Oregano Oil Benefits: 5 Powerful Reasons You Can Use Now

65 | Oregano Oil Benefits: 5 Powerful Reasons You Can Use Now

Hey friends, welcome back to Becoming Natural.

Today we’re talking about something so ordinary that most of us walk right past it without a second thought—yet it carries a depth of wisdom we’ve largely forgotten. We’re talking about something that lives quietly in most kitchens, rarely gets a second glance, and yet carries more research than many supplements people are taking daily.

Oregano. Why This Common Herb Is So Powerful

Not a supplement. Not a protocol. Not a trend.

Just a leaf.

And I love that—because God so often hides strength in the ordinary.

Historically, people didn’t separate food and health the way we do now. Herbs weren’t alternative. They were normal. They were part of everyday life—woven into meals, passed down through kitchens, and trusted long before anyone needed a label or a warning sign.

Somewhere along the way, our conversations around health shifted. We became very focused on what to avoid—what to cut out, what to fear, what might be harming us. And while discernment matters, there’s also wisdom in returning to the beginning… back to the garden.

Because from the very start, God designed variety—diverse plants, herbs, and foods working together—to support the body in quiet, consistent ways. Not just when we’re sick, but every day. Food wasn’t only fuel. It was provision.

Today’s episode is about remembering that.

I want to say this up front: today’s episode is not about replacing doctors, and it’s not about fearing medicine. It’s about remembering that our bodies were designed with support systems—and that food can be one of the first lines of defense before we get sick.

Prevention before panic. Wisdom before extremes.

So we’re going to talk about:

Oregano as daily food

Oregano oil as a short-term tool

When to use each

How to use them safely (tea, steam, topical, ingestion)

What science actually supports

And some red flags I really want you to hear 

Oregano has been the ‘go to’ in our house for years. From the beginning of my dabbling with essential oils when I was still testing the waters of the “hippie” world of natural remedies I quickly discovered that when my little ones came home from preschool with those nasty green horns of drainage coming out their nose, Oregano was a miracle and one we depended upon heavily. Initially I rubbed it on my boys’ chests topically with a little coconut oil and the next morning, no more green snot. It was amazing. In our house with asthma, allergies and ear infections all the time if one child had even an inkling of drainage it meant all 3 would soon and discovering Oregano oil changed our lives. As the boys got older, they started to complain that they didn’t want oregano oil on their chest because their friends kept saying it smelled like pizza. Ha ha. So, I shifted to diffusing it by their beds and it worked just as well. To this day, with kids in college, they will diffuse oregano oil next to their bed if they get a virus or EVEN if they have a few friends that are sick. It not only helps to squelch existing viral symptoms, but it also prevents the severity of symptoms or possibly even the virus at all when used in advance. Im not making medical claims by any stretch, but when the sign of green drainage of 1 child usually meant weeks ahead of us with 3 kids catching eventually, then secondary ear or sinus infections with antibiotics, we could be dealing with it for a couple months! Lord help us if my husband or I caught it.

So WHY does OREGANO MATTER?

Oregano has been used for centuries across Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures—not as emergency medicine, but as daily nourishment.

That matters.

Because historically, people didn’t separate food and health the way we do now. Herbs weren’t “alternative.” They were part of normal daily human consumption. My favorite quote by Ann Wigmore’s supports this case entirely. “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” — Ann Wigmore Food has the power to support life—or quietly work against it—depending on how we use it.”

And science supports this for oregano!

Modern research has identified two key compounds in oregano:

Carvacrol (CAR VACK CRAWL)

Thymol (Thigh Moll)

These compounds are responsible for many of oregano’s supportive properties—especially in immune, digestive, and respiratory contexts.

And here’s something important: oregano doesn’t act like a sledgehammer and destroy everything in sight.  It helps create an internal environment that’s less friendly to unwanted guests.

That’s very different from “killing everything.”

🌿 SCIENCE CORNER #1

Multiple lab studies show oregano oil and its compounds inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and fungi in vitro—meaning in controlled lab settings.

That doesn’t automatically mean the same effect happens inside the human body at kitchen-level doses. But it helps explain why oregano has been used traditionally for digestion, respiratory support, and food preservation.

This is about supporting the system, not making medical claims.

OREGANO AS FOOD: As PREVENTION, NOT PRESSURE to calm the crazy in your body.

This is where I want us to spend the most time—because this is the safest, most overlooked, and most sustainable way to use oregano.

Fresh or dried oregano in cooking:

Supports digestion

Adds antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress

Gently supports immune balance over time

Encourages healthy bile flow

I want to go down a quick rabbit hole with what it means to encourage bile flow. I think we’ve covered antioxidants reducing oxidative stress, supporting immune balance, but why does “encouraging healthy bile flow” matter?

First: what is bile?

Bile is a digestive fluid made by your liver and stored in your gallbladder. Its main job is to break down fats so your body can actually use them.

No bile → fats pass through poorly digested → problems downstream.

What happens when bile flow is sluggish?

When bile isn’t flowing well, people often experience:

Bloating after meals (especially fatty meals)

Greasy or floating stools

Constipation or irregular stools

Nausea after eating

Poor absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)

Feeling “heavy” or uncomfortable after meals

You can be eating good fats and still not benefiting from them if bile flow is weak.

Why herbs like oregano come into the conversation

Certain herbs are considered cholagogues (colagogs) or choleretics — meaning they:

Gently stimulate bile production or

Encourage bile to move more efficiently

Oregano has traditionally been used in this category, especially in Mediterranean diets where meals are richer in fats (olive oil, meats, cheeses).

This doesn’t mean oregano “treats” gallbladder disease. It means it supports normal digestive processes — especially when used as food.

Before we go into detail about Bile itself, Common Herbs Considered Cholagogues / Choleretics

🌿 Dandelion (root & leaf)

One of the most well-known and truly a weed as daily nourishment

🌿 Artichoke (leaf)

🌿 Milk Thistle

🌿 Turmeric

🌿 Ginger

🌿 Peppermint

🌿 Fennel

“What I love is that many of the herbs that support bile are things humans have eaten for centuries—bitter greens, roots, spices. This wasn’t a protocol. It was a pattern.” bitterness itself is a signal to the digestive system

You don’t need all of these. You don’t need supplements.

A rotating variety of:

bitter greens

warming spices

herbs in meals

…often does more than one “magic” pill.

I have noticed “bitters” being offered more at restaurants lately as a tonic. Or maybe I am just paying attention more.  This is precisely what people mean when they talk about “bitters.”

What are “bitters,” really?

Digestive bitters are blends of those bitter herbs—many of which are cholagogues and/or choleretics, like Oregano.

Their job isn’t to treat disease. Their job is to wake up digestion.

In my Crohns connected brain I relate Bitters to taking digestive enzymes before or after a meal. When your tongue tastes something bitter, it sends a signal to the brain that says:

“Food is coming. Get ready.”

That signal triggers:

Saliva

Stomach acid

Digestive enzymes

Bile production and flow

It’s a reflex built into the body.

When people take bitters before or after meals, they’re often supporting bile flow without ever using that language.

Before modern digestive aids:

People ate bitter greens regularly

Herbs were part of meals

“After-dinner tonics” were common

Bitters weren’t a wellness trend. They were part of daily rhythm.

Bitters can help us today because:

Modern diets are often:

Low in bitter flavors

Heavy in processed foods

High in fat but low in digestive signaling

Bitters can help with:

Bloating

Feeling uncomfortably full

Fat-heavy meals

Mild constipation related to sluggish digestion

Bitters are not for everyone. For one, they are BITTER. And powerful.

“Bitters aren’t about forcing digestion—they’re about reminding the body how digestion was designed to work.”

Bitterness is one of the flavors God built into creation. We just bred it out in favor of sweet.

When we reintroduce it gently—through herbs, greens, and spices—we’re not adding something new.

We’re remembering something old.

Why bile matters beyond digestion

Here’s the part most people don’t realize:

Bile also helps with:

Detoxification (the liver packages waste into bile to be excreted)

Gut balance (healthy bile discourages overgrowth of unwanted microbes)

Hormone balance (excess hormones are excreted through bile)

Blood sugar stability (poor fat digestion can affect satiety and glucose response)

Bile alone has so much value to keeping our body balanced and disposing our body of waste. Simply reminding us how intricate our bodies are created and impossible to think we are not divinely created by a complex and detailed God.

Here we are talking about JUST EATING oregano….This is not even “medicine mode.” This is faithful daily nourishment.

Tomato sauces. Soups. Roasted vegetables. Marinades. Salad dressings.

Food can be supportive without being obsessive.

Sometimes the most power in good health is simply consistency.

OREGANO TEA: GENTLE, EARLY SUPPORT

Oregano tea is a perfect middle-ground option.

Helpful for:

Mild digestive discomfort

Seasonal immune support

Early cold symptoms

Gentle respiratory comfort

This isn’t harsh. This isn’t aggressive. This is something I’d reach for before escalating.

🌿 SCIENCE CORNER #2

Oregano contains antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals—molecules that contribute to inflammation and cellular stress.

This doesn’t mean oregano “treats disease.” It means it supports the environment so your immune system can work.

That distinction matters.

**tell about diet if time**

OREGANO OIL: STRONG TOOL, SHORT SEASON

Now let’s talk about oregano oil—because this is where I want us to slow down.

Oregano oil is highly concentrated. It is not the same as oregano in food. It is not meant for daily, long-term use.

Potential uses (short-term):

Acute immune stress

Temporary digestive imbalance

Short respiratory support during illness

“Oregano oil is a tool, not a lifestyle.”

🌿 SCIENCE CORNER #3

There are registered clinical trials exploring these compounds, which tells us the science community sees potential—

Here’s a fascinating bridge between natural and conventional medicine.What I find fascinating is that compounds from oregano—like thymol and carvacrol—are already used in everyday products. Mouthwash, toothpaste, food preservation, even some medical and agricultural settings. That tells us these aren’t fringe ideas. They’re familiar tools—just used in different ways.

If you’ve ever used Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash, you’ve used thymol.

Oral Care Products Are the biggest and most mainstream category.

Antiseptic mouthwashes (e.g., classic Listerine formulations)

Some toothpastes

Dental rinses used in clinical settings

Medicated creams or ointments (low concentration)

Antifungal preparations (especially for skin/nails)

Some natural deodorants (odor control via antimicrobial action)

Why thymol?

Antimicrobial

Reduces plaque-forming bacteria

Supports gum health

Carvacrol is less visible on labels but widely used behind the scenes.

Natural food preservative

Used to inhibit bacterial growth in meats, dairy, and packaged foods

Studied as an alternative to synthetic preservatives

Oregano compounds help create an environment where spoilage organisms don’t thrive.

Added to livestock feed as a natural antimicrobial

Used to support gut health and reduce pathogen load

Studied as an alternative to routine antibiotics in agriculture

This is a huge area of research.

Antifungal creams

Skin cleansers

Natural antimicrobial formulations

Studied for antimicrobial mechanisms

This isn’t about choosing herbs instead of modern products. It’s about recognizing that many modern products are already borrowing from the garden

I love these examples because it reminds us:

Nature often comes first

Medicine sometimes isolates what nature already provided

And the two worlds don’t have to be enemies

“Natural doesn’t mean weak, and pharmaceutical doesn’t mean evil. Wisdom is knowing which tool fits the moment.”

Thymol and carvacrol are already trusted. Some sources even frame it as up to ~40% or more of all drugs being directly or indirectly derived from plants.

https://communities.springernature.com/posts/in-search-of-new-medicines-from-plants?utm_source=chatgpt.com

They’re used in controlled, targeted ways

Food-level oregano ≠ essential oil ≠ industrial use

It is vital to know which form fits the moment

You might be wondering, “HOW QUICKLY DOES OREGANO WORK?” This depends on what you mean by “work.”

For symptom comfort:

Steam inhalation can help within minutes by opening airways

Tea can soothe digestion or throat discomfort fairly quickly

For illness duration:

There is limited human evidence that oregano oil shortens viral illness

Most benefits appear to be supportive, not curative

That’s not disappointing—it’s clarifying. All that matters is how you feel and how you can manage your symptoms to outlast the virus, right?

RED FLAGS & CAUTIONS

This part matters.

Please hear this as care, not fear.

Pregnancy: oregano oil in supplement doses should be avoided

Blood thinners: oregano may increase bleeding risk

GI irritation: higher doses can cause heartburn, nausea, diarrhea

Allergy: caution if sensitive to mint-family plants

Essential oil safety: never apply undiluted oregano oil to skin or mucous membranes…Oregano oil is called a ‘hot’ oil because its compounds are very strong and can irritate tissue if not diluted.” You can slow the burn/absorption by adding a carrier oil to dilute it like coconut oil or olive oil. Water won’t help. Adding the carrier oil:

Reduces concentration of irritating compounds

Slows skin exposure so tissue isn’t overwhelmed

Prevents chemical burns or blistering

Dilution doesn’t just make it more comfortable — it makes it safer.

Important note, If your body says no—listen. We are teaching ourselves to LISTEN to our bodies. This is a good place to listen.

God speaks through wisdom and warning.

I believe food was designed to partner with the body, not replace discernment.

Oregano reminds me that prevention doesn’t have to be loud.

Not as a miracle cure, not as a replacement for wisdom or medicine—but as part of the quiet, daily design that helps the body stay resilient.

 That strength can be gentle. That consistency often matters more than intensity.

And maybe that’s the lesson today—to look again at what’s already in your kitchen and trust that God didn’t waste a single leaf.

So now we know its great, How to Choose a Quality Oregano Oil (and Why It Matters)?

I want to pause here—because this part matters.

Not all oregano oil is created equal. And honestly, this is where people get into trouble—not because oregano oil is bad, but because quality and labeling really matter. Unfortunately not all farmers, factories, producers care as much about quality as they do the bottom dollar. Like everything we discuss, it bears repeating.

First: know what you’re actually buying

There are three different things people often confuse:

Culinary oregano oil (infused oil)

Oregano essential oil

Oil of oregano supplements (capsules)

They are not interchangeable.

A bottle labeled “oregano oil” could mean very different things depending on how it’s made.

🌿 What you want to look for (quality markers)

When choosing an oregano oil for supportive use, here are the basics I look for:

1. Botanical name

Look for:

Origanum vulgare

This matters because not all oregano species have the same compound profile.

2. Carvacrol content listed

A quality oregano oil will usually list:

Carvacrol percentage (often 60–75%)

If it doesn’t list carvacrol at all, that’s a red flag.

This doesn’t mean higher is always better — but transparency matters.

3. Diluted vs. undiluted

High-quality oregano oil is often:

Pre-diluted in a carrier oil (like olive oil)

That’s not a weakness — it’s responsible formulation.

If it’s undiluted essential oil, it should clearly say so and include dilution guidance.

4. Third-party testing or sourcing transparency

Look for brands that:

Explain how it’s extracted (steam distillation)

Share sourcing details

Avoid vague marketing language

You want clarity, not hype.

5. Make sure it comes in an amber glass bottle.

🚩 Red flags to avoid

This is important — and calm, not scary.

Be cautious if:

The label doesn’t list the plant species

There’s no mention of carvacrol

The product encourages daily, long-term use

It suggests internal use without clear guidance

The marketing promises cures or guarantees

A good product doesn’t need dramatic claims.

🛒 Where people typically get quality oregano oil

Generally speaking:

Reputable herbal companies

Brands known for essential oil transparency

Online can be fine — if the company is transparent. I would certainly caution you from buying something on ebay as I have heard many stories of receiving bottles that are very diluted or not what they claim at all. It is amazing the lengths people will go to to make a product look “new” and unopened….including adding plastic around the lid.

A simple rule:

If you can’t tell what’s in it or how it’s made, keep looking.

I did some searching to provide multiple sources for you in the show notes. And one thing I want to call attention to is that “Oil of oregano” and “oregano oil” are often used interchangeably in marketing, but they are NOT always the same thing.

Many companies:

Use the terms interchangeably

Don’t clearly state dilution

Market “strength” without context

That’s why reading labels matters more than the front name.

“Oregano essential oil is the concentrated extract. ‘Oil of oregano’ usually means that extract has already been diluted in a carrier oil and is sold as drops or capsules. Same plant — very different strength.” As I read labels there were some popular brand names that I just didnt like the added ingredients in the capsules or they weren’t USDA organic. I have offered suggestions that I use or look good to me, but certainly read the labels before you purchase anything to be be sure it is held to the highest of standards.

If you do decide to use oregano oil, the quality of the product matters — not just potency but transparency in sourcing and active content. I included examples of reputable options people commonly choose, ranging from enteric-coated capsules to liquid drops to put over food, in a capsule or a diffuser. I also included a few suggestions for a good diffuser. Always remember: dilute appropriately and use them as short-term support, not daily forever.”

Here’s what I want people to hear:

“The goal isn’t to find the strongest oregano oil. The goal is to find a trustworthy one and use it wisely.

You don’t need it often. You don’t need it forever.

But you will not regret having it on hand.

As we wrap up, I keep coming back to a picture from Scripture that feels especially fitting today.

Revelation 22:2 — tells us “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

In Ezekiel 47, the prophet describes trees growing along a river—trees that don’t wither, that bear fruit consistently. And then he says something so simple, yet so profound:

s for healing.” — Ezekiel: 47:12

This is powerful because Ezekiel is writing about a similar verse in Revelation hundreds of years before Revelation, yet he describes the same theme:

Trees

Food

Leaves

Healing

Ongoing provision (not one-time rescue)

Healing here is not framed as emergency medicine. It’s sustained nourishment.

And I love the order of that.

Food first. Healing flowing out of nourishment.

We don’t have to fear our food. We don’t have to turn every meal into medicine. But we can choose variety, simplicity, and faithfulness—trusting that God built support into creation long before we ever needed a label for it.

Sometimes the most powerful things aren’t dramatic. They’re consistent.

Just steady provision.

Daily nourishment → support → resilience → restoration

“The Bible began in a garden, and in Ezekiel we see that garden imagery again—trees that feed and leaves that restore. It tells me prevention and provision were always part of God’s design.”

Oregano shows up quietly:

in meals

in kitchens

in daily rhythms

Just like Ezekiel’s trees. Today, lets look again at what’s already been given, and to remember that provision was always intentional and provision was never an afterthought.

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