and GM-CSF (R) that are a major factor in oxidative stress.
In a study of skin disease, oregano oil was found to induce widespread shifts in genetic expression and the immune system that prevented inflammation. (R)
Oregano oil is an antioxidant
Caravcrol and thymol slow the rate at which animal tissue oxidizes. (R)
Oregano oil improves levels of crucial antioxidants the body produces to fight oxidative stress, including glutathione and superoxide dismutase. (R1, R2, R3)
When oregano oil is added to olive oil, it takes longer for the olive oil to go rancid (ie, for its fats to oxidize), prolonging its shelf life. (R)
Oregano oil reduces pain
Carvacrol reduces the pain caused by tumor cells. (R)
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