20+ Oregano Essential Oil Uses + Safety & FAQ

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Oregano has so many uses and is perfect to keep on hand, especially during changing seasons because of it's incredible immune system boosting properties. It is made through steam distillation with fresh Oregano leaves and is a wonderful addition to your favorite recipes!

18 benefits and uses for Oregano Essential Oil

  • Very rich in phenols – phenols are compounds that have beneficial antioxidant effects that react with free radicals.
  • Helps keep you healthy
  • Supports healthy respiration, especially during pollen attacks
  • Supports your bone and muscle health
  • Helps with joint pains and muscle pains
  • Dilute and rub on the arches of your feet to boost your immune functioning
  • May be soothing to your skin (diluted) when your skin feels stressed
  • Helps with reducing your acne
  • Reduces your Candida overgrowth
  • Helps relieve toe fungus
  • Use oregano in your own anti-aging face serum (recipe below)
  • May help remove warts and skin tags – just add a drop of Oregano Essential Oil to a cotton swab and touch it to the top of the wart or skin tag. An excellent carrier oil to use for this is Neem Oil.
  • Use oregano vitality essential oil to cleanse your digestive system (especially helpful for parasites and candida overgrowth) by diluting one drop in a veggie capsule filled the rest of the way with avocado oil or olive oil.
  • May help you lose weight
  • Reduce dander by adding 1-2 drops into 1 tsp of shampoo, let it sit for 10 mins and rinse (just do not get any in your eyes)
  • Use Oregano Vitality essential oil in your oil-pulling routine
  • DIY your own multipurpose cleaning spray using 20 drops of oregano oil and 15 drops of lemon oil with 1 oz witch hazel in an 8 oz spray bottle filled the rest of the way with distilled water. Shake and spray.
  • DIY your own bug spray with 10 drops each of oregano, citronella, and peppermint essential oils, 1 oz of witch hazel in a 8 oz spray bottle filled the rest of the way with distilled water. Shake and spray onto clothing (not skin)

Oregano Essential Oil DIY Diffuser Blends

  • Stop Your Blocked Nose Diffuser Blend: 1 drop oregano, 1 drop peppermint, and 4 drops lemon essential oils
  • Clean breathing: 1 drop oregano, 5 drops balsam fir, 2 drops marjoram essential oils
  • Embrace positivity: 1 drop oregano, 2 drops lime, 3 drops juniper essential oils
  • Clean Air: 1 drop oregano, 4 drops lemon, 3 drops orange essential oils
  • Stop the Stubborn: 1 drop oregano, 4 drops lavender, 2 drops peppermint essential oils
  • Anti-Yuck: 1 drop oregano, 2 drops marjoram, 4 drops lemon essential oils
  • Immune Bomb: 1 drops Thieves (or OnGuard), 2 drops lemon, 1 drop Tea Tree, 1 drop oregano essential oils (** also works great diluted in a roller bottle)

Use Oregano Essential Oil Safely

  • Be sure to always dilute before applying to your skin using any cold-pressed, seed-based carrier oil. I highly recommend 1 drop oregano essential oil per ml (tsp) of carrier oil.
  • DO NOT DILUTE WITH WATER
  • If you get Oregano essential oil in your eyes or a sensitive area, be sure to rinse using a CARRIER OIL… DO NOT use water.
  • ** Please use with extreme caution and extra dilution or avoid with children under 6. If you choose to use oregano essential oil on children under 6, be sure to dilute 1 drop oregano essential oil to 5ml carrier oil.
  • Absolutely DO NOT use on children under 2. Frankincense and Lavender would be better alternatives for young children
  • Be careful using oregano essential oil around animals. It can be a powerful tool, but it can also be too much of an oil. We highly recommend picking up a reference guide to help you, and encourage you to connect with a local holistic vet.

Essential oils excellent to blend with Oregano Essential Oil

  • basil,
  • fennel,
  • geranium,
  • lemongrass,
  • myrtle,
  • pine,
  • thyme,
  • rosemary

Oregano Essential Oil in this DIY Anti-Aging Skin Serum

Blend and apply on your face. Using this DIY anti-aging serum each day may help you age gracefully and avoid harmful chemicals in anti-wrinkle creams.

What is morninga oil? Morninga is a carrier oil known to naturally rejuvenate dull, tired, and aging skin. It is also known to tone the muscles under your facial skin, helping to prevent sagging.

Ideas, tips, recipes and tricks for using oregano essential oil and oregano vitality

My Personal Story and ​Testimonial using Oregano Essential Oil

In October, my eight year old daughter came down with strep and it quickly became obvious. I took her to the doctor and he confirm my suspicions of strep and prescribed antibiotics in the usual fashion. Since the rest of us were still healthy, I decided to give my oily collection a try, used my favorite immune supporting blend containing oregano oil. I applied the blend on the feet and up the spines of everyone in our little family twice a day (including my 1 year old son). Within two days she was clear of strep and all the nasty symptoms! To make matters better… with the help of the heavy hitting immune support of oregano, the rest of us were able to stay healthy!! From that moment on, whenever any kind of bug comes creeping into my house or makes its way through the community, that blend is my go to for helping my family stay strong!

​Cooking Corner: Using Oregano Vitality Essential Oil

One of my personal favorite uses for Oregano Vitality is spaghetti sauce!​ Just add a drop with a drop of Marjoram and Thyme vitality oils for an explosion of Italian flavor. Oregano Vitality is the ingest-able form of Oregano Essential oil through Young Living.

​My Secret Pasta Sauce Recipe:

Pst- make sure you save this recipe!! Pin the graphic below to your Pinterest!​

Crystal's secret pasta sauce recipe

What you'll need for my pasta sauce:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 minced cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion minced
  • 2 15oz cans of tomato sauce
  • 1 can of tomato puree
  • 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon of sugar
  • 2 drops Thyme Vitality Essential Oil
  • 2 drops Oregano Vitality Essential Oil
  • 1 drop of Marjoram Vitality Essential oil
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves (can substitute with 2 drops of Basil Vitality)
  • Ground black pepper to taste

Heat your pan to a medium temperature and brown your beef. Drain the fat, add garlic and onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Then add sauce, puree, balsamic vinegar; oil, and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 20 minutes after bringing to a boil. Add in your essential oils and basil, turn off your heat, stir to mix, and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions about Oregano Essential oil:

What is the difference between oregano and marjoram essential oils?

Oregano Essential Oil is usually steam-distilled leaves and stems from the Oregano plant. If you have a high-quality essential oil this typically means low steam and low pressure for a long period of time. It is highly concentrated, 70-times more so than the fresh or dried herb counterpart.

Oil of Oregano is a supplement, that often comes in a pill or liquid. If you choose the oil of oregano, make sure you know the company selling and their practices to ensure the oil they use to dilute is a fatty cold-pressed, seed-based oil. Sometimes this can be made using an oregano essential oil and diluting the essential oil. Other companies may use oil infused with oregano herb. You'll need to look at the brand you're using and read their label to find out for sure what they have in their supplement.

“Oregano Oil” is usually used in the essential oil community to describe oregano essential oil. But it could also be used to describe oil of oregano. This really depends on the context you're using it in.

What is a good substitute for Oregano Essential Oil?

Oregano and Marjoram are very similar in both smell and benefits. You could also use basil.

What is the difference between oregano and oregano vitality essential oils?

Absolutely nothing aside from the label printed. They are 100% the exact same oil the may be used in the exact same ways interchangeably. Young Living adopted the Vitality label in 2015 to remain legal with the FDA and FTC's marketing requirements that state a supplement cannot be labeled as topical and oral at the same time.

This means legally, you cannot discuss using an essential oil in your cooking, baking, drinks, or any oral supplement form if it is the same bottle you're discussing using in your diffuser or topically on your skin.

To reduce confusion and stay in the eyes in the law, Young Living separated their labels to compliantly discuss all the benefits essential oils can provide in all use capacities.

Is oregano essential oil safe to use while pregnant?

Not usually. Generally, oregano essential oil is not considered safe to use while you're pregnant.

If you're using oils while pregnant, I highly recommend this reference guide. It contains some great advice for using essential oils while pregnant, plus some DIY Recipes you'll love too.

Is oregano essential oil safe for kids and babies?

Generally, not by itself. I do highly recommend only using lavender and frankincense on or around newborns.

While essential oils may be safe for kids to use, please do not have your child use an essential oil internally without being under the direct guidance of a naturopathic doctor.

Can you be allergic to oregano essential oil?

There are a few reasons why you would experience an allergy-like reaction to essential oils. Usually, this is caused by not diluting the oil you're applying (or not diluting it enough). Please refer to our essential oils and allergies article for more in-depth information.

Is oregano essential oil safe for dogs and cats?

Oregano essential oil is safe to use with your pets.

If you're using essential oils around your family pets, be sure to allow them to leave the room and go into a room where you're not diffusing. This way they're able to escape when they feel they've had enough. Please also consider picking up a reference guide specific to using essential oils with animals.

If you’re using essential oils around your family pets, be sure to allow them to access out of the room and into a room where you’re not diffusing. This way they’re able to escape when they feel they’ve had enough.

Please also consider picking up a reference guide specific to using essential oils with animals. There are also reference guides specific to Young Living’s oils too.

Should you use oregano essential oil if you're taking medication?

This is a very personal question, and really depends on which medications you're taking. I have an entire article dedicated to known medication contraindications that I highly recommend you check out… in addition to having a lengthy conversation with your local aromatherapist or pharmacist.

How often should you use oregano essential oil?

This is also a personal question. This depends on what you're using it for and how experienced you are using it. For beginners, I recommend only diffusing for 30 minutes at a time, then giving your body an hour break. If you diffuse too much, you could end up lightheaded. Personally, I have a diffuser running most of the day intermittently (using the intermittent setting on our diffuser). Or I'll wear a piece of diffusing jewelry with 3 drops of oil on it throughout the day (those 3 drops usually last a few days). Check out our article about diffusing essential oils safely for more info.

Don't see an answer to the question you have about oregano essential oil?

Have a question you don't see? You're welcome to ask in the comments or fill out this form to ask anonymously.

Where do you buy QUALITY Oregano Essential Oil?

Don't be fooled by LEGAL false marketing. Not all essential oils are the same. We are really picky on what goes in and on our bodies, and highly sensitive to synthetic chemicals. You deserve to make sure what you're purchasing is the real deal, and not going to damage your health or your family members' health.

We purchase our oils through Young Living because they set a higher standard for essential oils than what the rest of the industry expects. Their Seed to Seal guarantee is unmatched, and shows their dedication to a farm-to-table type of approach.

Warning: DO NOT purchase your oils through Amazon or similar websites!

Any website that allows anyone to sell on, such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart… etc… are terrible places to purchase essential oils. While you may get a “good deal,” knowing who you're purchasing from is difficult. There are many counterfeit essential oils being sold that are causing health ailments, major skin reactions, and a lot of misery. These are NOT high quality essential oils. They are fakes being sold purely for profit.

I also do NOT recommend purchasing from grocery stores, Walmart, Target, department stores, or drug stores. Many of the brands found at those stores have been proven to not actually contain any essential oil (which is perfectly legal to do).

I STRONGLY suggest you know the company that makes your oils, how the plants are cared for, what they do for distilling, how and how many times each batch is tested (and when), and their bottling processes. Many companies throw out fancy language for marketing purposes, but actually have no clue how their oils are made because the oils come from a broker (which are almost always diluted in solvents). Transparency is key.

I highly encourage you to check out our How To Find Quality Essential Oils post for in-depth information about why quality matters, and what to look for.

Where we purchase our essential oils, and why

We purchase our oils through Young Living because they set a higher standard for essential oils than what the rest of the industry expects. Their Seed to Seal guarantee is unmatched, and shows their dedication to a farm-to-table type of approach. This company has proven to me time and time again to be the closest thing out there to buying from your local farmer. They are totally transparent in their processes, and even open their farms so you can see for yourself (or involve yourself in the process).

Other products containing Oregano Essential Oil:

Let's hear from you! How do you use Oregano essential oil??

How do you use oregano and oregano vitality essential oils? We would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Have a question? Feel welcome to ask in the comments below, or you can fill out this form privately to ask.


Did you find this post helpful? If you enjoyed this post, please comment below and share.

Crystal

P.S. If you need some essential oils, we provide special coaching, resources, and support groups for our members.

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