While it sounds good enough to eat, oil of oregano has medicinal properties that may make it useful against bacteria. Bacteria that the oil from the oregano plant may defeat include staphylococcus aureus. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, often called MRSA, is a type of staph infection "superbug" responsible for many hospital-acquired bacterial infections. Oil of oregano is a potent substance with effects that have not been well-studied in humans; do not take oil of oregano internally without your physician's approval.
Actions
Oil of oregano is a much more concentrated source of the active ingredients in the oregano plant. Carvacrol and thymol are considered the active antibacterial and antifungal ingredients in the plant. However, in a study reported by Georgetown University at the American College of Nutrition's 2001 meeting, mice were treated with carvacrol from olive oil as well as from oregano. After being infected with staph, mice who received oil of carvacrol from oregano did better, with 50 percent surviving 30 days compared to a 100 percent death rate in the mice that got olive oil. Researchers concluded oil of oregano must have other properties that increase its effectiveness against bacteria as well.
Benefits
Staph bacteria that cause MRSA are not uncommon bacteria; many healthy people carry them in their nose or on their skin. But because antibiotics are used so frequently in hospital settings, bacteria that frequently encounter an antibiotic mutate over time to survive. The more antibiotics are used against bacteria, the more likely it is that the bacteria will mutate and become resistant to it. If oil of oregano could kill MSRA without causing other harm, it would be a beneficial addition to the fight against superbugs, so called because they resist treatment with so many antibiotics.
Studies
Studies on the use of oil of oregano against bacteria and fungi have been conducted in the laboratory rather than on people. Researchers from the University of Western Australia reported on the effects of several oils, including oil of oregano, against a number of bacteria. The study, reported in the June 1999 "Journal of applied Microbiology" found that oil of oregano was effective against staph aureus as well as a number of other bacteria and fungi in the laboratory. In addition to its findings in mice, the Georgetown University study also found that carvacrol, one of the substances in oil of oregano, was as effective at stopping the growth of staph in test tubes as standard antibiotics. The University of the West of England reported similar findings using oregano oil against MRSA and other bacteria in 2007.
Risks
The risks of taking oil of oregano for medicinal purposes have not been established. The oil can irritate the skin. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take oil of oregano, Healthnotes warns. Do not try and treat a serious infection like MRSA with oil of oregano without your doctor's supervision.
References
- Medical News Today: Himalayan Oregano Effective Against MRSA; Catharine Paddock, Ph.D; Nov. 24, 2008
- Science Daily: Oregano Oil May Protect Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria, Georgetown Researcher Finds; Oct. 11, 2001
- Healthnotes: Oregano/Wild Majoram
- "Journal of Applied Microbiology; Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Other Plant Extracts; K. Hammer et al.; June 1999
- National Institutes of Health: MRSA; May 20, 2009
Member Comments