If you enjoy cooking, you probably use oregano in your pasta dishes, homemade pizzas and favorite vegetable soups. Its botanical name is Origanum vulgare, Greek for "joy of the mountains." True oregano grows wild on the mountainsides of Greece and other Mediterranean countries where this savory herb is well-loved.

But this plant has some important properties that make it useful for much more than cooking.

Oregano oil, from the wild mountain oregano vulgare species, is a powerful antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. It is nature’s antibiotic and can be used to treat many different types of infections. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can be used by people who suffer from chronic conditions that cause pain.

Oil of oregano contains carvacrols, flavonoids, and terpenes. Carvacrol is a natural phenol that kills many strains of bacteria. Flavonoids are natural antiseptics and terpenes have anti-inflammatory properties.

The Cure is in the Cupboard by Dr. Cass Ingram is all about the therapeutic benefits of oil of oregano. This doctor discovered first-hand the power of oregano as he treated an incapacitating blood-born fungal infection that forced him to close his practice and move home to be cared for by his family. He claims that after trying many other things, he healed himself with oregano oil!

So, can sprinkling oregano on your food make you healthier?

In short, probably not. Most of the oregano you buy in the store as an herb contains little of the potent oil that contains all the health benefits. Also, much of the spice labeled oregano is actually thyme. Even some of the supplements claiming to be oil of oregano are watered down with thyme oil.

In his book, Ingram suggests the following conditions to determine if you are buying the right supplement: make sure it is a wild spice, not farm-raised and from a proven edible species of oregano that is high in carvacrol; it is extracted in a natural process (steam distilled) and free of all chemical residues; and it is relatively low in thymol (less than 5%).

You can buy the essential oil of oregano as a tincture or in capsules. I really like the one made by Herb Pharm. It does have a strong taste and burns a bit going down. Be sure to follow the directions and dilute it with water. I find that for sore throats, using the tincture works very fast because of the topical application. I have found that using the tincture either keeps me from getting sick or shortens the duration when I am sick.

If you prefer capsules, Gaia Herbs makes a very high quality product.

The Alternative Health Encyclopedia reports that there have been some recent scientific studies backing up the claims about the healing properties of oregano oil. One study, published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology in 1999 cited oregano oil as having significant antibacterial action against many bacteria, including E. coli, Staph and Salmonella. In 2000, the same journal published a study by Scottish researchers showing Oregano Oil to be effective against 25 different bacteria.

Conditions treatable with oregano oil:

• Viral infections like colds and flu


• Bacterial infections, including drug-resistant ones


• Fungal infections like athlete’s foot, ringworm and Candida


• Tooth pain and infection


• Digestive problems including diarrhea and constipation


• Respiratory illness like bronchitis and whooping cough (it is a natural anti-spasmodic)


• Parasites


• Skin conditions like psoriasis, dandruff and acne


• Allergies and hay fever


• Nervous tension


• Pain and inflammation as found in Rheumatism, CFS, and Fibromylagia

Oregano oil should not be used by pregnant women and under advisement of your health practioner when nursing. As with any supplement, consult your doctor before using oregano oil if you have a health condition.

Have you used oregano oil? If so, tell us how it worked for you.

Cosmetics, including every day toiletry items, contain thousands of different chemicals. Many of these chemicals have not been tested thoroughly and proven safe to humans while some that have been tested have been proven to cause cancer in animals. Because there is minimal regulations in terms of what can go into cosmetics it is left to the consumer to decide what is safe and what isn’t. Similar to produce and the “dirty dozen” you should avoid in terms of the produce with the highest amount of pesiticides, National Geographic’s Green Guide has come up with a “dirty dozen” list for cosmetic ingredients. Here is a list of the top 12 chemicals they recommend you avoid:

• Antibacterials


• Coal tar


• Diethanolamine (DEA)


• 1,4 Dioxane


• Formaldehyde


• Fragrance


• Lead and Mercury (doesn’t that count as two?)


• Nanoparticles


• Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-)


• Petroleum Distillates


• P-Phenylenediamine


• Hydriquinone

Skin Deep, the Cosmetic Safety Database by Environmental Working Group is a great resource for finding out the exact ingredients in your different bathroom products ranging for your baby’s shampoo and sunscreen to your deodorant, nail polish, and even contact solution. Skin Deep rates each item on a scale from 0-10 with 10 being the most hazardous. They come to this rating by taking the ingredient list and looking at hazard data contained in more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. What is scary is that companies are not required by law to test for safety before selling these types of products. The Cosmetic Safety Database is filling in the gaps where information is lacking although not all ingredients that are being used by cosmetic companies have been tested. I prefer to approach chemicals using the precautionary principle and not wait for them to find out if something is toxic or not, but instead try to avoid it until proven safe.

Skin Deep has a very helpful shopping guide called “Safer Shopping Tips”. Here are their main points (you can go to the website for more details):

1. Use our What Not To Buy list.


2. Use fewer products.


3. Read labels.


4. Use milder soaps.


5. Minimize your use of dark hair dyes.


6. Cut down on your use of powders.


7. Choose products that are "fragrance"-free.


8. Reduce your use of nail polish.

I’m especially careful when it comes to using products on my son. A baby’s sensitivity to chemicals is going to be much greater than an adult and babies are always sticking things in their mouth. You don’t want your baby accidentally drinking the bath water that contains his toxic shampoo!

One of my favorite baby brands that is on the safer side is California Baby. I especially like their sunscreens and shampoo/body wash for sensitive skin. It is also now available at Target stores.

If you are using Skin Deep to look up the rating of products you are using, be sure to find the exact product because even within a single brand such as Johnson & Johnson, you will find products rating from a 3 to a 9.

To go along with my cloth diapers, I use reusable cloth wipes that are used with a homemade wipes spray. Even if you don’t use cloth diapers, you can still make use of cloth wipes and cut down on your use of disposable wipes and save some money in the long run.

For the wipes, I purchased some thin flannel fabric from the fabric store. I had a friend who sews serge the fabric into 8” x 8” squares. These dimensions are perfect for being able to fold in half and put into a wipes container. A serge stitch, for those of you unfamiliar with sewing terms, is a way to finish the end of the fabric so it doesn’t unravel. You could also stitch two pieces of fabric together with a simple zigzag stitch. My Happy Crazy Life has a great website tutorial on different ways to make your wipes. You could also purchase reusable wipes at most cloth diaper websites like Kelly's Closet or SoftClothBunz. Baby wash cloths or even a cut up receiving blanket can also work.

When my baby was little, I just used water that I had stored in a spray bottle. When changing my baby, I would grab a cloth wipe and spray it wet just before using it. Now that my baby is older (and dirtier) I make my own wipes solution. I also keep this in a spray bottle and spray the wipe right before using. I’ve found this simple recipe to be effective and easy to make because I always have these ingredients on hand.

• 2 tablespoons of baby wash (I use Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint Castile Soap, which I also use for cleaning around the house)


• 2 tablespoon of olive oil


• 2 drops of tea tree oil (never use at full strength because it will burn your skin)


• 2 cups of water

Put all ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake the bottle before using as the ingredients will separate. I’ve found that long-term storage of wet wipes tends to start smelling so I’ve preferred to stick with my spray bottle method.

There are many recipes online for making your own wipes solution. If this solution doesn’t work for you and your baby, or you would rather use different ingredients, you can find more with a quick internet search.

When going out, you can still use your cloth wipes. If you use cloth diapers, I find it easier to use cloth wipes, because you can throw them right into your wet bag with the dirty diaper instead of having to carry it over to the trash. I place my folded cloth wipes in an empty plastic wipes travel case and spray them with my wipes solution so they are damp and ready to use.