Oregano: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Scientific name(s)
Origanum vulgare
Family or group:
Plants
Active ingredients:
Carvacrol
Thymol
Indications
Scoring methodology
EFSA approval.
Wound ✪✪✪✪✪
A small clinical trial shows that applying an ointment containing a 3% concentration of the water-soluble fraction of oregano twice daily for 10 to 14 days after a minor dermatological surgical procedure could reduce infection rates and improve scar formation compared with a petrolatum-based ointment. Oregano promotes the healing of minor skin inflammations and bruises, soothing damaged skin.
Posologie
Topical use
3%
ointment
Digestive disorders, Candidiasis ✪✪✪✪✪
Oregano is traditionally used to relieve mild gastrointestinal complaints, helping to improve digestion and reduce symptoms of discomfort, according to the EMA.
Posologie
Oral use
500 mg
powder, essential oil
ENT infections, Bronchitis ✪✪✪✪✪
Oregano is recommended to ease cough associated with the common cold, helping to clear the airways, according to the EMA.
Posologie
Oral use
500 mg
powder, essential oil
Properties
Antibacterial
Oregano essential oil and its component, carvacrol, have significant antibacterial properties against a wide range of organisms, including antibiotic-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Phenols such as carvacrol and thymol, present in oregano, accumulate in the bacterial cell membrane, disrupting its structure and function, which leads to leakage of potassium and phosphate ions, alters intracellular pH and depletes ATP, essential for bacterial survival. These effects make oregano a widely used remedy for combating infections.
Usages associés
Antifungal
Oregano essential oil and its component, carvacrol, demonstrate antifungal properties by inhibiting the growth of several pathogens such as Aspergillus species, Candida albicans, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. They block the germination and mycelial growth of Candida albicans, significantly increasing survival rates in infected mice.
Antiviral
Carvacrol has shown antiviral activity against the H1N1 influenza virus in laboratory studies, although the concentrations required may be toxic to human cells.
Usages associés
Hormonal metabolism
A study conducted on rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) shows that oral administration of an oregano leaf extract at 250 or 500 mg/kg per day for 30 days indirectly increases fertility by improving markers associated with ovarian follicular development and the hormonal abnormalities seen in PCOS.
Safe dosage
Adults aged 12 years and older: 500 mg - 1000 mg (powder)
- Infusion: 4 to 6 g for 250 mL of boiling water, infuse 10 minutes, 3 times a day.nn- Encapsulated powder: 250 mg per capsule, 2 to 4 capsules per day.nn- Mother tincture (TM): 5 to 10 drops, 3 times a daynn
Child aged 7 to 12 years:
1 to 2 drops of essential oil.nn
Precautions
Breastfeeding women: avoid
Insufficient data.nn
Contraindications
Pregnant women: contraindicated
Oregano may have abortifacient and emmenagogue effects.nn
