More than a nice, Italian spice. ...

More than a nice, Italian spice.

in the way that you enjoy a pinch of it forward your pizza, a sprinkle of it in succession your spinach, or a touch of it upon your tortellini. There's much more to this spicy customer than engages the (watery) eye.

Historical use. In ancient Greece newlyweds would be kingly powered with oregano. While the French used oregano in soaps, and the English in herbal huff the Germans used it to season sausage.

Oregano -- or Origanum vulgare -- called "joy of the mountain" in grecian belongs to the mint (Lamiaceae) family, and is related to the pair marjoram and thyme. Almost unknown to greatest in number Americans until U.S. soldiers came back from World War II postings singing its praises, oregano's kissing cousins include: mint, basil, and sage.

Is it oregano or marjoram? According to nourishment writer, Linda Gilbert, although all marjorams are oreganos (since the genus name for as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but is Origanum), all oreganos are not marjorams. Oregano is the genus of which sweet marjoram (Origanum marjorana) is moreover one variety.

Does oregano have phytomedicinal value? Sixteenth-century herbalist, Gerard, impose it this way: "Organy is real good against the wambling of the stomacke."

What's a wamble? "Wamble" is Middle English for "to be wrought up nausea," which may have advance from the Old Norse vama (nausea).

Aside from helping with digestion, and stimulating the be derived of bile, there is a fascinating carcass of research on the benefits of this spice. For common thing, oregano has antioxidant amalgamates that qualify it as a powerful phytomedicinal, including: carvacrol and thymol

The Research

Antioxidant tenors A 1993 study by in the manner of greece researchers (which appeared in the JAOCS journal) ordealed oregano leaf extracts (flavonoids) forward different products: lard, vegetable oils, etc The flavonoids stabilized lard against oxidation, and showed antioxidant powers when proofed on vegetable oils during storage or frying conditions.

Antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, drifts 1996. In this year, YM Siddiqui, and colleagues, examined the antiviral actions of oregano and clove oils against RNA and DNA viruses. The antiviral powers of oregano oil were made clear. A peek [i]or[/i] part of to the other the electron microscope showed that the viruses' exterior protective membrane "disintegrated" after exposing to the oregano oil.

In another 1996 paper which appeared in the Journal of Agricultural regimen Chemistry, investigators led by Minas Arsenakis standarded extracts from oregano oil against eight strains of bacteria, of that kind as: Escherichia coli (otherwise affectionately known as E coli, and sometimes build in poorly packaged juice works and elsewhere), Salmonella, staph, Bacillus, and other nasties.

The findings? The essential oil of oregano was "extremely bactericidal" (antibacterial), flat at very dilute concentrations. steady "watered down" preparations caused "considerable decrease in bacterial increase rates."

1998. Toward the period of 1998, Dutch researchers -- A. Ultee et al. -- examined the effectiveness of individual of oregano's most potent blends carvacrol (mentioned earlier), against the food-borne baddy, Bacillus cereus. The ends showed that the compound was effective against this bug based in succession "dose," from total block in succession growth (for the top concentration) to reducing spread of the Bacillus bacteria (for the lowest).

Take-home message? The more science reveals about the benefits of ancient nutriments and condiments -- such as oregano -- the more we can appreciate the wisdom of our ancestors in having harnessed aliments with such inherent power.

Oregano is infinitely more than just a nice, Italian spice.

REFERENCES

Siddiqui, YM et al. "Effect of essential oils forward the enveloped viruses: antiviral activity of oregano oils upon herpes simplex virus type I and Newcastle disease virus," Medical Sciences Research 24(3):185-186 1996

Sivropoulou, Afroditi, et al. "Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of Origanum essential oils," J Agric aliment Chem 44:1202-1205, 1996.

Ultee A., et al. "Bactericidal activity of carvacrol towards the food-borne pathogen Bacillus cereus," J Appl Microbiol 85(2):211-218 1998

Vekiari, S.A., et al. "Oregano flavonoids as lipid antioxidants," JAOCS 70(5):483-487 1993

http.www.bpe.com/food/recipes/gilbert/oregano/index.html

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