“Oregano has many health benefits. The antioxidant content of carvacrol and thymol has a big role in preventing various risks of disease."
Oregano is one type of spice that is used as a complement to food. This one spice is usually a sprinkling to add the aroma of food. Apart from being a complement to dishes, this spice turns out to have a myriad of health benefits.
The content of antioxidants in it has a big role to prevent certain health problems. If you are interested in the benefits that oregano provides, see the explanation below.
Oregano Benefits for Body Health
Not only as a sprinkling, this healthy food can also be turned into oil and tea for consumption. Regardless of how you eat it, oregano turns out to offer the following myriad of benefits:
1. Fight free radicals
Oregano is rich in the antioxidants carvacrol and thymol, which fight free radicals. It is known that the buildup of free radicals is associated with chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
2. Fights bacteria
This spice also contains strong antibacterial properties. This is proven through a study. Research shows oregano essential oil can block the growth of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
3. Has anti-cancer properties
Oregano's antioxidants not only neutralize free radicals, but also help prevent cancer. A test-tube study looked at the effect of oregano extract on colon cancer cells. As a result, the compounds contained in oregano are able to stop the growth of cancer cells.
4. Prevent viral infection
In addition to fighting bacteria, several test-tube studies have also found that oregano may protect against viral exposure. Again, carvacrol and thymol have antiviral properties and act as a shield against virus attacks.
In a test-tube study, carvacrol inactivated norovirus, a viral infection that causes diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain. Another test-tube study found that thymol and carvacrol inactivated 90 percent of the herpes simplex virus in just one hour.
5. Reduce inflammation
Inflammation is an immune response as a result of disease or injury. Although the inflammatory process is normal, long-term inflammation can trigger the development of the disease.
Carvacrol compounds have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce inflammation. In one animal study, carvacrol reduced swelling in the feet of mice by up to 57 percent. Another animal study showed that a mixture of thyme and oregano essential oils reduced the number of inflammatory markers in rats with colitis.
That's information about the benefits of oregano for health. Apart from physical health, mental health is also important. If you have mental problems, don't hesitate to see a psychologist.