Oregano is a wild shrub that is very commonly used as a spice in Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. It is known for its use in traditional Chinese medicine and European folk medicine. It has an aromatic taste, hot and a little bitter. It is full of a wide variety of essential oils, vitamins and minerals.

It originates in northern Europe and has several common varieties in the Mediterranean region, all of which are defined as a spice. The parts of the plant used are the leaves. He’s from the Lamiaceae family we know from the hyssop.

It is known to help cure diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system and is used for sedation.

The Greeks used to adorn the heads of married couples carrying oregano branches against the evil eye and for good luck. And in the Middle Ages it was attributed the virtues of protection against witchcraft.

It contains essential oils with active ingredients such as thymol, rosemary acid and carvacrol which are known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is known for its antiviral and antibacterial activity.

The moss contains about 300 calories (per 100 g), some carbohydrates, fats and protein. In addition, it contains important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium and vitamin K in high amounts, in addition to sodium, iron, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin A, B, E, omega 3 and 6 acids, and zinc.

It can be consumed fresh, dried, essential oil, ointment or extract.

The known medicinal properties of the plant:

1. Influenza and bacterial infections
   Oregano contains antiviral and antibacterial substances such as thymol and carvacrol and is found to be effective for use in situations of influenza, sore throats and bacterial infections. In testing for antibacterial effects in front of members of the lip family like sage and hyssop he finished in second place after thyme.
2. Rich in antioxidants
   It is rich in antioxidants that help clear free radicals in the body, which helps protect the body from various diseases like heart problems and cancerous growths.

3. Helps maintain blood pressure and sugar levels
   The plant helps monitor the activity of the enzyme in the body which is responsible for the increase in blood pressure and sugar levels in the body. In doing so it helps the heart and protect against diabetes.

4. Helps strengthen the skeleton and bones
   The spice contains a large amount of the minerals calcium and iron, which are essential for the health and strength of the skeletal and bone system. Effective for use even in situations of osteoporosis characterized by a decrease in bone mass.

5. Toothaches and infections in the mouth
   Oregano has been known since ancient times to help with toothache due to a bacteria and infectious problems.

6. Cold or respiratory infection
   Oregano oil helps in conditions of colds and diseases of the respiratory tract. It can be used for evaporation or application on the skin. In addition, it helps with ear infections and sinusitis.

7. Dandruff and irritation of the scalp
   It is found as an effective treatment for dandruff and other problems like dryness, redness and itching. It strengthens the hair and scalp skin and is effective for use with an essential oil along with healthy oils for the skin like olive, coconut, avocado, almond.

8. Improves the digestive system
   It is found to be effective in situations of inflammation in the stomach and in addition nourishes the stomach with dietary fiber which is very important in maintaining the health of the stomach, intestines and liver.

Oregano is a plant that is especially common as a spice in Italian cuisine but is also very well known in the middle east and Israel. It has an ancient history and is wonderful in cooking as a spice when dried or fresh. It has high healing abilities in soaks and extracts for external and internal use.

In the previous post a question arose as to where moss oil can be obtained. Of course, you can buy essential oil or extract of most of the plants we talked about but the most fun and quite easy to make on your own. So, I decided to share with you how to make an oily paste of any plant.

Preparation of a soak for a plant based on vegetable oil

1. Choose the plant from which you want to create a soak oil extract. Hyssop, oregano, turmeric and basically any plant with medicinal properties or a good taste as a spice. You can use with the plant fresh or dried.
2. Select the oil in which the plant will be soaked in. We choose cold pressed oils that are known to be healthy for the skin and digestion when we think about the taste (for example it is not recommended to soak oregano or hyssop for cooking and seasoning with coconut oil) so we will use healthy skin oils for external use such as coconut, olive, avocado, almond.
   In consuming food it is important that we understand which oils are healthy for the body. We are familiar with the well-known classification of oils of very healthy unsaturated fat for the body like olive oil, canola, avocado, sesame and almonds. Polyunsaturated fat is less healthy for the body because it encourages oxidation processes with oils like corn, sunflower, and fat like margarine.
   Saturated fat with animal products like butter and meat fat, coconut oil and palm.
   But in oils it is also important to know how many carbons the fat chain contains because there are healthy saturated oils. A short chain contains 2-4, a medium 5-12, and long for more than 12. This information makes coconut oil healthy because it has a medium chain which means that when broken down it does not need enzymes from the pancreas or bile salts and is absorbed directly by the liver.
   After all the explanations below are the healthy oils for consumption in the body: olive, avocado, sesame, coconut, almonds.

3. After we have selected the plant and the oil, soak them in a clear glass jar in a ratio of 1:1, fill the jar and close the lid. We will leave the jar in a warm place or on the window sill for at least two weeks, possibly even a few months, the more the merrier.
4. When done, you can use the oil with the plant (just make sure all the plant material is covered in oil otherwise molds can be formed) or filter it before and use it for cooking, salads and skin problems, according to the plant’s capabilities.
5. As long as no mold is formed, there is no bad smell or nothing else is growing inside the jar it can be used for many years while stored in a dark cool room.

To read more about herbs and their special properties click here.