(See warning below!)
It’s used in a lot of ways - appears to have a kind of antibiotic effect. You can make a tea of the leaves, but the most potent is the essential oil which has gained a lot of popularity lately for various uses. Here is the Webmd page; but Dr. Mercola and Dr. Axe both have videos on it:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-644-oregano.aspx?activeingredientid=644
On Saturday I still had a lingering soreness in my jaw/neck; I took a couple of drops in a shot of OJ, and the next day the problem was entirely gone. Some people put a couple drops on their toothbrush, then the toothpaste, and brush with it, for gum problems; and others swear by it as a way to ward off colds and ‘flu - they take it at the first sign, and many claim that the illness is cut short or never develops. I have found that just sniffing the stuff helps with my sinus/allergy issues.
WARNING: This stuff is Very Powerful! If you try it, you don’t want to take more than a drop or two at a time. It really burned my lips, so I take it in a shot of OJ, through a straw, and it’s fine - I don’t even taste it. Other people can’t take it at all. If used externally, you want to dilute it with a carrier oil - it will burn! Also, it’s not something I would recommend taking all the time, if only because your body might become too used to it and it might have diminishing effect (that’s just my intuition, and I am NOT a doctor, and don’t play one on TV! so this is not medical advice :-)
Thanks for the info on oregano. Yeah I figure the essential oil would be strong, since the herb itself is crazy strong. It’s awfully easy to put too much in a dish.
Bfl