Microorganisms are the most predominant creatures on our planet. Although technology has made great inroads in saving lives, nature’s medicine chest has a proven antidote just waiting to be unleashed.
In the 1940s improved sanitation and nutrition and the rise of antibiotics significantly reduced deaths occurring from: cholera, diphtheria, tuberculosis, small pox, typhus, hepatitis and amoebic dysentery.
But that vast leap forward came with a price. Misuse of antibiotics has now created drug-resistant microbes. According to Dr. James Hughes of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, of the 110 million antibiotic prescriptions written yearly in the U.S., one half are unnecessary.
Today, 90 percent of visits to doctor’s offices are infection-related. More than 100,000 patients a year in the U.S. die from antibiotic-resistant microbes. Infections have reached an epidemic and modern medicine is paralyzed.
So what’s the solution? History is rich with lessons. Over 5,000 years ago, the Akkadians of the Bronze Age depended upon wild oregano for their medicine.
Wild oregano, or Origanium vulgare of the mint family, is native to the mountains of Greece. I have never encountered a more remarkable plant with as many widespread medicinal, herbal or household applications. Incidentally, the oregano that is found in spaghetti sauce and pizza isn’t even oregano; it’s sweet marjoram.
Wild oregano contains more than 50 compounds, which possess phenomenal anti-microbial action, including: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antivenom, anesthetic, mucolytic (thins and mobilizes mucus away from the lungs), antitussive (halts coughs and eases spasticity of lung tubules) and antispasmodic (obliterating tightness and spasms of muscles).
Organic wild oregano can be used as a dried spice, in gel caps, a dried extract or as essential oil blended in a carrier oil.
As a spice, wild oregano contains an astoundingly high amount of calcium, 1,600 milligrams per 100 grams, significantly more than cheese, dark green vegetables, salmon, sardines or milk. It is higher in potassium at 1,700 milligrams per 100 grams than orange juice, bananas, apricots, dates and dark green leafy vegetables. Also it contains high amounts of non-toxic iron which can be consumed by both men and women of any age; at 50 milligrams per 100 grams it’s greater than liver, molasses, red meat and eggs.
Applying oil of oregano directly or mixing a few drops with a facial soap is an effective treatment against acne. Dogs bite over 4 million people each year in the U.S., a little less than one quarter of which require medical attention, and oil of oregano, applied directly to the wound, is the most effective antiseptic treatment.
As an anti-inflammatory it offers hope to millions afflicted with arthritis, as the oil can be directly applied to the joint in addition to taking gel caps.
Asthma is an epidemic and by inhaling the vapor of wild oregano as well as having it rubbed on the chest or back offers relief.
Oil of oregano applied directly to the foot is highly successful in treating athlete’s foot fungus.
By applying a few drops of oil of oregano directly to the gums morning and night its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties reduce gum disease, effectively fight halitosis or bad breath and kills cankers — one of the most painful and long-lasting types of lesions of the mouth.
Oil of oregano has the ability to save thousands of lives in hospital burn wards because it halts blisters, sterilizes wounds and prevents post-burn infectious complications.
It is also a potent remedy to stop bedsores and ulceration and can save limbs and lives, open wounds can be saturated with oil of oregano at 12-hour intervals.
Oil of oregano is a powerful treatment against infections, killing E. coli, Protues, Klebsiella, staphylococcus and streptococcus, tuberculosis, hepatitis, Candidiasis, eczema, boils, dandruff and seborrhea, diaper rash, finger nail fungus, giardiasis, head lice, headaches, hives, shingles, varicose veins, cold sores and many other maladies.
It is one of the few treatments for frostbite because it improves blood circulation, reduces inflammation, prevents infection, and speeds healing and skin regeneration.
I carry a small bottle in my pocket when I am in the woods for protection against the venom of black widows, brown recluse spiders, scorpions, gila monsters and snakes. Its antivenom properties neutralize the poison and it also halts inflammation and itchiness from the leaf resin of poison ivy and oak.
A few drops of oil of oregano in hot water and vinegar creates an excellent household cleaner on floors, in sinks, bathtubs, and showers and in toilets.
It is no wonder that the ancient Greeks referred to this plant as “joy of the mountains.”
Earth Dr. Reese Halter is a broadcaster, biologist and author of “The Incomparable Honeybee” and “Insatiable Bark Beetle.” For more reads visit his blog http://DrReese.wordpress.com