Antibiotics are specifically designed to help fight bacterial infections such as strep throat, the flu and sinus infections. But there is one natural medicine that many doctors refrain from telling their patients about: oregano oil. Oregano is a plant that is the member of the mint family. It has been used for over 2,500 years with the sole purpose of treating colds, stomach aches and indigestion. For those who are suffering from strep throat, the flu and sinus infections, oregano tea might just be the answer.
The healing compound found in oregano is called carvacrol. According to the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Messina in Italy, carvacrol has emerged as a tool to help fight spoilage, pathogenic fungi, and bacteria. According to PubMed, there are over 800 medical studies on carvacrol and these studies found that it can reduce viruses, inflammation, bacterial infections and many more things.
In addition, a study was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food with the sole purpose of evaluating the antibacterial activity of oregano against five types of bad bacteria. Researchers found that oregano oil showed anti-bacterial properties against all five of the bad bacteria species. The highest activity it had was against E-coli, which suggests that it could be used to help treat food poisoning.
The University Health News Daily states that thymol and carvacrol, the volatile oils in oregano, contain antiviral and antibacterial properties. In fact, these properties have the ability to calm down the stomach and help indigestion by stimulating blood flow, they added. Because of this, people who have flu symptoms could benefit from some oregano tea. It can help reduce nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Also, they mention that it’s also good for the flu because it can help promote sweating, which can help bring down a fever.
Other Health Benefits of Oregano Oil: Fighting the flu, strep throat and other bacterial infections is one thing, but preventing cancer with oregano is a completely different battle. Is it possible? According to a study published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, it could be. Supriya Bavadekar, who was the lead investigator and assistant professor of Pharmacology at Long Island University’s Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, said that the team used different variations of the drug. Bavadekar added that the drug was experimented in in three different time periods – 24 hours, 48 hours and 96 hours. The drug produced almost 100% inhibition. Bavadekar’s team is still running tests on the carvacrol, but recent results show that it is an extremely potent anti-cancer agent.
Sinus Infection/Strep Throat: I have talked about how oregano oil can help get rid of the flu, but I haven’t touched base on how it can help treat a cold or strep throat. Well, according to Roberta Wilson, the author of The Essential Guide to Essential Oils, oregano oil can help promote easy breathing, soothe a sore throat and even calm a cough.
Oregano Tea: You’ve heard me mention oregano tea a few times during this article; now I’m going to tell you how to make it. Steep three teaspoons of fresh oregano leaves in one cup of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. You might find that oregano tea can be a bit bitter; so you have the option to add sugar to the tea if you want, says Livestrong.
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