Oregano

To most Americans, oregano is simply the seasoning on pizza.  But to botanists, the word oregano can be a real headache.  More than 40 plants in four botanical families go by the name oregano.  For healing, this confusion doesn't matter much.  All the plants called oregano taste similar and contain a similar oil, so they probably have similar effects.

Traditional Chinese physicians have use oregano for centuries to treat fever, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, and itching skin conditions.

Europeans used it like marjoram, as an aromatic spice and as a digestive aid, arthritis treatment, expectorant for cough, colds, flu, and chest congestion, and as a menstruation promoter.

America's 19th-entury Eclectic physicians considered oregano "a gently stimulant tonic" and menstruation promoter.  Other folk healers used oregano oil to treat toothache, relieve arthritis, and grow hair on bald heads.

Contemporary herbalists call oregano an expectorant, digestive aid, mild tranquilizer, and menstruation promoter.

COUGH REMEDY, EXPECTORANT.  All the oreganos contain a volatile oil high in two chemically related expectorants (carvacrol and thymol).  They help loosen phlegm and make it easier to cough up, lending credence to the herb's traditional use in colds, flu, and chest congestion.

DIGESTIVE AID. Like most culinary spices, oregano helps soothe the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract, making it an antispasmodic.  It may also help expel parasitic intestinal worms.  These attributes lend support to its age-old use as a digestive aid.