Healing Herbs: Yarrow and Oregano
Oregano Herb Profile
Also known as
Origanum vulgare, Common and Wild Marjoram, Greek Oregano and Winter Oregano.
Introduction
Oregano is a warm and aromatic yet slightly bitter herb in the mint family. Good quality oregano has a pungency that numbs the tongue. The best quality oregano is grown in a warm, dry climate. The name is derived from the Greek, meaning “mountain of joy”. The Greeks used the leaves as a poultice for aching muscles, and the Romans used it for scorpion and spider bites. Sunlight encourages the concentration of the essential oils that give oregano its flavor. Two other herbs are used in the same ways as common oregano but have different culinary and medicinal properties. Mexican oregano is a plant in the verbena family that has an even stronger flavor, while marjoram is a closely related plant that lacks oregano’s essential oil and has a different, gentler “mouth feel.”
Constituents
Carvacrol, thymol, limonene, pinene, ocimene, caryophyllene.
Parts Used
Dried leaves and flowering stems.
Typical Preparations
Capsules, tinctures, teas, or essential oil. Most commonly used as a flavor and spice in culinary dishes.
Summary
The leaves and flowering stems are strongly antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, cholagogue, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic and mildly tonic. Oregano is taken by mouth for the treatment of colds, influenza, mild fevers, indigestion, stomach upsets and painful menstruation. It is strongly sedative and should not be taken in large doses, though mild teas have a soothing effect and aid restful sleep. Used topically, oregano is one of the best herbal antiseptics because of its high thymol content.
Precautions
Not known to be safe during pregnancy.
For educational purposes only This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Yarrow Herb and Flower Profile
Also known as
Achillea millefolium, Common Yarrow, Milfoil, Soldiers Woundwort, Staunchweed, Woundwort, and Western Yarrow.
Introduction
Yarrow is a long-stemmed member of the sunflower family found in the wild throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It can be recognized by its highly segmented leaves (millefolium literally means “thousand leaves”), and the clusters of daisy-like white or lavender flowers at the top of the stalk. Greek myth had it that Achilles painted himself with a tincture of yarrow to make himself invulnerable to arrows, everywhere on his body except his heel. Native American herbal medicine makes extensive use of yarrow. Among the Micmac people of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, the stalk was chewed or stewed to induce sweating to “break” fevers and colds. They also pounded the stalks into a pulp to be applied to bruises, sprains, and swelling. The Cherokee, Gosiute, Iroquois, and Mohegan peoples used yarrow as a digestive aid. Other herbal healing traditions use yarrow to treat a variety of conditions characterized by swelling, often combined with echinacea, elder flower, ginger, and peppermint.
Constituents
Bitters, chamazulene, proazulene, saponins, tannins, fatty acids.
Parts Used
Dried stems, leaves, and flowers.
Typical Preparations
Tea infusions, juice (from the fresh herb), tinctures, as a compress, and in baths.
Summary
The British Herbal Compendium notes that preparations of yarrow lower fevers, induce sweating, stop cramps, encourage menstruation, relieve inflammation, and stimulate the release of stomach acid to digest proteins and fats. The herb is taken internally to treat colds, fevers, and indigestion, and used in skin treatments of slow-healing wounds. The Complete German Commission E Monographs recommends sitz baths with yarrow added to the bath water to relieve pelvic cramps in women.
Precautions
Use with caution if you are allergic to ragweed. Its use is not recommended while pregnant.
