Oregano Oil (Origanumvulgare) Contents 25 ml Oregano oil in extra virginolive oil Take 2 or 3 drops per day. Caution: Avoid contact witheyes, genital area, exposed mucous membranes and keep out of reach of children. Oregano oil is well known inthe Mediterranean world for its anti-fungal and anti-microbial activity. Itsuse goes back to classical times, when it was used to slow down food spoilage.There are many species of oregano- the herbs which have been most widely usedmedicinally are Origanum vulgare and Origanum dictamnus. Theformer is found in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean, while O. dictamnusis native to Crete. Other related herbs are thyme and marjoram, which aresometimes labelled incorrectly as oregano. Carvacrol is the predominant phenolin oil of oregano, whilst thymol is the predominant phenol in thyme andmarjoram.  The major active constituentsof oregano oil are carvacrol and thymol , which are isomeric phenols.There are many other compounds, which contribute to the anti-fungal andanti-microbial activity of oregano oil. It appears that these compounds actsynergistically. Both carvacrol and thymol possess activity against both fungiand bacteria, carvacrol exerts higher activity against fungi while thymol ismore active against gram-negative bacteria. These compounds also act as freeradical scavengers and anti-oxidants.   Pathogenic Bacteria, Fungi and ProtozoalParasites Oregano oil has been foundto be effective in destroying pathogenic bacteria, fungi and protozoalparasites, such as: Candidaalbicans, Aspergillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus,Campylobacter, Klebsiella, E. coli, Giardia, and Proteusand a variety of viral organisms. Oregano oil is a potentanti-fungal and anti-microbial agent, exhibiting these effects in dilutionsdown to 1/50,000. References: The Inhibition of Candidaalbicans by Oregano, J. C. Stiles, W. Sparks, R. A. Ronzio, J. of App. Nutr.,47, 96-102, 1995 Antimicrobial Activity andCytotoxic Activity of Origanum Essential Oils, A. Sivropoulou, E. Papanicolaou,C. Nicolaou, S. Kokkini, T. Lanaras and M. Arsenakis, J. Agr. Food Chem., 44,1202-1205, 1996 Selection of HighPhenolics-Containing Clones of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) Using PseudomonasSp., K. Shetty, T.L. Carpenter, D. Kwok, O. F. Curtis and T. L. Potter, J. Agr.Food Hem, 44, 3408-3411, 1996