Oregano essential oil is a highly concentrated oil extracted from the oregano herb. It’s typically made using steam distillation of the plant’s leaves. In this article, we’ll discuss oregano essential oil, but to learn more about the oregano herb see our previous article all about it!

What makes Oregano Essential Oil Beneficial?

We’ll explore the oil’s benefits below but first let’s explain why oregano essential oil is so beneficial.

The answer is in two of its compounds: carvacrol and thymol. These compounds – especially carvacrol – give oregano many of its therapeutic properties. When the herb is distilled into essential oil form, the compounds are concentrated and then significantly increase the therapeutic benefits available in the essential oil.

 

Carvacrol From Oregano Essential Oil and Benefits

 

It is carvacrol in particular that is responsible for many of oregano essential oil’s benefits. Oregano essential oil has a very high level of carvacrol (more than in most other herbs).

Benefits of carvacrol include its antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects and antibacterial properties.[1]

 

Benefits of Oregano Essential Oil

Let’s explore now some of the benefits of oregano essential oil.

 

Beneficial for Skin

Researchers have found that oregano contains the highest antioxidant content of any other herb,[2] thanks in part to its carvacrol content.

This means that you can really get your bang for your buck when including the essential oil in your skincare routine! The antioxidants are great for fighting free radicals that can cause premature aging and skin damage.

Indeed, at tofillo, when we feel like our skin needs some extra care, we like to make a face mask that includes a few drops of our Oregano Essential Oil, to revive our skin!

 

Beneficial for Infections and Wounds

Another great oregano essential oil benefit is its significant antibacterial properties.

Researchers have found that oregano essential oil can in fact prevent the growth of certain types of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant strains![3] Other studies have also shown the antibacterial properties of the oil.[4]

Not only this, but research has also shown that its antibacterial properties help to fight common fungal infections, like athlete’s foot and yeast infections.[5]

This means that oregano essential oil can be helpful in the treatment and healing of minor wounds and minor infections.

 

Beneficial for Inflammation

Research has shown that a key oregano essential oil benefit is its ability to help reduce inflammation.

It’s because of its carvacrol content that the essential oil of the herb can have these anti-inflammatory effects. Researchers have found that carvacrol was able to reduce external swelling in animals by up to 57%.[6]

And in a separate animal study, researchers found that using oregano essential oil and thyme essential oil (which also contains carvacrol), helped to reduce internal digestive inflammation too.[7]

Indeed, our team at tofillo has found that massaging in some diluted Oregano Essential Oil on a sore muscle or swollen area has certainly helped in the past!

 

What is the Difference Between Oregano Essential Oil and Oregano Oil?

 

 

While you’re researching oregano oils online, you will come across another kind of oregano oil – ‘Oil of Oregano’.

Oil of Oregano is extracted from the oregano plant in a different way to oregano essential oil, and because of the different process, Oil of Oregano is much less concentrated. As a result, although it has its own benefits, it doesn’t have the same potency in its therapeutic properties as oregano essential oil.

 

How to Use Oregano Essential Oil

Now we’ve explored oregano essential oil’s benefits, what about the ways you can use it to obtain those benefits? Here are a few ideas.

1. Oregano Essential Oil for Skincare

One crucial step when using oregano essential oil on the skin is to dilute it with a carrier oil, to avoid irritating your skin.

To make the diluted form of of the oil, we make the following suggestions:

• Find a neutral oil – like jojoba oil – to act as the carrier oil
• For use on the face, use 1 drop of the essential oil to 1 teaspoon of the carrier oil. Scale up the amount as needed, keeping the same ratio of ingredients
• For use on the body, use 2 drops of the essential oil to 1 teaspoon of the carrier oil

 

Using these instructions, you can include oregano essential oil in your cosmetic skincare, healing of minor wounds and wellbeing massages!

 

2. Oregano Essential Oil for Soap

If you prefer to take your time in the bath or shower, why not include a few drops of oregano essential oil when making your soap? And then take your time when applying the soap to really let the essential oil do its work…

 

3. Uses Oregano Essential Oil for Candles

Similarly, why not add in a few drops of the essential oil next time you’re making candles – you’ll get a lovely, earthy scent when you burn the candles and perhaps enjoy some of the oil’s anti-bacterial effects on your indoor air quality!

We hope you found our introduction to oregano essential oil’s benefits and uses helpful!

To learn more about essential oils generally, see our previous article all about them.

And if you’re interested in incorporating some oregano essential oil into your lifestyle, jump to our page for our Oregano Essential Oil where you can learn more about the product and place an order.

 

We hope you enjoy it!

[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.6103

[2] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/01/020108075158.htm

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23484421/

[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20021093/

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4659158/

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22892022/

[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18288268/