As a young child, I remember my mother usually relies on the medicinal properties of plants or herbs as a remedy to my common sickness like fever, cough, and or flu. Among all of the ornamental plants that she used, there is one plant that I wouldn't forget, it's the Oregano. A plant that she used to let me drink a spoonful whenever I have a cough.
After a few spoonfuls of Oregano syrup, I usually feel better. However, I must say that it's one of the most bitter or horrible tasting herbal medicine I ever experience. And that is one of the reasons why I hated it so much that it became remarkable to me.
In these modern times, I usually go for cough syrup from the pharmacy to relieve my cough. And I wonder, are their real facts that can prove that an Oregano can really relieve the cough of a person? Is it even a better option than modern medicines? Are there any side effects in using it? These are the questions in my mind that motivated me to do simple research about it and share it with the Blurt community.
What is Oregano?
First of all, let's introduce what is this plant called Oregano. It is a perennial herb that grows at a height of about 20 - 80cm. It also is known as wild marjoram or sweet marjoram that is a native of Western & Southwestern Eurasia. It does have a flower that is purple in color.
Health Benefits of Oregano
There are quite a number of health benefits that you will get from oregano and it’s also a good source of Anti-oxidants, that is great in fighting free radicals.
Anti-oxidants are commonly found on berries and other nutritious fruits. Below is a good reference for the kind of fruits that have a high level of anti-oxidants.
For this post, let me focus on the possible benefits that can remedy a common cough or viral infection.
1. It has antibacterial properties
According to a study posted to NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), through a test-tube study, it was proven the oregano is proven effective against 23 species of bacteria.
In the study, it was also mentioned that a concentrated amount of the herb’s essential oil has shown to be efficient against bacteria in comparison to sage & thyme.
One of the main reasons for its antimicrobial properties is brought by the oil contains an essential compound called carvacrol.
2. Help Reduce Viral Infection
Aside from its antibacterial properties, the test-tube tests also show an indication that oregano has antiviral properties.
As shown in studies, Oregano has proven to inhibit both human and animal viruses and it is due to “carvacrol” which is a compound of the oregano oil. Based on the studies, cervical is also most effective on respiratory viruses, such as flu virus.
In this modern age, there are so many over the counter medicines that will serve as a cure to our common sickness. However, there are also traditional remedies that are also proven to be equally effective as the medicines that you can get from pharmacies. It just boils down to the affordability of the options that you have, if a home remedy like oregano is able to suppress a common sickness like cough or flu then I would personally take it instead of the modern medicines.
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Keep posting a nice quality content :)
Thank you so much :)
ow wow I really wasnt aware of all of this. Oregano to me is the herbs to put on pizza or something but I really had no idea that oregano is something so healthy. How cool is this!
I hated oregano as a child because of how my mother condenses it to make a cough syrup.
And now, I like it as an adult especially when added on dishes like Musaka or as you said, pizza ;)
Anyway, I'm glad that you find my post interesting. Thanks for dropping-by :)
Nice writing. thanks for sharing
We have quite a lot of oregano growing in our garden... we use it as an herb for flavoring on Italian dishes and sometimes in scrambled eggs, but I did not realize it had healing properties.
=^..^=