Oregano has been used in cooking and medicine for thousands of years as a culinary and therapeutic herb. It has many nutritional and disease-fighting properties and anti-oxidants as well. Thus oregano has been long been recognized as a ‘functional food’. The herb originates from the Mediterranean area and its name derives from the Greek, meaning ‘delight of the mountains’.
How to Make Oregano Tea
One of the many ways to take advantage of oregano’s health benefits is to make some oregano tea. Brewing this tea is really simple - just follow the steps below.
Step 1: Prepare Oregano
You can make oregano tea using either fresh or dried oregano leaves. To get the most oregano tea benefits, use fresh, organic leaves. However, dried oregano is more readily available and can be purchased from most supermarkets.
To dry the oregano yourself, cut the plants at the stems and hang them out as a bunch in a cool, dark location, or place the cuttings on a drying rack. When the oregano has completely dried out, remove the leaves from the stems and crumple the leaves in a bag. Tie the bag and store it in a cool, dark area. You can get rid of the stems.
Step 2: Add Water
To make oregano tea, add three tablespoons of fresh oregano or one tablespoon of dried oregano to a mug, then pour boiling water into the mug.
Step 3: Steep
Oregano has a rather bitter flavor. How long you steep the herb depends on how strong you want your tea to be. Around 5-10 minutes of steeping is standard. With 10 minutes, steeping producing a strong and powerful taste.
Step 4: Mix Flavors
For a sweeter flavor, try adding honey, sugar or a sweetening agent to your tea. Alternatively, mix the tea with a little lemon juice. Oregano tea is best drunk hot, breathing in the vapors.
What Are the Benefits of Oregano Tea?
1. Cure Cold and Flu
Oregano tea has powerful antioxidant and antiseptic properties, so it is a fantastic therapy for common colds. In addition, common flu symptoms, including coughing, sore throat, fever, headache, loss of appetite and aches in the muscles or joints can be shortened by drinking oregano tea due to its antiviral effect.
2. Treat Menstrual Cramps
Oregano is known to provide relief for pain and it is an effective therapy for menstrual cramps. The herb can also be used to regulate the menstrual cycle, to delay the onset of premature menopause and to ease menopausal symptoms.
3. Rich in Minerals
Oregano is a great source of essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, manganese, copper, and potassium. Iron is needed to prevent iron-deficiency anemia. Magnesium and calcium are required for bone metabolism. Manganese and copper act as co-factors for superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme. Finally, potassium is a key constituent of cellular and bodily fluids, mitigating increases in heart rate and blood pressure caused by sodium.
4. Anti-Oxidant
Oregano has been rated as having top antioxidant activities among the plants. It’s crammed with poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidants, including carotenes, lutein, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin and vitamin A. These antioxidants function as protective scavengers of oxygen-derived free radicals, reactive oxygen species and harmful chemicals involved in disease processes and aging.
5. Anti-Bacteria
A cup of oregano tea each day will help keep bacterial infections at bay. Oregano contains thymol and carvacrol oils, known to defend against bacteria. Regularly drinking oregano tea fights infections by inhibiting bacterial growth. In addition, recent research has revealed that oregano tackles giardia lambliaamoeba infection better than tinidazole, a frequently prescribed drug.
6. Digestive Support
Herbalists say that drinking oregano tea is a brilliant way to support a healthy digestive system. The tea is especially beneficial after a large meal and the oils within oregano relax your gut.
7. Weight Management
Oregano is a good source of fiber which helps you to control your weight, maintain whole-body fitness, and reduce your risk of developing numerous illnesses.
Precautions
- Too much oregano tea can lead to stomach upsets in certain people.
- Drinking oregano tea may result in skin irritations and rashes. Those who are allergic to herbs from the mint family may also develop adverse reactions.
- Caution is also advised for individuals with allergies to plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, such as basil, lavender, mint and sage. These people are more likely to be allergic to oregano as well.
- Oregano is best avoided during pregnancy, as it may cause miscarriages when taken in large quantities.
- You should also abstain from drinking oregano tea whilst breastfeeding. Although the exact effects are unknown, compounds within oregano may pass through the breast milk to the baby with adverse consequences.