OREGANO- Benefits and Tips to Grow
If you like Italian food then is one the must-have item in the Italian seasoning. I love the pleasantly strong smell of oregano. There is nothing like homemade herb seasoning. When I purchased my cute spice box, it came with many herbs and the smell was terrible. But whenever I try to make Italian dishes I get some fresh oregano and warm it in the oven for 15 mins. As soon as it starts releasing the essential oils, I take it out and add it to the dish. That way you get instant herbs at your fingertips. Or you can just use the traditional slow drying method.
Sneak in this herb in your front yard
I have many oregano plants in my garden. They are not potted but are in the ground. In fact, they are like magnets to bees, so I just added them in my front yard as well. In the front yard, the flowering stems fall over the paver blocks and give a unique character to the flowerbed. Oregano is a fast-growing herb, once established well in the garden, it can give a tough competition to even fast-growing herbs like mint. With cute, symmetrically arranged leaves and white-purple stalks of tiny flowers, it adds a lot of beauty to the garden. This year, it is June, and I’m still waiting for my bees but the blooms have started appearing and they will be here any day now. When these bees take over the oregano patch, they don’t even let me water during the day. I have to wait till they are gone in the evening. They don’t sting. In fact, they are very friendly but they hate to be disturbed. And then there are just so many of them that I’m always afraid to make the hungry bees angry. So as a gardener, this is one of the best and cheapest plants to attract bees and beneficial insects in your garden.
Origin of Oregano
Oregano is native to Eurasia and hence it is an integral part of Mediterranean cuisine. Nowadays it has become very famous and commonly grown in the home gardens in the US and Mexico. As people throughout the world are trying foods from other countries, the interest to grow this herb is rising. This is one of the positive side effects of globalization.
The botanical name of oregano is Origanum vulgare. It is also famously known as Italian Oregano and Wild Marjoram. It appears very similar to sweet marjoram but the oregano leaves are a little tapered and not rounded. The aroma of the herb is quite similar to that of Cuban Oregano and Carom seeds. Because they all contain thymol and other essential oils that give these plants a pungent aroma.
Health Benefits of Oregano
Oregano is a good natural source of Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, and Vitamin E. It also supplies a number of minerals and trace elements like Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Manganese, and Selenium.
Like many other herbs oregano is believed to have medicinal values. As a traditional or herbal medicine, oregano is an anti-oxidant and stress buster. The phytochemicals carvacrol, thymol, and some other chemicals are believed to elevate mood. Some animal studies show that oregano possibly can help reducing blood sugar and cholesterol. It also may possess some anti-proliferative properties and can reduce inflammation and suppress tumors. The essential oils in oregano may help with the regeneration of liver cells. Now all these are claimed benefits and the research is limited to animal studies only.
Would you like to grow this healthy herb organically in your garden?
