Have you considered using oregano oil? Many people use oregano herbs in various dishes like tomato sauces. However, they might not know about the health benefits you can get from the plant’s essential oil. It’s important to know the basics of the plant and the essential oils you can get from it. Essential oils provide the main chemical compounds found in the original plant. This can provide several oregano oil benefits.
Oregano oil provides several possible benefits. They include powerful antioxidants, lower cholesterol, and weight loss. Unfortunately, there are few studies done about the health benefits of dietary supplements versus prescription drugs. So it’s important to research any claimed benefits of oregano oil.
This can help to determine whether or not any claims you read are true. This is important because sometimes there’s solid evidence that essential oil has certain health benefits. Other times there’s little or no evidence. It’s good to do your homework before using a particular essential oil for certain benefits.
What Is Oregano Oil?
Oregano oil is made from the oregano plant. It has a high amount of various chemical compounds that exist naturally within the plant. You can find the product in different forms like essential oils. This product is highly concentrated and is used for different functions like aromatherapy.
Most of us are more familiar with the oregano herb that’s added to various Italian dishes including spaghetti sauce. This adds extra flavor to the sauce and improves the overall taste of the dish.
It’s important to avoid consuming essential oil. This could trigger unwanted side-effects that you’ll certainly want to avoid. Keep in mind one factor is the product is highly concentrated. So it’s much stronger than just consuming the plant’s leaves, stems, etc.
Studies show that applying the oregano plant’s oil to your skin you might get several benefits. It’s important to research studies done so you’ll know whether there’s solid proof that the “benefits” are actually a thing.
You should also consider that there are some possible risks/side-effects you should be aware of. This can help to avoid them in case you’re at a greater risk to experience them.
The plant’s leaves and stems contain healthy chemical compounds that might provide e various health benefits. The leaves/stems are dried them steamed to remove the highest amount of chemical compounds from the plant as possible.
The main chemical compound in the oil is something called “carvacrol.” This can reportedly provide several health benefits. There’s also a powerful antioxidant in the plant, which is known as a “phenol.”
Another important substance is “thymol.” It’s believed it might help to fight fungus infections and keep toxins away. It’s worth noting there’s a lot of the substance in oregano.
However, you can get the most thymol from thyme plants. This is another super plant that’s used for cooking and medicine.
Top Possible Oregano Oil Benefits
FIGHTS BACTERIA
This is due to the high amounts of carvacrol found in the oil. It might help to battle some kinds of bacteria. For example, there’s one kind that produces “staph infection.” There are some that exist in the body naturally.
However, when the bacteria grow fast it can cause various unwanted symptoms. Some studies show that oregano oil might help to fight the infection. Taking supplements or applying it directly to the skin could help reduce the bacteria’s effects.
ANTIOXIDANTS
The oil can also function as a powerful antioxidant. These are needed to fight off free radical molecules that attack healthy cells. When this happens it might cause problems like damaged cells. Oregano-sourced oil contains powerful antioxidants that might help to reduce the effects of oxidation.
FUNGAL INFECTIONS
The natural oil also seems to help battle fungus due to the high amounts of thymol. A 2015 study found that it might help to treat infections caused by the fungus “candida.” It can cause various types of infections, including athlete’s foot, yeast infections, and infected fingernails/toenails.
SIBO
This is a condition that affects too much bacteria in the small intestine. The oregano plant’s oil might help to fight such serious bacteria issues. For example, a 2014 study found that herbal remedies including the compounds in oregano plants could help to treat SIBO. More research is needed.
ANTIBIOTIC
Researchers are studying the use of natural oil for using it for bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant. One study showed that combining oregano oil with silver helped to reduce tested bacteria.
LOWER INFLAMMATION
The oil might also help to lower inflammation in people. Some studies show that chemical compounds in the plant can help lower inflammation in animals. However, more research is needed to find out if it could cause the same results in humans.
More Possible Oregano Benefits
PAIN RELIEF
Some studies show that oregano might help to relieve pain. One animal study revealed that an oregano extract helped to provide pain relief. A key result is the animals experienced more pain relief based on how much of the oil they took.
INSECT REPELLANT
The natural oil contains chemical compounds that might help to fight off bugs. A 2017 study found that the oil helped to fight off some kinds of mosquitos and ticks. The tests are done involved test tubes and human subjects.
ANTI-CANCER
Some studies show that oregano oil could help to battle some kinds of cancer. A study review pointed out that the oil can help to prevent some kinds of cancer including breast and colon. This worked in test tubes.
It seemed that the oil also helped to slow down the growth of prostate/lung cancer cells. It’s worth noting that most of these studies were done on animals or in test tubes.
WEIGHT LOSS
Today you can find tons of weight loss products on the market. Many of them contain artificial ingredients that can cause unwanted side-effects. One alternative is oregano oil. Some studies show that it might help with weight loss.
Studies found that the main chemical compound in oregano oil can stop the process that causes the creation/buildup of fat tissue. This could certainly be helpful in trying to lose weight. However, more research about this possible benefit of the oil.
WOUND-HEALING
It seems that applying some oregano oil to a person’s skin might help to protect small scrapes/cuts so they can heal. This can help to prevent the wounds from getting worse, which is something you’ll definitely want to avoid.
It’s possible chemical compounds in oregano oil could help to protect such wounds from becoming worse through bacterial infections. That’s something you’ll want to avoid and another of the possible oregano oil benefits.
