Oregano Oil: Why you may not want to use this powerful essential oil

There is a lot of controversy, a mountain of misunderstanding, and a ton of dangerous advice out there about oregano essential oil.  As a Certified Holistic Aromatherapist with over 20 years of experience using essential oils, I am here to clear up some confusion.

THE CONFUSION AROUND OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL

Many people don’t realize that oregano essential oil can be quite dangerous. Furthermore, many do not understand that oil of oregano, an herbal oil, and oregano essential oil are NOT the same thing. Many things that are safe to do with oil of oregano would never be recommended for oregano essential oil. Even an article by a prominent celebrity doctor seems to use the terms “oregano essential oil” and “oregano oil" which could refer to the herbal oil, interchangeably. Be careful about what you are reading and where you take your advice. 

To add to this confusion, there are several multi-level marketing companies that promote use of oregano essential oil in situations where a professional aromatherapist would not. The more ways an oil can be promoted for use, the more essential oil is sold. 

An additional point of confusion is that there are several plant species to which the name oregano might be attached. The species I am referring to in this blog is Origanum vulgare. There are over 30 varieties of oregano and related plants like marjoram, Spanish oregano, and even savory that might be confused with this common species. (2) If you are using oregano essential oil, always check your Latin name so you are certain about what you are using so you can apply the correct safety protocols. 

It may surprise the reader to learn that the standard aromatherapy textbooks and manuals do not recommend oregano essential oil for home use. (2) I also do not advise the use of oregano essential oil for home use.  Let’s look at why.

DANGERS OF OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL

Oregano essential oil is irritating to the mucous membranes of the nose and respiratory system. Therefore it should not be used in a diffuser. 

Famous aromatherapist and educator Robert Tisserand states in his well-known book The Essential Oil Safety Data Manual, p. 88 that oregano essential oil “should not be used on the skin at all.”

Another prominent aromatherapy text echoes these sentiments by reminding us that essential oils like oregano should not be used undiluted on the skin at all. (3) I have heard horror stories about both diluted and undiluted use on the skin, including instances of third degree burns that required weeks of professional wound care. 

Oregano essential oil is a dermal toxin, skin irritant, mucous membrane irritant, and possible embryonic which means it should not be used during pregnancy. (2)

Oregano essential oil is extremely high in a compound called carvacrol. This compound is part of a family of compounds called phenols which are very irritating materials. Phenols in general are irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. They also represent a potential for possible liver damage through the depletion of glutathione, therefore oregano essential oil should never be used in someone with compromised liver function. (1)

Long-term use of oregano essential oil can cause negative changes in liver metabolism. (5) 

Because of the potential for liver toxicity and because of the common reaction of mucous membrane irritation, oregano essential oil should not be used internally unless you are under the supervision of a Clinical Aromatherapist who knows how to properly dose you as well as the limited and specific amount of time such an essential oil could be used in this way, and for what purposes. Even if your oregano essential oil is listed as a supplement and is pure, it will still have the ability to cause extreme and negative effects if not handled properly by a professional. This needs to be taken seriously as many folks now have serious digestive, liver, and kidney damage from the ingestion of essential oils. (4) 

Even if you have been using oregano essential oil and haven’t had any reactions that you know of, the potential for liver toxicity is something to keep in mind as you may not know this damage has occurred until it is too late. 

Oregano essential oil is contraindicated for individuals with asthma. (5) 

HOW MIGHT A CLINICAL AROMATHERAPIST USE OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL?

A clinical aromatherapist will formulate with oregano, other essential oils, and carrier oil for a few very specific conditions. These may include bacterial and fungal infections, suppressed immunity, and inflammatory conditions. They may also include specific skin conditions. There may also be specific gastro-intestinal conditions for which a Clinical Aromatherapist may use oregano essential oil. These formulations are specially-created and used for only a very short period of time, and then under certain conditions. 

Please note that taking a “supplement” from a company that supposedly has aromatherapists on staff is VERY different from being supervised by a Clinical Aromatherapist who knows you personally and is watching you on the regular for any negative side effects. Clinical Aromatherapists are basically doctors/pharmacists who have been trained in medical uses of essential oils. 

BENEFITS OF OREGANO AND OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL

There are a multitude of studies on the benefits of oregano essential oil. The problem with these studies that a reader might not realize is that many of them are done in vitro, meaning in a petri dish, rather than in vivo, within the human body. After reading the dangers of oregano essential oil above, you will now understand why. 

In vitro studies of oregano essential oil have shown it has a sort of broad-spectrum use against a wide variety of bacteria, fungus, and protozoa. (5) But…

There is a problem with oregano because although it is beneficial in many ways, the delivery method has yet to be worked out to safely avoid many of the dangers of use. This is why I advocate for the use of the herb as well as the herbal oil, and even tinctures, over oregano essential oil. The first three methods have the benefit of containing a very small amount of bio-available essential oil along with other herbal constituents that the body is adapted to absorbing and using. Not only that, but the herb, herbal oil, and tincture have the added benefit of being highly diluted amounts of essential oil. 

Cholesterol lowering benefits or oregano oil?

An example of a studied benefit of oregano essential oil that has great in vitro results with a barrier to in vivo use is that of oregano’s cholesterol lowering effects. It was found in one study that supplements of thymol and carvacrol (the phenol in oregano) reduced cholesterol levels in chickens. However, the does that would be needed for the same effect in humans would cause gastro-intestinal irritation. (1)

Anti-everything

Oregano essential oil has the ability, because of it’s unique chemical make up to kill non-beneficial microbes. Particularly, oregano essential oil shows promise with bacteria like staph as well as fungal infections. However, the delivery methods are still a challenge as oregano essential oil is strongly irritating to the skin. 

Oregano essential oil is one of the strongest tools we have in the world of professional aromatherapy. Personally, I only use this essential oil when I am working with someone on toenail fungus. And even then, this is in a properly diluted blend with other essential oils and in a situation where the client is under my supervision. 

HORRIBLE ADVICE I HAVE SEEN ABOUT USING OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL. 

A simple Pinterest or Google search will return a list of results about all of the supposed things one might do with oregano essential oil. Beware of the “mom blogs.” Please do not do any of the following things—these are all very dangerous. 

• Do not use oregano essential oil for diaper rash. 
  

• Do not use oregano essential oil to supposedly kill skin cancer cells. 
  

• Never ingest oregano essential oil if you are sick (or otherwise). 
  

• NEVER give oregano essential oil to an infant. True story: I once had to counter some bad advice given to a friend by a representative of an MLM essential oil company who had told this woman to give her sick infant oregano essential oil internally. NEVER do something like this. 
  

• Never use oregano essential oil to treat your dandruff. This oil is a dermal irritant and one that you would never want to chance getting into your eyes. 
  

• Don’t use oregano essential oil for pain conditions, arthritis, and skin conditions. Remember, oregano essential oil is a dermal irritant. There are many better alternatives.
  

• Don’t use oregano essential oil in culinary preparations. Not only does the heat of cooking break down the essential oil, but you are missing out on the nutritive properties of simply using the herb. Further more, this represents a case of overuse of essential oils (coming up with more uses in order to sell more essential oils) that does not take into account long-term sustainability. Essential oils should be used with respect and only as needed—not for everything. 
  

• Don’t use oregano essential oil with kids and infants in any situation. Don’t do it. There are much better alternatives. 
  

• People being confused about herbal oil of oregano, which is safe to use for many things, and oregano essential oil, which, I think at this point, we have established, is not safe to use for most things. 
  

Further proof of negative things happening with oregano essential oil can come from a simple scan of some the top search engine topics. Would you believe people are very often searching for “does oregano burn your skin” and “can oregano essential oil burn your throat.” 

Access my full playlist on oregano essential oil and oregano herbal oil here:

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL?

What should you do if you have oregano essential oil? We have established that there is not a safe home use for this essential oil that involves inhalation, ingestion, or topical use. My advice is to start working with a Clinical Aromatherapist if you have specific concerns you are trying to address by using oregano essential oil. You can bring your oregano essential oil to the practitioner and see if they will formulate with for you on your behalf. But truly, there is not a safe home use for this essential oil. 

One potential use would be to diffuse your oregano essential oil ONLY WHEN NO ONE IS HOME. The oregano will help to neutralize microbes and clean the air. Remember, because oregano is a mucous membrane irritant, we don’t want to be diffusing this when people or animals are around. This type of use of oregano essential oil has been studied and used in hospitals, also when no people were around, post surgery in surgical rooms. (3)

Another possible safe use would be inhaling directly from the bottle for short periods of time when ill with a respiratory illness. Discontinue if any sign of mucous membrane irritation occurs. There are much better essential oils for this use. Some I suggest are: eucalyptus, niaouli, tea tree, and any conifer species. 

LEARN MORE—ESSENTIAL OIL CLASSES FROM ARCADIA HOLISTIC SCHOOL

BENEFICIAL ACTIONS OF OREGANO HERB, OREGANO HERBAL OIL, AND OREGANO TINCTURE

Truth be told, even after all of this discussion, oregano is one of my favorite plants…as an herb. An herb, people. There is so much power in just using the herb in cooking. You can also use the oil of oregano herbal oil in cooking and the tincture as a supplement. This is the safe way to use and to ingest oregano. 

The benefits of this herb are many. It stokes what we called the “digestive fire” which means the herb has benefits to improve digestion, warm the body gently, and also help with clear breathing. The herb is analgesic, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, bactericidal, carminative, expectorange, fungicidal, parasiticide, and a tonic. (2) Embrace the plant as an herb, and you will be able to safely enjoy these benefits and more.

ALTERNATIVES TO OREGANO ESSENTIAL OIL

So you love oregano, or you love the potential of what it could do for you, but perhaps now you understand why this essential oil doesn’t have good uses at home. 

Try the herbal oil of oregano. It’s easy to make yourself with some fresh wilted oregano leaves and high quality carrier oil. This herbal oil can be used topically and internally for any of the same reasons for which you may want to be using oregano essential oil.

Explore other essential oils that can be used as anti-microbials. Again, if you want to diffuse for this purpose, look at the eucalyptus family, niaouli, tea tree, conifers, and even citrus species. 

If you are looking for a fantastic anti-microbial for dermal use that doesn’t have the drawbacks of oregano essential oil, I would encourage you to develop a relationship with helichrysum essential oil. Remember to always safely dilute. If you aren’t sure how to do that, use this calculator. 

BOOK A CONSULTATION WITH ME

Please note, I am a Certified Holistic Aromatherapist, not a Clinical Aromatherapist. So if you are interested in internal use of essential oils, you will need to find a Clinical Aromatherapist. 

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References:

(1) Bowles, E. Joy. The Chemistry of Aromatherapeutic Oils. Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2003, p. 78-80. 

(2) Lawless, Julia. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils in Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health & Well-being. Conari Press, California, 2013, p. 146-147. 

(3) Buckle, Jane. Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice. Second addition. Elsevier Science, 2003, p. 95. 

(4) In a class I took from one of my teachers, David Crow, he was explaining the problems with ingestion of essential oils, including the lack of safe in vivo delivery methods. He also mentioned that one of the main things he is now doing in his practice is helping people recover from organ damage after long-term, and sometimes acute, internal use of essential oils. (Herbs and Essential Oils Class, David Crow, Floracopeia)

(5) Schnaubelt, Kurt, PhD. Advanced Aromatherapy: The Science of Essential Oil Therapy. Healing Arts Press, Vermont. p. 34-36, 48-49, 83. 

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