Oregano was originally grown in Greece. They believed that this herb was created by the Goddess Aphrodite who wanted it to be a symbol of joy growing in her garden. The Roman’s next adopted oregano because they enjoyed the taste and how easy is was to cultivate. Their love of the herb helped spread its use all throughout Europe and Northern Africa.
In the middle ages oregano was commonly used for medicinal purposes. They would chew the oregano leaves as a cure for many ailments such as rheumatism, toothache, indigestion, and coughing fits.
During this time, Oregano also made the journey to China where they believed it helped with fever, vomiting and upset stomach.
During the Elizabethan era, oregano was used for just about anything. It was used to encourage good luck and good health. It was used in spells for happiness, tranquility, luck, health, protection and letting go of a loved one. It was also worn during sleeping to give one psychic dreams.
Oregano was not widely used in the United States until after the Second World War.
Culinary Uses
Oregano is most often used in Mediterranean and South American cuisine. It's a key ingredient in tomato sauces and on pizza, vegetable dishes and for adding flavor to grilled meat. Just remember that this is considered a "HOT" oil (spicy) and needs to be well diluted if being used topically.
Oregano is also the most potent flavour and even though I only added 1 drop to my small pot of chicken soup, it totally took over and it tasted like I had made a pot of oregano soup. Great if you want to warm up a cold winter meal but really I didn't need that much power. So I diluted with more broth and eventually got triple the amount of soup that I started with. It was yummy, and had lots left over. Lol!
How about this Recipe from the doTERRA Blog for Creamy Italian Chicken Soup! It's better than my experiment Lol!
And Oregano oil blends well with Peppermint, Lavender, Basil, Rosemary, Bergamot, Cypress, Cedarwood and Tea Tree essential oils for diffusion.
Comment below how you could use this in your kitchen or share a recipe!