15 Best Uses for Oregano Essential Oil

Been curious about uses for Oregano essential oil but not quite sure how to get started? Oregano is one of those oils that is extremely potent in both smell and chemical makeup. It’s so much more than a flavoring in pizza or other Italian dishes. 

Oregano is one of the most antimicrobial oils around, making it a must-have in your medicine cabinet. But with great benefit comes great responsibility. With its naturally high phenol content, it can be highly sensitizing and should be used with great care. 

Best uses for Oregano essential oil including safety information, recipes, and more!

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Here are 15 best uses for oregano essential oil with some great recipes and tips that will help you get started!

  1. Pain relief. Oregano is an analgesic, therefore making it great for alleviating pain.
  2. Expectorant. Fighting off a cold or the flu and need to make that hack productive? Add to diffuser blends, Oregano can aid in bringing out that unpleasant mucous.
  3. Energizer. This powerful oil can also give you that extra boost of energy you’ve been needing after a long day at work or schlepping the kids around.
  4. Immune Support. This flu season has been intense and a little Oregano can go a long way in helping ward off the influenza germs.
  5. Anti-bacterial. Sanitizer, schmanitizer! If you like keeping the germs away but have no interest in commercially produced sanitizer, Oregano alongside other anti-bacterial oils can keep the hands clean.
  6. Digestion. Ginger is often the go-to oil where digestion is concerned, but Oregano also aids in stomach ailments.
  7. Cleaning agent. Kill all the gems in your home with a little Oregano in your favorite cleaning blend.
  8. Anti-spasmodic. Muscle spasms got you down? Oregano can help in alleviating the tightening and twitching you’re experiencing. 
  9. Sedative. Trouble sleeping? Well, Lavender isn’t the only game in town when it comes to natural sleep aids. 
  10. Anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is a common problem, especially with our highly processed foods and exposure to environmental toxins. Typically blue oils are great for fighting inflammation, but Oregano also possesses anti-inflammatory properties. 
  11. Anti-parasitic. If you suspect you might be suffering from a parasite, Oregano can help alongside other parasitic cleanses.
  12. Emmenagogue. Need help restoring regularity to your menstrual cycle or to promote greater menstrual flow? Try Oregano. 
  13. Anti-fungal. Oregano is the oil that keeps on giving. It can help fight existing fungus or keep it at bay.
  14. Anti-viral. Completing its awesome antimicrobial abilities, Oregano is also anti-viral. 
  15. Warming. Oregano can provide a heating quality when used alone or added to a blend.

Blends well with:  Basil, Black Pepper, Geranium, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavandin, Cedarwood, Angelica

Oregano Essential Oil Safety

In his Essential Oil Safety book, Robert Tisserand cites a long list of precautions when using Oregano. You’ll definitely want to stay aware of these as you begin using them for various purposes! 

Cautions: Drug interaction; inhibits blood clotting; embryotoxicity; skin irritation (low risk); mucous membrane irritation (moderate risk)

Contraindications (all routes): pregnancy, breastfeeding

Cautions (dermal): Hypersensitive, diseased or damaged skin, children under two years of age

Cautions (oral): Diabetic medication, anticoagulant medication, major surgery, peptic ulcer, hemophilia, and other bleeding disorders

And due to the high phenol content, Oregano should never be used undiluted on the skin. If you do decide to use it topically, 1% should be the maximum dilution. That’s about 5 to 6 drops per ounce of carrier oil or lotion.

Bottom line: Dilute oregano properly and do not use it by any method when pregnant or nursing, topically on kids under 2, and use caution when using it hypersensitive or damaged skin.  

Download 5 Recipes Based on These Uses for Oregano Essential Oil! 

We’ve put together some fantastic recipes for you so that you can get started using Oregano essential oil! Take a peek at the first one here and then download the rest along with substitution information!

Some Supplies You’ll Want to Consider: 

Germs Be Gone House Cleaner Spray Using Oregano Essential oil

Download the Oregano Essential Oil Recipes

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Liz R.

    I love this list. How would you use it for digestion?

    1. Tauna Meyer

      Hi! Oregano is high in phenols, especially carvacrol, which has has antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties which are helpful for general digestion as well as candida. I would add it to a blend of oils that are good for digestion, properly diluted, in a roller bottle and apply to the stomach area. It can also be effective in a diffuser blend.

  2. Arlene

    One of the best detailed info out there on this oil, thank you

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