Culinary Herbs: The Benefits and Uses of Oregano

Some of our favorite healthful herbs are also our favorite culinary herbs. We recently spoke with our friend Shana Lipner Grover from Sage Country Herbs about one such aromatic: oregano. This beloved, age-old culinary herb does more than make our food taste wonderful-it has long been used to stimulate digestion and ease digestive discomfort. And if that's not enough, oregano is also known for its support of the immune and respiratory systems.
You can make oregano into tea, infuse it in alcohol for tinctures or oil for salves, use it in foot soaks, and incorporate it into a steam that supports the lungs and sinuses when you need some relief. And best of all, almost everyone has a bottle of oregano already in the kitchen spice cupboard! Listen in with Shana to learn more about this special herbal ally.
🌿 Find organic oregano here: mountainroseherbs.com/oregano
🌿 Grow your own herb garden: mountainroseherbs.com/catalog...
Shana is a clinical herbalist, health and nutrition educator, and field botanist. She was a student of award-winning herbalist Michael Moore and also one of Mountain Rose Herbs' favorite herbalists, Howie Brounstein. Today, she is the director and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in San Diego, CA.
🤓 You can learn more about Shana by visiting www.SageCountryHerbs.com or by following her on Instagram / sagecountryherbs
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Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world.
#oregano #herbalism #herbgarden

[@gailbutler483]

Serendipitously, I found along my forest trail walk a large patch of oregano that escaped from a domestic garden that has naturalized and that I gathered each year for culinary use. However, after seeing this video I will gather a bit extra for health applications, as well. How cool is Nature!

[@carolinelawrie7142]

Great advice 😊 I love oregano. I have a plant right next to my seat in the garden so that I can be close to the bees that visit the oregano flowers. And also take a few leaves when I need to. The scent of the oils from fresh leaves is irrisistable 🌿❤❤

[@mountainroseherbs]

Fresh oregano leaves are really one of the best smells! Thanks so much! - Gracie

[@isabelladavis1363]

Thank you for sharing this valuable information …as I literally today harvested some from the garden for the freeze dryer this morning ❤️ with the intent purpose of congestion this winter as well as culinary gifts to give as gift for the holiday …it’s all about healthy living with organic properties …so love this herb…stay blessed

[@mountainroseherbs]

It's so special to be crafting for your future self and gifts for friends and family! Enjoy!

[@hollish196]

So very good. I had to share with a friend. Love the steam idea, especially since I have lung damage from disease.

[@mountainroseherbs]

I'm so glad you found this video helpful! 😊 - Gracie

[@cev12]

"The dose makes the poison" or cure. It's important to know the details of what you're doing.

[@SuperFoodParents]

4:12 I'm always thinking I should buy oregano oil to guarantee the strength, but nope it's fine 👍🏼 🌱

[@mothertreasa]

I love listening to you, you’re so knowledgeable.

[@mountainroseherbs]

We love Shana! So glad you found this helpful :) - Gracie

[@guerabella]

Great video! I just harvested a bunch of oregano over the Memorial Day weekend. I have it drying now. 💚

[@mountainroseherbs]

I bet it smells delightful! Thanks so much :) - Gracie

[@deanablythe9394]

Thank you for sharing this, much appreciated.

[@mountainroseherbs]

Thank you so much!!

[@dkulikowski]

You are GOOD. Inspiring and motivating. Thank you for reminding me to watch my greek oregano for flowering and then be quick to infuse it. I will do olive oil and I will let it wilt for a couple days. Thank you for your time, knowledge and caring.

[@mountainroseherbs]

Thank you so much! Glad this video served as a good reminder to you :) Happy gardening! - Gracie

[@jennlynn9328]

Fantastic information thank you do kindly

[@belieftransformation]

Great info; thanks for sharing! I love the idea of steaming the herbal plants!

[@mountainroseherbs]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks!

[@vada7259]

Great info - Thanks 🌿

[@mountainroseherbs]

Our pleasure!

[@unchainedcash1]

Amazing, I just harvested spicy oregano today. Fresh wilted it and did a glycerite and then did a ACV. I would love to do an oil, but i don't like the mess of squeezing through muslin.

[@mountainroseherbs]

Straining oil infusions is also difficult for me because I don't enjoy the mess. If I have several infusions going at once, I try to strain them all at the same time so I can get it over with more efficiently 🤣 - Gracie

[@angelah6904]

What oil do I use to infuse herbs with ? what oil is good for a culinary use that does not require refrigeration? Maybe some thing that would last long on the shelf so it can be used for both medicinal and culinary. Would love your input I love olive oil, but I find that it goes rancid pretty quick. I like avocado oil and that seems to have a good shelf life. I’m just not sure how processed that is or if that’s a good one to use or not.

[@mountainroseherbs]

Hi there! The best oils to use for infusing your herbs are pure plant oils that have a low smoke point and a longer shelf life. Besides olive oil, you could try using oils like almond, coconut, avocado, or sunflower. We have a great blog post on how to make herb-infused oils a few different ways along with some great tips on what oils and herbs to use! You can find that here: blog.mountainroseherbs.com/making-herbal-oils. And then if you want any guidance on smoke points of oils, you can find more info here: blog.mountainroseherbs.com/how-to-choose-the-best-culinary-oil-with-oil-smoke-point-chart. I hope that helps! - Gracie

[@NicoleSmithGardening]

Great video! My vulgare oregano has almost no aromatics. The Greek oregano and Cuban oregano have more aroma. Are these other 2 better for oil than the common vulgare?

[@user-qf1pk9oi2r]

So inspiring. Love your presentation. Amazed to learn of the myriad of uses for oregano. How do I continue to follow your work?

[@mountainroseherbs]

Thank you so much! You can learn more about Shana by visiting www.SageCountryHerbs.com or by following her on Instagram instagram.com/sagecountryherbs or Facebook facebook.com/shanafo !

[@sharonsheehy3128]

I have it growing ,we pronounce it more like the Italians , I add it to soups , tastes beautiful , will make some oil. Thank you for your knowledge ,,,

[@mountainroseherbs]

Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this video 🥰

[@acardona120670]

I infused Olive oil with basil but I forgot it in my pantry for more than a year without strain it. Is it still good to use it?

[@mountainroseherbs]

Hi there! It's hard to say without having the oil to look at. I would say to give it a good look and smell to see if anything looks off or if the oil smells rancid. If all looks good and has no strong odor, I would think the oil is fine as long as it has been in a cool dry place. I would use your best judgement, but if anything feels off I wouldn't risk it :) Sorry to not be more helpful, it's a challenge when we can't see it in person! - Gracie

[@gretchendavis8974]

I have 3 huge patches 3 ft x 4 ft big