How to Use Oregano Essential Oils

Essential oils (aromatherapy) are oils extracted directly from plants and flowers and while some are used in perfumes, many of these oils have healing properties. Oregano essential oil is extracted from a wild oregano variety called, Origanum vulgare and its main ingredient is a chemical called, carvacrol, which reduces infections just as effectively as any antibiotic. This oil was used in ancient Greece for healing skin as well as to protect food from bacteria. Oil of oregano is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic, according to OrganicFacts.com, a website compiled by a chemical engineer. Discover ways you can use oregano essential oil, available for purchase online or in natural health food stores. The following applications are recommended by Michelle Lynde, RH, a clinical herbalist in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Things You'll Need

• Olive oil
• Orange juice
• Oregano oil capsules

Show More

Instructions

Acute Conditions

• 1

  For conditions such as sore throats, indigestion, colitis, nausea, and viral and bacterial infections, mix the oil from oregano capsules (which is diluted already) into juice, milk, pasta sauce or pizza sauce in small doses of four to six drops for no more than seven to 10 days. It also can be mixed with a cold-pressed olive oil in a ratio of 1 part oregano to 3 parts oil.

• 2

  In a 2001 study at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Harry G. Preuss, MD, MACN, CNS, professor of physiology and biophysics, and his research team discovered that "oregano oil at relatively low doses was found to inhibit the growth of staphylococcus bacteria."

• 3

  In 2009, researchers at the Processed Foods Research and Produce Safety and Microbiology units of Western Regional Research Center from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made oregano oil into effective, thin, tomato-based antimicrobial edible films, placing them over E. coli, salmonella and Listeria: Oregano oil inhibited the growth of all three bacteria.

• 4

  Be on the watch for announcements of edible film for the fruits and vegetables you purchase in the near future. In a 2008 study, for example, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Mendel Friedman and other researchers started creating an edible film made with pureed spinach spiked with carvacrol, which when added to ready-to-eat, packaged spinach leaves or other produce, helped keep produce fresh and free of harmful bacteria like E. coli.

• 5

  Dilute one drop of oregano oil with a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey to make it taste better. Dilute oregano oil with extra virgin olive oil or organic, virgin coconut oil for the best results.