See the 9 oregano oil benefits You Should Know..

1. Broad antibacterial activity

Perhaps the most promising potential for this plant is its antimicrobial activity. This is largely due to the carvacrol.

Is oregano oil an antibiotic? No, an antibiotic is a treatment which is proven effective (a medication). Even though this oil has demonstrated antimicrobial effects against dozens of pathogens, all of it has taken place in laboratory settings. Humans have never been tested. What works in the lab or rodents doesn’t always translate to human health, so for now this benefit is only a potential for research.

To give you a sampling of what scientists have observed…

Three different multidrug-resistant cystic fibrosis pathogens were tested; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter xylosoxidans. A total of 59 strains of these were tested with oregano essential oil and it was said to be “effective against all tested strains, although to a different extent.” (2)

A synergistic effect was observed when oregano oil and colloidal silver (biologically synthesized) were used together on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including resistant strains such as MRSA and carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli. The latter is a common culprit in kidney infections and food poisoning. (3)

With Staphylococcus aureus, which causes staph infections, a synergistic effect was observed with oregano and rosemary essential oils together. (4)

It “yielded highly significant or moderate activity” against Streptococcus mutans, which can cause gum infections and tooth decay. (5)

Klebsiella infections are on the rise. It’s a natural part of the human gut flora and can also be found in our mouth and skin, but when it gets in the lungs, it can cause pneumonia. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can be caused by too much Klebsiella growth, among other species. This results in fermented activity taking place too high up in the digestive tract, causing unintended weight loss, diarrhea, gas and bloating. (6)

In the lab, Klebsiella and oregano oil have been tested in combination with the antibiotic doxycycline, without an adverse drug interaction seen. Rather the oil seemed to boost the effectiveness of the doxycycline, by altering the bacterial membranes, so they were more susceptible to the antibiotic working. (7)

When just the oil alone was tested against Klebsiella, it too showed high antibacterial activity. (8) (9) (10)

What probiotics look like on your intestinal wall

Oregano oil kills good bacteria, too. Or at least the preliminary evidence of how it works – by affecting the bacterial membrane – would mean both bad and good types could potentially be affected. For a disease like SIBO where there is an overgrowth of otherwise good bacteria, that might be beneficial. Other natural antibiotics demonstrate a similar activity, so this is not unusual.

In the 90’s there was a paper published about testing this essential oil on two probiotics; Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus plantarum. It was found to inhibit their growth. (11)

So if you’re taking oregano oil capsules or the food grade liquid drops, it would probably be a good idea to also supplement with a good probiotic like these PRO-15 time released pearls.

Destroying both good and bad bacteria is what antibiotics do and it’s usually worth it, because the bad pathogens being killed off are far worse than a temporary reduction of probiotics in the gut.

In the past it was part of traditional medicine in Europe. Originally sourced from the Greek island of Crete, the use of leaves or oregano oil for cough and sore throats was historically recorded, but not scientifically vetted in modern times. Aside from bacterial infections, other things can cause coughing like the common cold, influenza, asthma, COPD, and more, so it’s unclear what causes it was being used for in the past. (12)

Remember, none of these applications have been tested in humans. It should NOT be used to treat or prevent an infection.

2. Moderate antioxidant activity

As measured using the ORAC methodology, the value for oil of oregano is 15,300.

That may sound high when you consider it’s over 3x that of blueberries, but ORAC uses the same weight for each test; 100 grams worth.

100 grams could easily be a typical serving size for blueberries, but for the oil, you would only be using a drop or two if it’s food grade (others are not safe for internal use). That means the ORAC value realized per serving would be less than 1% of 15,300.

3. Kills parasites

Several studies revolving around the poultry industry suggest that killing parasites with oregano oil might be a good alternative to chemical treatments.

The red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, is a major problem for chicken producers. It was found to have lasting effects against these mites even after 15 and 30 days. (13)

The tick, Rhipicephalus turanicus, affects the cattle industry. In the lab, pure carvacrol was found to kill all of them after 6 hours exposure. Even lower concentrations of 6.25% and 12.5% accomplished the same by day two. (14)

In a study using 250 broiler chickens, some were fed a daily oregano oil dosage equal to 500 parts per million. It appeared to have a beneficial effect on the prevention of the Coccidia parasite. (15)

Another parasite that affects broilers, Eimeria tenella, was also found to be thwarted when this essential oil was part of their diet. Though it did not work as well as the common veterinarian medication, lasalocid (Bovatec). (16)

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness. Even though some types of ticks have been studied, there’s nothing about oregano oil and Lyme disease that’s been published. Nor is their evidence of it working for the black legged or deer tick which spreads that disease.

4. Repels mosquitoes

DEET is very effective at reducing rates of malaria, the Zika virus, and other infections carried by mosquitoes. Though given the health risks of this chemical, research is continuously searching for safer alternatives.

One promising candidate is using oregano oil on skin. It burns, so it can’t be used without dilution.

The Origanum scabrum plant species (related to the Origanum vulgare) was said to offer 100% protection from mosquito bites for up to 210 minutes when adequate concentrations were used. (17)

It appears to be the carvacrol and terpinen-4-ol compounds which these insects hate. (18)

Even though carvacrol is among “the most toxic” for the mosquito, there is a great deal more research on 1,8-cineole from eucalyptus, which has been proven to be an effective natural mosquito repellent that rivals DEET in many ways. (19)

5. Fights fungal infections on dogs

Is oregano oil safe for dogs?

Using it for repelling fleas (Siphonaptera) on canines and cats is something you may come across on a home remedy blog, but its safety and effectiveness for fleas has never been studied.

What has been studied is using it for fungal skin infections. The treatment consisted of a blend, which meant that Origanum vulgare was only one of several essential oils. So whether it works by itself is unknown.

That said, the blend did achieve “a good clinical outcome” for Malassezia pachydermatis, which is a common fungal infection in dogs. There was no reoccurrence, even 180 days later.

What this study does tell us about oil of oregano for dogs is that if diluted properly, it appears safe. The concentration they used in the formula was 0.5%, with a topical application given twice daily for one month. (20)

6. Combats cat haircoat fungus

It’s not just dogs who might benefit. Two studies have tested oregano essential oil on cats, for the haircoat infection of Microsporum canis.

This is a type of fungus that frequently infects the top layers of dead skin cells in pet cats.

Both studies used a natural shampoo with 5% oregano, 5% rosemary, and 2% thyme oils. Sweet almond was used as the carrier oil for dilution.

In the 2012 study, 4 out of 7 cats were cured of the infection. In the 2017 study, all were negative by week 11. (21) (22)

Microsporum canis can infect dogs and humans too, but it’s rare. However other species of the Microsporum genus can cause athlete’s foot and jocks itch.

7. Promotes intestinal barrier integrity

It’s unknown if this benefit exists with in humans, but Chinese scientists claim to have observed this in pigs.

In the study, pigs were fed either a control diet or one that was augmented with 25 mg of oregano essential oil per kilogram of body weight. The latter were said to have:

• Decreased endotoxin levels, which are toxins associated with the outer membranes of certain bacteria.
• Increased villus height, which are tiny finger-like projections that coat the inner lining of the small intestine.
• In the jejunum (the 2nd part of the small intestine) an increased expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1.
• Less E. coli in both the small intestine and colon.
• Less inflammation due to altered expression of signaling pathways.

In plain English, all of these were good changes, which suggested a healthier intestinal wall. They said these benefits were “probably through modulating intestinal bacteria and immune status in pigs.” (23)

For the pigs getting the oil, you can see how their villus (finger-like projections) are taller and appear healthier.

By citing this study, some people allege oregano oil cures IBS and other digestive health issues, but neither human nor lab research has been done to evaluate such claims.

8. Reduces colitis symptoms

Again, this is specific to animal research only. In this case, it was mice that were studied.

Colitis was induced on them using a known chemical trigger. After that, they were split into 5 different groups.

• The first was a control group that wasn’t given colitis.
• The second was given colitis, but no essential oils.
• Groups 3, 4, and 5 were fed oregano and thyme oil in varying concentrations, all of which were 0.5% or below.

Those getting the essential oils with their food appeared to maintain their body weight better in spite of the colitis. (24)

The top line is the control group. As expected, their body weight remained more or less the same.

Underneath are 3 lines representing different concentrations of oil treatment. Those on the high dosage seemed to maintain body weight better than the non-treated colitis mice, which are represented by the () line.

Now that was using a combination of oils, but a similar study involving rats using only oregano concluded that it had “a significant protective effect on the colonic injury.” (25)

An animal model of Crohn’s disease has not yet taken place, but it would be interesting to see one given this pseudo ulcerative colitis model.