It has been established that oregano is a source of two powerful antioxidants, carvacrol and thymol.
1 Antioxidants play a crucial role in cellular health by mitigating oxidative stress (by protecting cells from damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals).
7
In addition to this, scientists have also investigated other potential properties of oregano in numerous studies, including:
- antifungal – a 2020 in vitro (laboratory) study showed that oregano has great antifungal potential.8 (Antifungal medicines are used to treat fungal infections, which most commonly affect your skin, hair and nails, include ringworm and athlete’s foot)9
- antibacterial – laboratory studies have also explored oregano's potential antibacterial properties.1 It exhibits inhibitory effects on a range of bacteria, prompting research into oregano essential oil's potential to combat MRSA, a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat human infections1,10
- antiviral – oregano has also demonstrated antiviral activity in vitro (in a lab environment).11 For instance, it has shown activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 (herpes) and norovirus11
- anti-inflammatory – research using cell models suggests that oregano's anti-inflammatory properties may have applications in managing skin damage, tissue repair, and wound healing12
As none of these studies were done in humans, there’s still a long way to go before we start to see oregano widely used for anything else other than a tasty herb in your pasta dish, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it in the meantime.