It is a popular cooking ingredient recognized for its wide health promoting and antimicrobial effects.
Oregano is used as both a culinary and medicinal herb. Origanum vulgare is known as oregano, while its cousin Origanum majorana is usually called sweet marjoram.
During the ancient Greek and Roman empires, the leaves were used to treat such maladies as skin sores and relieve aching muscles and as an antiseptic. The name comes from the Greek words “oros,” meaning mountain, and “ganos,” meaning joy.
Oregano also has been used in traditional medicines for such ailments as asthma, cramping, diarrhea, and indigestion.
It helps to settle flatulence. It also stimulates the flow of bile as a role of stimulating diaphoretic, it is often used in the treatments of cold and flu.
It also gives a use in mouth conditioning, as a a mouth wash for the inflammations of mouth and throat. It is a useful promoter of menstruation.
In Greece, an oregano infusion is still used as a folk remedy against colds and upset stomach and to maintain general health.
Oregano is most well-known for imparting an ‘‘Italian taste’’ to Mediterranean cuisine and may be used to enhance the flavors of a variety of foods including baked goods, vegetables, legumes, fish, pizza, pasta sauce, and chilis.
Oregano: Used as both a culinary and medicinal herb
