Oregano is well known for what it c...

Oregano is well known for what it can do to spark up tomato-based dishes, however we're only now learning what the stinging herb can do for our health. Researchers at the U Department of Agriculture have institute that oregano and -- to a less degree -- other related herbs are powerful antioxidants, mixs that help eliminate harmful independent radicals from the body.

Oregano, the researchers have discovered, has equable stronger antioxidant powers than vegetables and fruits, which are loaded with them. That's single in kind reason we're encouraged to eat plant-based diets rather than those unable to exist without on meat, though it's not happening further Most Americans aren't even eating enough fruits and vegetables to gain antioxidant benefits.

A tablespoon of blooming oregano, researchers found, has more than 40 times the antioxidant power of apples and 30 times that of potatoes. Herbs like oregano furnish enough power, says USDA's Dr Shiow Wang, that they "should be considered as regular vegetables. folks should use more herbs for flavoring instead of salt and artificial chemicals." Supplementing "a balanced diet with herbs may have beneficial health effects"

The research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and aliment Chemistry in November 2001, compared the antioxidant properties of 27 herbs-including basil, rosemary, dill, parsley and sage -- used in cooking, and 12 medicinal herbs. These included St John's wort and valerian. Oregano beat 'em all, with its delicate Mediterranean cousin marjoram -- les popular in this nation -- a distant second.

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