Talk:Oregano

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Pronunciation[edit]

I am having several discussions about the pronounciation of the word Oregano.

Aussies pronounce it O ri Garno. non-skips sometimes call it O reg ano

What do others think

I've always heard it pronounced "Oh-REH-gah-no".
As far as I know, your first pronounciation (the proper pronounciation) is used in Commonwealth countries, and your second is used in the USA. Some more sensible Americans may use the proper pronounciation too, I don't know. — Anty♥
Since the English word for oregano comes to us via the Spanish, I stick to o-reh-gah-no. I don't see how one's pronounciation of oregano makes one more or less sensible; American or not. But as usual, other Anglophones have to express negatives feelings towards Anglophone-Americans through nitpicking comments with nothing of substance.
Since when did ignorance become a point of view? Pronouncing and spelling incorrectly isn't regional, it's just plain wrong. Stupid american barbarians. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.70.247.123 (talk) 11:24, 31 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Wait... What? The modern form of the word does come to the English language from Spanish, in which we spell the name of the herb "orégano" and pronounce it /o̞ɾe̞ɡäno̞/. Earlier forms of the herb's name in English, like organy and organum, were derived directly from Latin and are not, to my knowledge, in use today. So at what point exactly in the borrowing of this word from Spanish to English did it become impermissible or unreasonable to pronounce "oregano" in English with stress on the second syllable, as it is pronounced in the language from which it was taken? --72.225.199.227 (talk) 11:40, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
For your information, 83.70.247.123, we Americans did not corrupt the language while you English kept it in its pristine form. The language has been changing wherever it has existed for as long as it has existed. (Don't we all speak such lousy Anglo-Saxon since those Vikings and Normans came along and polluted it.) In some respects, American English is actually more conservative than British. (Where do you suppose all those r's come from that most of us pronounce and most of you now drop?) Kostaki mou (talk) 17:22, 29 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I've heard that oregano makes a nice boom and enhances the effect when included in an explosive mixture. Can anyone lend credibility to-or discredit-this idea?--'Net 04:40, 16 Mar 2005 (UTC)

This article says, "Outside the Mediterranean region, oregano is, rather surprisingly, little in use, except among Italian immigrants."

Aside from the sentence being awkward, I have to wonder what the person who wrote it was smoking. Oregano is "little in use" outside the Mediterranean!? Hardly. It's one of the most commonly used spices in the States, in my experience.

moving page[edit]

I strongly disagree with this page being moved to Oregano (spice) and have moved it back. -- WormRunner | Talk 06:40, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Matter removed[edit]

I removed this from the very end of the article :

"cleaning oregano" - For cleaning purposes, leaves ands branches , stems, etc ... can be separated using a double nosed screen.

Can anybody confirm or check? Cheers. --Edcolins 19:16, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

conditio sine qua non?[edit]

The article says that oregano is one of the basis of Italian cooking. However, speaking as an Italian, I'd say this is rather a perception of Italian cooking as made outside of Italy. A recent discussion in an Italian cooking-related newsgroup (Message-ID: <83f882dgvdsqcpiapj0pc7n4eo7l56o3nl@4ax.com>, and follow-ups) turned out that most dishes in which oregano is used are based on grilled vegetables, grilled fish, or raw tomato. Only a few kinds of pizza have oregano toppings. More in general, this herb is associated with southern Italian cooking, and is rarely, if ever, used in northern Italian cooking. I think it would be better to use milder words than "conditio sine qua non". Maybe a distinction is needed between Italian cooking as done in Italy vs. abroad, but I'm not expert on the latter. Any comment? Thanks. -- Piero 06:39, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Removed[edit]

Removed this section (below); it seems very trivial - MPF 01:38, 16 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Popular culture

In dried form, oregano bears a similar appearance to marijuana. A popular urban legend is the story of an inexperienced person unwittingly purchasing the spice instead of the drug from an unscrupulous dealer. A reference to this was made in passing in the movie A Few Good Men.

Lt. Kaffee: "My client bought and smoked a dime bag of oregano. What do you want me to charge him with, possession of a condiment?"

Oregano or Pot Marijuana ... Its name derives from the Greek origanon [ὀρίγανον]: oros [ὄρος] “mountain” + the verb ganousthai [γανοῦσθαι] “delight in”, and can thus be roughly translated as "delight in being high".

See! They ARE related :-D M0ffx 00:13, 2 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"Joy of the Mountains".[edit]

In what language does oregano mean the joy of the mountains? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.227.68.171 (talk • contribs)

None. It's a folk etymology that can be found in hundreds of websites, but there is no demonstrated evidence for it. The allegation is that it comes from the Greek language, where "oros" means mountain and "ganos" means joy. The Oxford English Dictionary says that this an apparent derivation, but stops short of calling it established. See here -dmmaus 02:03, 11 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]


"Oregano oil as a medicinal herb."[edit]

Suggested lead....

Another key element is carvacrol

Isomeric phenols (primarily carvacrol) in oregano oil in dilutions as low as 1/50,000 destroys Candida albicans, the Aspergillus mold, Staphylococcus, Campylobacter, Klebsiella, E.coli, Giardia, Pseudomonas, and Proteus. Another phenol constituent, thymol, boosts the immune system. These compounds also act as free radical scavengers (shield against toxins) thus preventing further tissue damage while encouraging healing. Oil of oregano is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. It also has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and is an ideal product to use for people who suffer from CFS and/or fibromyalgia. This is not regular oregano, but a wild form (wild mountain oregano, vulgare species) of the spice, which has, until recently, not been available in Canada. Do not use a substitute or oregano from a grocery store because it will have no effect. oil of oregano natural herbal supplement offers a variety of remedies

Oregano Oil benefits

--Caesar J. B. Squitti  : Son of Maryann Rosso and Arthur Natale Squitti 22:22, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

There are always several symptoms that claims for miraculous properties for herbs and their essential oils have been borrowed from a popular aromatherapy 'novel', or have been posted by a supplier: Claims to cure controversial syndromes like CFS or fybromyalgia. Claims to be antiviral. Claims to be a 'free redical scavenger', to be 'antioxidant', or to boost the immune system. The above contribution sadly scores on all counts, and the reference is simply to an over-enthusiastic supplier of complementary remedies... Cjsunbird (talk) 17:28, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

    • Just noted poor ref tag is from Nov. 2010 ! Also that "Medicinal" text was deleted in 2011, the text probably needed to be deleted, but was never replaced with balanced and referenced text, very sad. I am going fix page, as it looks like no one cares to write balanced and referenced text on the topic. Telecine Guy (talk) 02:04, 7 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
      • Fixed on 7 October 2016. Feedback welcomed, as this is what Wikipedia is about. Telecine Guy (talk) 03:54, 7 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
    • Edits by Zefr.
      • "verbose content", agreed, text by Zefr is now short, but too short:
      • "sources from universities or theses are not WP:SECONDARY," removing all universities ref would remove lots of good text on Wikipedia, should be under research heading.
      • You remove The U.S. National Library of Medicine, ref, which is not an universities.
      • There are adds on TV about some organic farmers using low levels of oregano oil in chickens water as a antibacterial agent. This is not universities theory it is in use.

So some text will return. Telecine Guy (talk) 06:55, 7 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Cultivation[edit]

The title in a section of this article is 'Cultivation and Uses', yet there is no mention of cultivation whatsoever. This whole section purely discusses its uses. Could someone please add information as to oregano's cultivation. Good examples of cultivation sections (in my opinion) can be seen in the basil and parsley articles (and no i didn't write them).

--Purns —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.23.130.14 (talk) 05:21, 8 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Oil with the long tradition of medicinal benefits and a supreme natural disinfectant is distilled from a "wild oregano" and is not the oregano available in stores, which is either marjoram or a Mexican substitute for oregano. Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).: C. Ingram, The Cure Is In The Cupboard, 1997 Knowledge House, ILL 60089. 66.251.102.206 (talk) 17:33, 9 September 2010 (UTC) R Schep.[reply]

What about Oregano Oil?[edit]

Oregano oil redirects to this page, but then the page mentions nothing about it. I came here to check if Oregano Oil is just more marketing propaganda or if there is any science behind it. At the very least it should mention that Oregano Oil is sold for its supposed health benefits (Amazon has 400+ Oregano Oil products).

--Karuna8 (talk) 17:10, 24 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]


Please see my comments above about Oregano as a medicinal herb... Cjsunbird (talk) 17:33, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

  • See above, sorry, you are correct there is not a balanced write up on the topic. Write up should have balance from good studies and references. Telecine Guy (talk) 20:32, 6 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The content added today is over-weighted for significance, WP:UNDUE, and was sourced mainly to university reports or theses which are not WP:SECONDARY sources. The inferences to health effects are from laboratory WP:PRIMARY research, and do not comply with the needed standard of WP:MEDRS. Lastly, the content added was verbose, so I cropped it to succinct statements. --Zefr (talk) 04:50, 7 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

How is Oregano both a Stimulant and a Sedative?[edit]

The health benefits paragraph needs a complete rewrite, and a LOT more sources. I'm half tempted to throw a citation needed after every claim in that paragraph. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.37.244.137 (talk) 21:08, 13 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Toxicity[edit]

There is no mention of toxicity whatsoever in the article. Other sources appear to suggest there may be hepatic toxicity when using a concentrated product such as oregano oil, and that it may also have potent sedative effects. It also may irritate skin, or make skin more photosensible allowing the sun to damage the skin more easily. It may also decrease the milk supply of nursing mothers. 66.11.179.30 (talk) 16:56, 15 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Marjoram oils should perhaps be used with caution, as should all concentrated essential oils, but they are all relatively safe and not indicated to cause photo-sensitivity. Hepatic toxicity should not be a problem if an oil is restricted to external use... Cjsunbird (talk) 17:38, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What is the relationship between the species of....[edit]

Thymus vulgaris and this one....???? The question is raised due to the fact that both of them share the prefix of vulgar- in their names --222.64.209.200 (talk) 06:24, 29 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

My answer is quite late, but in case you happen to eventually come back, vulgaris means common, to distinguish from less abundant varieties. 66.11.179.30 (talk) 22:30, 14 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Health benefits[edit]

I salvaged this code from Origanum, it uses an obsolete taxonomy and should be in the present article. Someone might format it cleanly (it is horrible now, makes the article a mess to edit) and insert a discussion in the above section:


Dysmorodrepanis (talk) 21:36, 20 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Growing Oregano[edit]

Don't you think there should be a section on how to grow it, like the optimal soil conditions, etc?--66.176.187.104 (talk) 17:32, 20 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Medicinal[edit]

I removed [1] the complete rewrite of the last paragraph of the "Medicinal" section because it removed sources and sourced information, and instead highlighted Preuss, HG (2005 Apr). "Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria". Molecular and cellular biochemistry. 272 (1–2): 29–34. PMID 16010969. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) --Ronz (talk) 18:15, 21 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

  • The old write up was not good. But fixing text is better than deleting it. Did anyone ask for it to be fixed? See above. Telecine Guy (talk) 20:46, 6 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Oregano is not just Origanum vulgare.[edit]

Oregano is not just Origanum vulgare. If you have an article called Oregano, it needs to include all the other species known by that name. Oregano is a common name - and thus has no 'official' species designation. Whoever calls a plant oregano (well within traditions) is therefor equally correct - so this article needs to be rewritten to include all the other species equally. They are sort of mentioned but not equally, and many are missing.

Or move the article to the species O. vulgare. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.202.24.164 (talk) 17:30, 30 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In some ways I agree with you, but the word 'oregano' is most commonly, I think, associated with O. vulgare.
The species of the Origanum genus are listed at the genus' article, Origanum, which has many species as red links (that is, with no article yet written). If you are knowledgeable about the subject, you would be very welcome to write some of them. Readers would be better served here having access to knowledge about more than just the herb. Hamamelis (talk) 05:17, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Preservation and Storage[edit]

  • Dehydrating Is My Favorite Way to Preserve Oregano
Drying: about two weeks air dry, or about an hour in the oven.
"need to store them in a dark, dry location to preserve the most flavor. Use glass bottles or sealed plastic containers that are airtight. Light and air will degrade the flavor of the herb. Dry oregano will last for up to six months with best flavor and quality."
  • Freezing: Traditional Ice Cube Method
Freezing herbs in oil
  • vinegar preservation

How to preserve? How long do fresh leaves last? Refrigeration? How to dry? Best storage of dried form? Freezing? Preserve in oil? -96.233.20.34 (talk) 14:11, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

References to Research being done on Oregano in relation to MRSA[edit]

Zefr,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources_%28medicine%29

"Speculative proposals and early-stage research should not be cited to imply wide acceptance. For example, results of an early-stage clinical trial would not be appropriate in the Treatment section on a disease because future treatments have little bearing on current practice. The results might – in some cases – be appropriate for inclusion in an article specifically dedicated to the treatment in question or to the researchers or businesses involved in it. Such information, particularly when citing secondary sources, may be appropriate in research sections of disease articles. To prevent misunderstanding, the text should clearly identify the level of research cited (e.g., "first-in-human safety testing").

In this case, I haven't over stated this research, just indicated it is existing and occurring. I should think this is an interesting thing for people to read who are interested in oregano. This does not represent medical advice, only information out there in the public sphere which communicates a possible treatment for something that we should ALL be concerned about.

Probrooks (talk) 18:24, 26 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Probrooks: Seems it is adequately stated now with a literature reference indicating its status among the medical community is still preliminary. See this, but the overall literature and quality of journals don't convince that this is significant enough to give oregano visibility as an important agent against MRSA. To acknowledge that consideration is underway as research, I moved the polyphenol discussion to the Chemical section and added a Research subsection. --Zefr (talk) 19:04, 26 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

ok.... you haven't added any citations under anti-bacterial agent. I think it would be worth going into more detail including mentioning MRSA.

Probrooks (talk) 21:13, 26 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't seen any convincing evidence that MRSA is affected by oregano oil, and suggest this concept is WP:UNDUE as speculative and insufficiently confirmed to include it in the article. The Atlantic article and MNT report are too preliminary, diffuse and vague to conclude anything. --Zefr (talk) 03:06, 27 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]
ok, I'll find more references and add them later, especially as you have not mentioned MRSA or given any citations to where you mention Microbial.

Probrooks (talk) 20:35, 27 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Im sorry — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:5B0:4FC8:6D8:534:B279:F82C:8258 (talk) 21:46, 29 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

How is the english pronunciation of this italian word important ?![edit]

Rant from now-blocked user.
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

Why don't you just indicate the italian pronunciation, which happens to be [oˈʁeːganoː]? It would also be a good chance for you lot to exercise the 2 vowel sounds you have lost after the Great Vowel Shift (GVS), namely [eː] and [oː]. So 'shifted' according to the GVS logic, they would become [iː] and [uː] - doh! For more insight, read the (usually) last comment (penned by Yours truly) on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Great_Vowel_Shift Contorista (talk) 08:54, 2 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The English pronunciation is important because this is English Wikipedia, and oregano is an English word (borrowed from Spanish orégano not from Italian oregano). It's not a "foreignism" used occasionally in English sources, it is a very common English word found in every English-language dictionary, with English pronunciations shown. By contrast, dragoncello, the Italian word for what is tarragon in English (borrowed from Middle French) is a foreignism, not a word assimilated into English, and there is no English-language pronunciation of it to show, nor to we have any need to mention it at the article Tarragon, since there is no particular connection to Italy. What would not be important to include at Oregano at all is the Italian pronunciation, because this an everyday English word since the late 18th century, English didn't get it from Italian, and we don't list translations and pronunciations of things in random languages in Wikipedia articles (that's a job for https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oregano). The name of oregano is also oregano in various other language; there is nothing special about Italian with regard to this subject.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  10:21, 2 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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