Oregano Benefits and Uses

Summary

In this informative video, Heidi from Rain Country discusses the versatile herb oregano, focusing on its Mediterranean variety. She highlights oregano's numerous medicinal benefits, including its antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Heidi shares tips on growing oregano, its health benefits, and various ways to use it, from cooking to making extracts and soaps. She also touches on the unique qualities of golden oregano and its applications in both gardening and culinary uses. The video encourages viewers to explore oregano's potential and conduct further research on its health benefits.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Oregano, especially Mediterranean varieties, offers numerous health benefits and is easy to grow, particularly for those with a rainy climate.
• 🪴 Oregano is part of the mint family, making it resilient and easy to propagate, similar to other mints like peppermint.
• 💊 Oregano has powerful medicinal properties, including being antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory.
• 🩺 Common ailments oregano can help with include arthritis, diabetes, allergies, asthma, kidney and liver issues, depression, UTIs, headaches, heart conditions, and indigestion.
• 🦠 Oregano can be used topically for acne, fungal infections, psoriasis, rosacea, insect bites, muscle and joint pain, warts, and dandruff, as well as making a good insect repellent.
• 🍽️ Oregano is versatile in culinary uses, particularly in Italian and Mexican dishes, and can also be added to animal feed, such as chicken feed, for health benefits.
• 🍃 The speaker uses oregano to make various extracts, such as an antibiotic extract, using homemade wine or vinegar instead of high-proof alcohol.
• 🔥 Oregano oil is very potent and needs to be diluted before use; it’s effective for both internal and external infections but should be used carefully due to its strength.
• 🧼 The speaker makes a soap using oregano, colloidal silver, and activated charcoal for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.
• 💚 Golden oregano, a favorite variety of the speaker, has a milder flavor, making it ideal for fresh use in salads and other dishes, and adds a beautiful color to gardens.

Q & A

What type of oregano is primarily discussed in the video?

The video primarily discusses common oregano, particularly Mediterranean oregano, which includes varieties like Greek and Italian oregano.

What are the main health benefits of oregano mentioned in the video?

Oregano is described as having antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. It can help with conditions like arthritis, diabetes, allergies, asthma, kidney and liver damage, depression, UTIs, headaches, heart conditions, and indigestion.

How can oregano be propagated according to the video?

Oregano can be easily propagated by taking a small piece of an existing plant with a bit of root attached and planting it. This method works well for growing new oregano plants.

What are some of the ways the speaker uses oregano in their daily life?

The speaker uses oregano in cooking, particularly in Italian and Mexican dishes, in making an antibiotic extract, adding it to chicken feed, and incorporating it into a homemade healing salve and soap.

Why does the speaker prefer using homemade wine or vinegar for extracts instead of high-proof alcohol?

The speaker prefers using homemade wine or vinegar because they find it just as effective for medicinal purposes as high-proof alcohol, with the added benefit of being able to use their own homemade products.

What caution is given regarding the use of oregano essential oil?

Oregano essential oil is very potent and should typically be diluted in a carrier oil to avoid skin irritation. It is also advised not to take it internally too often, as it can affect gut flora due to its strong antibiotic properties.

What is the speaker’s favorite type of oregano, and how do they use it?

The speaker’s favorite type of oregano is golden oregano, which has a milder and sweeter flavor than Mediterranean oregano. They use it fresh in salads and various savory dishes.

What advice does the speaker give for those interested in learning more about the health benefits of oregano?

The speaker advises doing additional research on specific health benefits of oregano that interest the viewer, using reliable sources and cross-referencing information from books and trusted websites.

What are some of the topical uses of oregano mentioned in the video?

Topical uses of oregano include treating acne, fungal infections, psoriasis, rosacea, insect bites, muscle and joint pain, warts, and dandruff. It can also be used as an insect repellent.

Why does the speaker recommend getting hard copy books on herbal remedies?

The speaker recommends getting hard copy books because the internet may not always be accessible, and books provide a reliable source of information that can be referenced at any time.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Introduction to Oregano and Its Benefits

Heidi introduces the topic of oregano, particularly focusing on common types like Mediterranean oregano. She emphasizes that the video serves as a starting point for exploring oregano's uses and benefits, and encourages viewers to do further research on specific health benefits. She also highlights the importance of having reliable sources and keeping hard copy reference books.

05:02

💪 Health Benefits and Uses of Oregano

Heidi details the various health benefits of oregano, such as its antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. She lists ailments that oregano can help with, including arthritis, diabetes, and heart conditions, and also mentions its uses in treating topical issues like acne and insect bites. Additionally, she talks about how oregano can be used to make antibiotic extracts.

10:04

🧪 Making Oregano Extracts and Other Uses

Heidi explains how she uses dehydrated oregano, particularly in making antibiotic extracts. She discusses the difference between tinctures and extracts, preferring to use homemade wine for her extracts. She shares success stories of using oregano extracts to treat ear infections and describes the potent nature of oregano oil, cautioning against its undiluted use due to its hot nature.

15:06

🧼 Oregano in Homemade Products and Soap

Heidi shares her experience of using oregano oil in homemade healing salves and soaps. She describes how the combination of colloidal silver, activated charcoal, and oregano in her soap offers antiviral and antibacterial benefits. She also talks about using oregano oil in her healing salve for burns and other skin ailments, noting its effectiveness while advising caution due to its potency.

Keywords

💡Oregano

Oregano is a herb commonly used in culinary dishes, particularly in Mediterranean cuisine. The video focuses on the medicinal benefits of oregano, highlighting its antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. The host discusses various ways to use oregano, such as in cooking, making extracts, and treating ailments like UTIs and headaches.

💡Medicinal Benefits

Medicinal benefits refer to the health advantages provided by substances like herbs. The video emphasizes oregano's numerous medicinal benefits, including its antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, making it effective in treating conditions like arthritis, diabetes, and infections.

💡Mint Family

The mint family is a group of plants that includes oregano, peppermint, and rosemary. Oregano belongs to this family, which is known for its easy growth and potent medicinal properties. The video explains that oregano, like other mint family members, has various health benefits, particularly in supporting digestion and treating infections.

💡Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a substance that helps prevent damage caused by free radicals, potentially reducing the risk of cancer. In the video, oregano is described as having strong antioxidant properties, contributing to its role in cancer prevention and overall health support.

💡Dehydrating

Dehydrating is the process of removing moisture from food to preserve it. The host discusses how she dehydrates oregano to store it for later use, particularly for making extracts and adding to her chickens' feed. Dehydration allows her to maintain a supply of oregano year-round.

💡Antibiotic Extract

An antibiotic extract is a concentrated form of a substance used to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. The video explains how the host creates an antibiotic extract using oregano and other herbs. This extract is used to treat infections, such as ear infections, without the need for conventional antibiotics.

💡Oregano Oil

Oregano oil is an essential oil derived from oregano, known for its potent antibacterial and antiviral properties. The video highlights its use in treating infections, both internally and externally, and in homemade products like healing salves and antibacterial soaps. The host warns about its potency and the need for careful dilution.

💡Golden Oregano

Golden oregano is a variety of oregano with a milder, sweeter flavor and a distinctive lime green color. The host prefers golden oregano for its taste and aesthetic appeal in the garden. While it shares the medicinal properties of regular oregano, it is less potent and is mainly used in cooking and salads.

💡Salve

A salve is a medicinal ointment used for healing skin conditions. The host mentions adding oregano oil to her homemade healing salve, enhancing its effectiveness in treating burns, skin infections, and other ailments. The combination of oregano oil with other ingredients like colloidal silver makes the salve highly effective.

💡Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver consists of tiny silver particles suspended in liquid, often used for its antibacterial and antiviral properties. In the video, colloidal silver is combined with oregano in a homemade soap, aimed at disinfecting and drawing out toxins from the skin, illustrating its use in natural health products.

Highlights

Oregano, particularly Mediterranean varieties, has numerous health benefits including being antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory.

Oregano is part of the mint family, making it easy to grow and propagate, similar to other mints like peppermint and mojito mint.

Oregano can help with various ailments such as arthritis, diabetes, allergies, asthma, kidney and liver tissue restoration, depression, and UTIs due to its natural antibiotic properties.

It is also beneficial for topical uses, including treating acne, fungal infections, psoriasis, rosacea, insect bites, and dandruff. Oregano can also be used as an insect repellent.

Oregano oil is a potent essential oil but needs to be diluted with a carrier oil due to its hot nature. It can be used both internally and externally.

Oregano can be used to make an antibiotic extract that can be effective in treating ear infections and other internal infections naturally.

Oregano, especially fresh from the plant, can help with internal infections and gut issues, including Candida.

Oregano oil can be used in homemade healing salves for skin issues, including burns and other ailments.

Golden oregano, a milder and sweeter variety, is preferred for fresh use in salads and other dishes due to its flavor and vibrant lime green color.

Golden oregano is easier to grow and can create a beautiful lime green carpet in a garden, adding aesthetic value as well as culinary use.

The speaker highlights the importance of using reliable sources and cross-referencing information when researching herbs and their benefits.

The speaker encourages the use of hard copy books on herbs, as relying solely on the internet can be limiting.

Oregano can be used in chicken feed to improve their digestion and prevent infections.

The speaker shares a personal practice of dehydrating oregano for long-term use and incorporating it into various dishes and natural remedies.

Homemade oregano soap, combined with colloidal silver and activated charcoal, is promoted as a powerful antibacterial and antiviral disinfectant soap.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello friends Heidi here from rain

country god is good all the time and I'm

here for another herb profile video and

today we're going to be talking about

oregano mostly your common oregano

especially like your Mediterranean

oregano which is often called Greek or

Italian etc and we're I'm gonna be

talking about the benefits and uses now

this is really these kind of videos that

I do are mostly just a jumping-off point

I'm not going to be talking about every

tiny little detail and and benefit of

every single plant because a lot of your

herbs like this whether it be what we

consider a culinary herbs such as

oregano thyme or rosemary also contain a

whole lot of medicinal benefits health

benefits just in the list can go on and

on mostly what I try to focus on is the

most common ones that we think of and

then all and then go on about some of

the ways that you can use that or at

least the way that I use it and then

what you can do is take the information

I give you here and start doing some

more of your own research especially if

you when I mention something about a

certain health benefit or ailment that

it helps with and that's something that

speaks to you

what I recommend then that you do is

then do more specific research on that

so go look it up by doing a search such

as oregano and arthritis and then start

doing some more serious research and

compare your different websites and

places that you go to making sure that

you also check the website it's coming

from and that it seems like a pretty

reliable and trustworthy source so

that's really important that you do that

I always cross-reference all the

information I get between my books and

the websites and also don't forget get

yourself some hard copy books you're not

always gonna have the internet to be

able to search these things so I always

have a list of some books in my

description box if you open up the

description box click on show more

the little gray arrow and then go

through my various links I'll try to

remember to move it towards the top the

list of books so one thing about oregano

that is super super great is it is in

the mint family which means it is a very

easy to grow

well not all mint family herbs are as

easy to grow as oregano like for some

people like us thyme and rosemary tend

to be a little bit more difficult

because they don't like the heavy rains

that we get but oregano loves it because

it grows more like your other mints such

as peppermint mojito mint and those type

of mints and actually I have a video I

did last year on showing how I easily

made starts of my mojito mint apply this

to your oregano if you already have an

oregano plant if you want to make more

plants that's how I've done it I'll link

to that video down below but it is super

simple and if you're needing oregano

plant but and you know somebody who's

got some healthy oregano plants going

just go ask them offer to pay them for a

start and my guess is especially if they

know you well they'll be willing to just

give it to you I've done this for people

around here many times I am happy to

give them an oregano start because I

have lots of oregano and it's so easy

just to pull up a little piece with a

little bit of root on it that's all you

need and hand it to them and they could

plant it just about anywhere and it will

grow and you can just keep doing that

make as many plants as you want but you

know really all you need is one good

healthy plant and it should give you

plenty because I've got I think I have

four I have at least three good healthy

oregano plants I think it's four though

and I don't need that many I probably

should pull one up and use that space

for something else I'm gonna first list

off just the basic properties that it

has

so is antioxidant which means it helps

fight and prevent cancer it's

antibacterial antiviral antimicrobial

antifungal anti-inflammatory so right

there you

give you a pretty good idea of the many

uses it's going to have so now let me go

ahead and list off some of the different

ailments that you may have that this can

be beneficial at helping arthritis

diabetes because it helps regulate blood

sugars allergies and asthma it restores

damaged kidney and liver tissues helps

with depression helps with UTIs which of

course urinary tract infections oregano

is a natural antibiotic like I already

mentioned so of course is going to help

with a UTI or any other types of

infections it's good for headaches this

is a new one to me I'd never knew that

but it actually makes sense because we

know many plants in the mint family such

as peppermint and catnip are also really

good for headaches rosemary is another

good one for that it helps with heart

conditions helps lower cholesterol and

is good for indigestion which that one

kind of surprised me to you which was

that that was another new one but then

again remembering it's in the mid family

we know a lot of mints are good for

indigestion and other digestive issues

if you're going to use it more in a

topical form here's some whether it be

in the oil or if you're crushing the

herb itself and using it straight from

the plant it's good for acne fungal

infections psoriasis rosacea insect

bites it also makes a good insect

repellent muscle and joint pain

warts and dandruff so that's just a list

of a few of the things that can help

with and then now let me talk a little

bit about how I use it now I do a lot of

dehydrating as most of you know

throughout the year in fact right now

right I have them turned off for the

sake of the video but I've got my

dehydrator sitting outside on the table

here because it's a nice warm days so I

like to dehydrate outside in such case

so we don't heat up the inside of the

house even more so and one of the things

I have on my dehydrators today is

oregano I've got a lot of regen Oh

dehydrated up from previous years

but the more I find ways to use it

besides just cooking because of course

it goes in all of my Italian sauces and

certain Mexican dishes I make as well I

do have other uses for it and because of

its many medicinal benefits

I've been ramping up the use of it so

I'm trying to get a lot more put up this

year so one of the things I'm doing to

work through my older oregano faster

this is my newest jar right here is I've

been adding it to the chickens feed I

just sprinkled the dried oregano right

in their feed and so they eat that

because it's really good to help with

yes their digestion help with any

internal issues they have whether it be

a parasitic infection or a viral

infection or anything like that so that

goes in their feed it's very healthy for

them and I just sprinkle a little bit

every time I fill up their container I

sprinkle a little bit in there and mix

it through another thing that I use my

oregano for the dried oregano is I use

it to make an antibiotic extract now I

don't say teacher because a tincture is

an extract that's made specifically with

a high proof alcohol that it's at least

80 proof and above I now make all

extracts I don't you make tinctures

anymore so I just make extracts because

I can use my own homemade organic wine

to extract the herbs and I find in any

uses I've used it for medicinal e it's

been just as effective using the

homemade wine or even vinegar as using a

high proof alcohol they don't the main

difference is you just take a little bit

more of it oregano from my own garden is

one of the I think it's three herbs I'm

using now in my antibiotic extract I

have a video on this I'll go ahead and

link down below so again oregano is just

one of those and you can check out that

video to see the other herbs that I use

and how I make the extract itself oh and

my my homemade extracts have worked

great for healing up ear infections on

several different occasions

so not on myself that I a couple of

different family members that have had

ear infections adult family members have

all they needed is one dose and it

cleared it right up well I think there

was one that had to take a couple two or

three take it two or three days in a row

to clear up their infection but it still

worked and it was affected they didn't

have to go to the doctor and get on the

antibiotics that way they just did it

the natural way and I was able to give

it to him and it didn't cost him

anything another thing that I've been

using oregano oil in so I have I have

now foods oregano oil it's been very

effective it's very powerful now keep in

mind if you're talking about in

essential oil oregano oil is a very very

hot and in most cases you're not going

to want to use it straight you're going

to need to dilute it in a carrier oil

whether it be you're taking it

internally or you're using it externally

it can burn the skin so I've actually

taken it internally by doing just a drop

on the tongue some people do it

sublingually which means they'll use it

under their tongue but you're only going

to need a drop if you're taking it for

internal uses like that you do have to

be very careful with it because it is

such a hot oil and also being careful

when you're taking it internally not to

take it too often if you're taking it to

try to cure up something internally

that's fine but you need to take breaks

from it because again it is antibiotic

and it can too much can't have an effect

on your gut flora so just keep it

balanced out like you should anything

but I find eating fresh oregano right

off the plant can be G almost as hot as

as the take in the oil itself so if you

feel if you've got your oregano growing

fresh right now just go eat it right off

the plant take a sprig or two daily and

that should help with some infections

you might be trying to heal internally

our gut issues a lot of people will take

it for the sake of getting rid of

Candida so anyway back to what I was

saying I got a rabbit trail but those

were still important points I was going

to bring up the oil I have added

to my homemade healing salve for skin

and I've been using it on all kinds of

things including the burn that I got

from a canning accident I had that I did

talk about in a recent video that I will

link to down below and we'll be talking

about more so I you want to be careful

especially if you're gonna use it on

something like that you don't put too

much of the oil in because again it's

very hot but it's been very effective at

helping with various skin ailments and

that I've added the oregano oil to that

now another newer thing I've been using

the oregano in and this is both my own

homegrown and dehydrated oregano and the

nail foods oregano oil is making a soap

that I sell in my store

and so this soap is more for using for

antibacterial antiviral properties

because again oregano is antiviral so

the soap is colloidal silver activated

charcoal and oregano and so that's

should be a very good disinfecting type

soap for washing your hands or whatever

you want to do with it because we also

know that charcoal is good at drawing

out toxins whether it be if you're

taking the charcoal internally or using

it externally a lot of people will add

charcoal to their tooth powder as well

because of that so the combination with

the colloidal silver and the oregano

should be very good at helping to kill

viruses and bacteria okay now let me

talk a little bit about golden oregano

which is actually my very favorite

oregano now I do use the Mediterranean

oregano in my Italian sauces but when it

comes to the golden oregano because it

has a much more mild flavor it I add it

to a lot more things that I cook with

because it's just not as strong and it

has a more sweet flavor and I use it

fresh a lot in salads it not only adds a

beautiful lime green color to the salads

it has this wonderful flavor I compare

it more to marjoram but I like the

flavor of it better which by the way

marjoram is also an oregano of its own

now I would

because this is an assumption on my part

does my own hypothesis because it isn't

as hot or pungent as your Mediterranean

oregano my assumption is going to be

that the golden oregano though it should

have all the same benefits it's going to

be not quite as potent as your

Mediterranean oregano so that's just

something to consider and that's why I

don't use the golden oregano when I'm

making a medicinal extract in itself but

I to eat it fresh or add it to salads

it's still gonna have a lot of good

healthy benefits plus all that wonderful

flavor plus I love the way golden

oregano looks in the garden it also is

very easy to grow from little the same

way to start from this the same way and

it will spread and it can make a

beautiful lime green carpet in your

garden and so I try to grow it in places

that are very visible and get lots of

Sun because the golden oregano gets most

of that bright green color from the Sun

so I'm going to show you a couple

pictures here here is a photo of one of

my plants out front before I cut it back

and harvest it to dehydrate you can see

that beautiful chartreuse lime green

color but then when I hacked it way back

I just I just kind of mow it down with

some scissors you can see lower down the

area that's now exposed in this picture

is a much darker green it's not as dark

as your regular oregano but it's it's

darker than that color so that was at

the top so the more sun exposure gets

the brighter the color gets so down at

the bottom now that area is being

exposed to sun it's going to also turn

that nice beautiful lime green so yes I

use it in all kinds of savory type

dishes the golden oregano and just love

it and again don't forget to add it to

those salads if you're growing it a lot

of people have had hard time finding

golden oregano now I'm not going to be

sawing any seeds because I keep mine cut

back because I like to get a lot

dehydrated up for the year so that means

same thing goes with my other

you know it never gets a chance to

flower because I'm always cutting it

back so I won't have seeds available you

can check Baker Creek I know they've had

a lot of issue keeping all kinds of

different seed in stock again I think

when it comes to oregano if you know

someone that's growing it the easiest

way to get it started is from the plant

itself but here's what I recommend if

you can't if you don't can't find

anybody that has the golden oregano ask

your local nursery if they can get it in

that's how I got mine is our local

nursery I asked him to carry it they got

it in and I I bought several plants

again I am just crazy about golden

oregano and I think you would love it

too if you like marjoram and you like

just oregano in general I think you

would love the golden oregano and

besides that you know just the beauty

adds to the garden just that other shade

of green just really makes the colors

pop okay I believe that's all I was

going to say today about oregano I do

hope you're enjoying my series I will

put down below link to my whole entire

playlist now keep in mind this playlist

goes back almost four years back to when

I first started my channel and you know

I still learning about editing and all

that kind of stuff but I hope you do

still enjoy even the older videos too

there is quite a bit in there so yeah go

check out that playlist so you can learn

more and be watching for more videos

coming in the future that I'll keep

adding to this list and share with us

down below your favorite ways to use

oregano and your favorite kind of

oregano alright well thanks for watching

take care and God bless

[Music]