Oregano

Very useful in the kitchen, but supplement-grade oregano oil is potent enough that it should be treated more like a short-term tool than a daily tonic.

A rough internal score reflecting quantity, quality, and consistency of human evidence. Not a clinical recommendation.

Oregano oil is rich in carvacrol and thymol with strong in vitro antimicrobial activity. Human outcome data is much thinner than the lab data.

• Provides carvacrol-rich antimicrobial compounds
• Acts as a traditional digestive aromatic
• Easy to use as a high-polyphenol culinary herb

Culinary use is safest. Oregano oil is usually taken only short term and in diluted softgel or drop form.

• Heartburn
• Burning sensation
• GI irritation

Concentrated oil can burn mucosa, worsen reflux, and disrupt the stomach if used too aggressively.

Antimicrobial test-tube results do not automatically translate to meaningful whole-body effects in humans.

• Immunity20
• Recovery10