Common Name: Oregano discovered the herb during the Italian

Latin Name: Origanum vulgare Campaign and brought it back to the US.

Other Names: Spanish Thyme, Wild Marjoram,
European Oregano Culinary Uses
Oregano is most often used in Italian cuisine. It is a
Description key ingredient in tomato sauces and on pizza, pizza
Oregano comes from Origanum, a genus of the sauces, vegetable dishes and for adding flavor to
mint family (Lamiaceae). Oregano originally came grilled meat. Oregano is a great substitute for
from warm climates in western and southwestern marjoram or thyme if you don’t have these in your
Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.  Oregano is a spice cabinet.
perennial plant that has the characteristics of an
herb, green and leaflike, with round shaped leaves. Medicinal Uses
As a perennial, oregano is often grown for 3–4 Ancient Greeks believed that oregano could also be
years but in northern climates where the used as a poison antidote. They used it to treat skin
temperature is colder it is often grown as an annual. irritations and infections, dropsy, convulsions, and
as an antidote for narcotic poisons.
History
Since oregano was originally grown in Greece, it Oregano has been used in the treatment of several
was first used by the Greeks. They believed that this ailments such as diarrhea, stomach upset and
herb was created by the Goddess Aphrodite.  She nausea. Oregano also has some anti-bacterial and
wanted it to be a symbol of joy growing in her anti-inflammatory properties so you will see it used
garden.  The word “oregano”  comes from the in the treatment of arthritis, muscle and joint pain
Greek words oros, for “mountain,” and ganos, for and soreness.
“joy” meaning “ joy of the mountains”.
[Link]
The Roman’s next adopted oregano because they
enjoyed the taste and how easy is was to cultivate.
Their love of the herb helped spread its use all Oregano Oil Side Effects
throughout Europe and Northern Africa.
You may already know that oregano is an Italian
In the middle ages oregano was commonly used for herb commonly used in cooking. But it can also be
medicinal purposes. They would chew the oregano made into a more concentrated herbal supplement,
leaves as a cure for many ailments such as often called oregano oil. There are also oregano
rheumatism, toothache, indigestion, and coughing essential oils which have a much stronger
fits. concentration of the oregano plant than the herbal
supplement.
During this time, Oregano also made the journey to
China. It was also used for medicinal purposes in
this region. The Chinese people believed it helped Oregano essential oil is made from the leaves of the
with fever, vomiting and upset stomach. oregano plant. Even though oregano is a well-
known herb found in many kitchens, oregano herbal
During the Elizabethan era, oregano was used for oils and oregano essential oils aren’t used for
just about anything. It was used to encourage good cooking. Rather, the essential oil is used both
luck and good health. It was used in spells for topically and through inhalation to treat specific
happiness, tranquility, luck, health, protection and health conditions. The herbal oil can be taken as an
letting go of a loved one. It was also worn during herbal supplement.
sleeping to give one psychic dreams.
Oregano oil contains chemical compounds,
Oregano was not widely used in the United States including phenolic glycosides (phenols). These
until after the Second World War.  Soldiers compounds have antioxidant and antimicrobial
properties. Phenols, such as carvacrol, cymene,
terpinine, and thymol, account for much of the  small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
composition of oregano oil. It’s the phenols in
 parasitic infections
oregano oil which may make it beneficial.
 urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Forms  yeast infections (Candida)

Oregano oil extract is an herbal supplement. It’s Use the essential oil as a vapor for:
available in supplement form, as a pill, and as a
softgel capsule. These usually contain other  respiratory infections
ingredients to dilute oregano oil, since it’s very  a cough
potent. The capsules can be taken orally, or cut
open and applied to the skin, provided they’re not  asthma
full strength.  bronchitis

Oregano oil is also available as a highly Use the diluted essential oil topically for:
concentrated essential oil that comes in liquid form.
The oil may come premixed with a carrier oil or it
 bug bites
may be purchased full strength. If it’s not premixed,
you’ll have to dilute it yourself by combining it  poison ivy
with a carrier oil, such as coconut or olive oil. The
 topical infections
usual recipe is 5 to 6 drops for every ounce of
carrier oil.  acne
 dandruff
The essential oil can be used topically after it’s
diluted. Don’t take any essential oil orally without
seeing a certified aromatherapist first. Some
Side effects and risks
essential oils are toxic and qualities vary.

Unlike the herb you cook with, commercially-

Oregano essential oil can also be used in steam, as a
prepared oregano oil is highly concentrated. It’s
vapor to be inhaled. This is done by putting one or
easy to take too much or to use it for too long.
two drops in a vaporizer or bowl of steaming water.
When used as directed, oregano oil should be safe.
In too-high doses, it may have detrimental effects.
Uses
This may be due in part to thymol, one of the
Most of the research done to date on oregano has phenols it contains. In high doses, thymol is a mild
been in the form of in vitro laboratory studies, irritant which might affect the skin or internal
animal studies, or small human trials. While much organs. It can cause:
of this research is promising, it’s by no means
definitive proof that oregano oil is effective. Even  nausea
so, this product is marketed for many uses.
 vomiting

Use the herb in cooking or an herbal supplement  gastric distress

for:  central hyperactivity (inappropriate
talkativeness)
 bacterial infections, such as E. coli
 viruses, such as the norovirus (stomach
virus) or upper respiratory infections
Thymol may also be irritating or corrosive to the Chronic exposure to thymol may cause symptoms
skin and eyes. Oregano oil should never be applied warranting a doctor’s visit. These include:
to broken skin or used on or near the eyes.
 fatigue
Oregano oil may cause an allergic reaction in some
 diarrhea
people. If you’re allergic to oregano or to other
plants in the Lamiaceae family, such as mint, sage,  muscle pain
basil, and lavender, don’t use oregano oil.
 vertigo

When used topically, diluted oregano essential oil  headache

may cause a skin rash, even in people who aren’t  difficulty swallowing
allergic to it. It’s important to check with your
doctor before using oregano oil and to follow  excessive salivation
package directions exactly, whether you’re using
the capsules or essential oil.
Takeaway
There’s been no medical research done on oregano
oil’s safety for children, or for pregnant or There are many claims about oregano oil’s ability to
breastfeeding women. These populations shouldn’t soothe symptoms and cure medical conditions.
use oregano oil. While data is lacking, there’s some However, there’s very little evidence to back up
concern that oregano oil may cause uterine these claims.
contractions or miscarriage.
If you decide to take oregano oil, either in
supplement or essential oil form, make sure to
Proper dosage and use guidelines follow dosage directions exactly and to check with
your doctor prior to use. Remember that essential
Medicinal dosages of oregano oil for people hasn’t oils are much stronger than the supplements and
been studied in-depth. Commercially-sold should always be diluted. Oregano oils shouldn’t be
supplements and essential oils have recommended used in babies or children, and pregnant or
doses, established by their manufacturers. These breastfeeding women.
take the amount of thymol and other phenols into
account. The Cockroach Papers by Richard Schwied is an
interesting book if you are looking to learn more
It’s important not to exceed the recommended about biology or evolution. Cockroaches are built
dosage given or to take oregano oil in any form, for survival no matter what the world throws at
including on the skin, for more than several weeks. them. Their ability to adapt is just amazing.
When using oregano essential oil, a little goes a
very long [Link] to two drops of diluted oil may Here are some of my notes from the book.
not seem like much, but exceeding that dosage may
cause adverse reactions to occur. Food and Water
German cockroaches, Blattella germanica, the most
Symptoms of oregano allergy can include rash, common domestic roach in the United States, have
stomach distress, or trouble breathing. It’s been observed to live 45 days without food, and
especially important not to inhale oregano oil if you more than two weeks with neither food nor water.
might be allergic to it. Doing so can cause
inflammation of the airways and might quickly Cockroaches will eat almost anything including
become dangerous. glue, feces, hair, decayed leaves, paper, leather,
banana skins, other cockroaches, and dead or alive
humans. They will not, however, eat cucumbers.
They are particularly fond of dried milk around a turn away from the female and raise his wings, “an
baby’s mouth. invitation to her to mount.”Copulation frequently
lasts an hour. After sex, female cockroaches store
The roaches are not confined to any particular the sperm and use them as needed. The sperm may
environment and live in a tremendous variety of last her a lifetime.
places, from underneath woodpiles in Alaska to
high in the jungle canopy in the tropics of Costa “The evolutionary strategy employed by
Rica. They are even found in the caves of Borneo cockroaches to reproduce is considerably more
and under the thorn bushes in arid stretches of efficient than that employed by humans.” Oddly,
Kenya. Wherever they live, they are masters at there are certain species of cockroaches that can, at
surviving. They are, Schwied writes, “undeniably least for a generation or two, reproduce without any
one of the pinnacles of evolution on this planet.” sperm. Schweid says “the females unfertilized eggs
will develop and hatch—always producing new
Why is it so hard to kill a cockroach with your females.”
shoe?
Schweid observes that “when a cockroach feels a Partying
breeze stirring the hairs on its cerci, it does not wait Betty Faber, the former staff entomologist for the
around to see what is going to happen next, but New York Natural History Museum, says “Females
leaves off whatever it is doing and goes go to bed—by which I mean disappear back to the
immediately into escape mode in something harborage—at night earlier than males.”
remarkably close to instantaneous fashion.” Studies
show that a cockroach can respond in about 1/20th Socialness
of a second, so “by the time a light comes on and Schweid writes, “cockroaches, while not social
human sight can register it, much less react by insects in the entomological sense of bees or ants
reaching for and hoisting something with which to with clearly assigned tasks that benefit the whole
squash it, a roach is already locomoting towards community, do clearly take pleasure in the company
safety.” of other roaches, and the aggression pheromones
draw them together, eliciting their effects regardless
Blood of the sex or age.” Cockroaches reared singly
Cockroach blood is a pigments, clear substance develop more slowly and take longer between molts
circulating through the interior of its body, and what than do those reared in a group. Although those
usually spurts out of a roach when its hard, , outer groups can be too big “just as development is
shell—its exoskeleton—is penetrated or squashed is delayed in young cockroaches if they are isolated,
a cream-colored substance resembling nothing so over-crowding also extends the time between molts.
much as pus or smegma. So there is yet another kind of pheromone, called a
“dispersal pheromone,” and it serves as the
Brains chemical signal that it is time to look for a new,
Cockroaches have two brains—one inside their slightly roomier harborage. This chemical is found
skulls, and a second, more primitive brain that is in the insects’ saliva, and has just the opposite effect
back near their abdomen. of the aggression attractant, in that it repulses
cockroaches and causes them to look elsewhere for
harborage.”
Copulation
Schweid says “Pheromones, chemical signals of
sexual readiness, operate between a male and Radiation
female cockroach to initiate courtship and In case you’re thinking we can just nuke the little
copulation. A sexually receptive female assumes a critters you should know that cockroaches survived
posture with her abdomen lowered and her wings the atomic bombs test blast at Bikini. “There is such
raised and gives off a pheromone that attracts a thing as a lethal dose of radiation for a cockroach,
males.” If he finds a virgin female, a male but it is a lot higher than our own.”
cockroach after some antenna rubbing foreplay will
Predators John Wickham, an English pest control consultant
“While few humans may eat them, the roach has defined knockdown as: “The inability of the insect
both external and internal predators and parasites. to move in a sufficiently coordinated manner to
There are centipedes that have a primary diet of right itself and progress normally.” When a roach
cockroaches. Mantises, ants, and scorpions will eat eats gel bait—the safer of the two methods—it
them, as will a variety of larger animals including heads home before the active poison kills it.
toads, frogs, possums, hedgehogs, armadillos,
mongooses, monkeys, lizards, spiders, mice, cats, “Customers who are paying $75 an hour like to see
and birds” these roaches struggling to get up, in agony and
convulsions, and the sprays, with substantial
Sleeping knockdown effect, provide them that gratifying
Roaches are nocturnal and pass their days sleeping. visual reassurance that the problem is being solved
and that they are getting their money’s worth.
Male aggression
“Cockroaches, like so many other species including It’s unlikely this poison will have much long term
our own, have male aggression rituals. They have impact. “Almost as soon as an effective poison goes
their own inventory of aggressive behaviors, a scale into widespread use, cockroaches begin to develop
of conflict that begins with threatening postures. Resistance. And, typically, the most efficacious
Beyond that they graduate to antenna lashing—a products developed, those that do the best job, turn
form of which is also present in male/female out to be more detrimental to our own health than
encounters to determine if a female is sexually are the roaches.”
receptive–and biting. Sex and territory seem to be
the primary motivations for fighting between male If you want to learn more about cockroaches
cockroaches: These clashes never end in death, but read The Cockroach Papers.
always in the retreat of one fighter.”
[Link]
Trapping a cockroach cockroach-with-your-shoe/
“Stale while bread moistened with warm, slightly
soured beer” is the most reliable and effective.
Here's why cockroaches are indestructible
“This is typically placed at the bottom of a small jar
—a Gerber’s baby food jar, say—around the
interior rim of which a petroleum jelly like Vaseline Genome sequencing reveals the secrets o
has been applied. The cockroach can climb in from By Maggie Fox
the outside but can’t climb back out.”
They can regrow lost legs. They make their own
What should you do if you get a cockroach stuck antibiotics. And they have an almost supernatural
in your ear? sense of smell.
“It is, according to all accounts, painful and
horrifying, although a little mineral oil or lidocaine Now Chinese researchers have sequenced the
sprayed into the ear is usually enough to dislodge genome of the American cockroach and discovered
the intruder.” why they are so hard to kill.

Exterminators It’s all in the DNA, they report in the journal Nature

Exterminators primarily employ two methods to kill Communications.
the cockroach: gas and gel. The gel is way more
effective but many still rely on the spray. Why? The American cockroach, known scientifically as
“The major problem that exterminators have with Periplanta Americana, has an enormous genome,
the gel is that it has no immediate knockdown Shuai Zhan and colleagues at the Chinese Academy
effect.” of Sciences in Shanghai, found.
And it’s more closely related to termites than it is to way to kill the pests, the Shanghai researchers
German cockroaches, despite their shared suggested.
unsanitary habits and ability to horrify homeowners
and terrorize tenants. It also might be possible to exploit these properties,
they said.
Cockroaches spread germs and can aggravate
asthma and allergies. “Beyond serving as a pest, this cockroach is also
important in traditional Chinese medicine, well
"The harm of American cockroaches is becoming documented in Chinese medical encyclopedias,”
more serious with the threat of global warming," they wrote. “Moreover, its ethanol extract has been
Zhan's team wrote. “Our study may shed light on developed as a prescribed drug (Kang Fu Xin Ye)
both controlling and making use of this insect.” for wound healing and tissue repair.”

And the DNA explains why they are so prolific. Understanding the genetic secrets could help
scientists replicate the cockroach’s superpowers,
When under stress, females can lay unfertilized they said.
eggs that will hatch in a process called
parthenogenesis or “virgin” reproduction. The team [Link]
found genes that explain how this can happen. s-why-cockroaches-are-indestructible-n858501

Entomologists estimate that there are between 5 and

Cockroaches can regenerate limbs 10 million species of insects on Earth. But if asked
which insect they hate the most, many people would
They can also survive terrible injuries. have no trouble choosing just one -- the cockroach.

“The American cockroach has a strong capability of There are plenty of reasons to dislike cockroaches.
limb regeneration during the nymph stages, which is
the main reason to call it ‘Xiao Qiang’ in China,” Their flattened bodies, leathery wings, skittering
the researchers wrote. The name translates as “little legs and long, waving antennae give some people
mighty one," and the team found genetic pathways
the creeps. Because roaches eat garbage and waste,
that underlie the process.
they can spread bacteria
DNA can also explain their noxious habits. like Salmonella and Shigella from place to place.
“Cockroaches generally live in moist and unsanitary
areas and are particularly fond of fermenting foods; As they walk, they leave trails of fecal matter,
thus, they have numerous opportunities to be which they use to find their way around. On top of
exposed to microbes and pathogens,” the team
being gross, these trails can cause stains and odors.
wrote. The insects have extra genes related to
chemoreception, or smell. The proteins in cockroach saliva and waste can also
cause allergies and aggravate asthma.
And the insects have evolved sophisticated ways to
deal with their dirty environments. Their cells
respond to infection with bacteria and fungi by People also hate roaches because they can be
secreting antimicrobial peptides that go into the extremely difficult to get rid of. One reason is
hemolymph — the juice that squirts out when you because of their natural behavior. They reproduce
stomp on a roach.
quickly and are hard to kill. Since they're nocturnal,
Plus they have natural detoxification mechanisms. many people don't notice their presence until there
Targeting these genetic pathways might be a better
are so many that they've run out of places to hide.
Roaches are particularly good at dodging and Whether they're digesting wood pulp in
running from shoes, newspapers and other weapons, a rainforest or hiding under a refrigerator,
and several species have become resistant to cockroaches are fascinating. They're primitive
insecticides. insects -- they existed millions of years before
dinosaurs did and have evolved very little since
But of the 4,000 roach species that exist in the
then. In spite of their unchanging nature, they've
world, only a handful of them plague homes and
survived when other species have not. For example,
businesses. These pest species include:
dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, but
cockroaches have thrived for 320 million years.
 Blatella germanica, the German
We'll look at the physical features behind this
cockroach
uncanny survival next.
 Periplaneta americana, the American
cockroach or palmetto bug Cockroach Anatomy and Physiology
 Supella longipalpa, the brown-banded
Most people can recognize cockroaches instantly.
cockroach
They're brown or black insects that are usually
 Blatta orientalis, the oriental cockroach
between half an inch and two inches long (12-50
In fact, in many parts of the world, just one species millimeters), minus their long antennae. Their heads
-- the German cockroach -- is responsible for most point downward, almost as if they're built for
infestations. Unfortunately, people take much of the ramming. Males usually have wings, but females
blame for this worldwide prevalence. Most often don't. Those that do usually have vestigial
cockroach pests have spread across the planet by wings -- small, undeveloped wings that often don't
hitchhiking on boats, airplanes, trucks and even in allow the roach to fly.
moving boxes and grocery bags.
Although their reputation often sets them apart,
While Blatella germanica and a few others make roaches have a lot in common with other insects.
nuisances of themselves, most species of cockroach Their bodies have three primary regions -- the head,
generally mind their own business. Many the thorax and the abdomen. They have three pairs
cockroaches live in warm, tropical areas and feed of jointed legs, one pair of antennae and a
on decaying wood and leaves. They help break rigid exoskeleton. Roaches shed their exoskeleton,
down this organic debris; in the process, they add or molt, several times during their lives. After
nutrients to the soil through their waste. They're molting, most roaches are white and easily injured
also a food source for small reptiles and mammals. until a hormone called bursicon causes the
In other words, in spite of their bad reputation, exoskeleton to darken and harden. Sometimes, a
cockroaches are an important part of many roach can re-grow a lost limb when it molts and
ecosystems. even put off molting to allow the new limb to grow.
Roaches' heads house their eyes, antennae and  Two maxillae manipulate the food while
mouthparts. Contrary to popular perception, their the roach chews.
heads also house their brains. However, much of The Thorax
their nervous system activity takes place in nerve A roach's thorax houses the attachments for three
ganglia located throughout their bodies. This is one pairs of legs and, if the roach has them, two pairs of
of the reasons why a headless roach can live for wings. Each of the three pairs of legs is named after
more than a week. The other is that roaches don't the region of the thorax to which it attaches:
breathe through a nose or mouth. Instead, they draw
 The prothoracic legs are closest to the
air through spiracles, or holes in their sides. Tubes
roach's head. These are the roach's shortest
called tracheae deliver oxygen from the spiracles to
legs, and they act like brakes when the roach
organs and tissues. When a headless roach finally
runs. A portion of the prothorax also covers
dies, it dies of thirst.
the roach's head.
Although not as distinctive as the eyes of  The middle legs are the mesothoracic
dragonflies or houseflies, cockroaches' eyes are legs. They move back and forth to either
compound and are made of photoreceptor cells speed the roach up or slow it down.
called ommatidia. A hard ring called the ocular
 The very long metathoracic legs are the
sclerite surrounds the photoreceptors. Because of
roach's back legs, and they move the roach
this compound structure, cockroaches see the world
forward. Using its metathoracic legs, a roach
as a mosaic.
can move about 50 body lengths in a second.
Movable antennae, also known as antennal A human moving that quickly would be
flagella, allow roaches to feel and smell the world running about 200 miles per hour. When a
around them. Although the antennae look like roach runs this quickly, it sometimes raises
threads, they're really made of lots of tiny, hair- up and runs on its back legs only. The force
covered segments. These segments are shorter and of the air it encounters keeps it upright.
thicker near the roach's head, and they're longer and These three pairs of legs have substantially different
thinner near the tips. lengths and functions, but they have the same parts
and move the same way. The upper portion of the
Roaches' mouths, like those of other insects, are
leg, called the coxa, attaches the leg to the thorax.
significantly different from mammals' mouths.
The other parts of the leg approximate parts of a
However, many mouthparts serve the same function
human leg:
as parts of a mammal's mouth:
 The trochanter acts like a knee and lets
 The labrum and labium form lips.
the roach bend its leg.
 Two mandibles have cutting and
 The femur and tibia resemble thigh and
grinding surfaces like teeth.
shin bones.
 The segmented tarsus acts like an ankle that let it eat cellulose and other tough materials.
and foot. The hook-like tarsus also helps One of these is a crop, which holds swallowed food
roaches climb walls and walk upside down until a toothy section of the digestive tract, called
on ceilings. the proventriculus, can pulverize it. Sacs called
Each leg moves up and down like a pogo stick and the gastric cacea hold enzymes and microbes that
back and forth like a pendulum. The front and back continue to digest the food. This extra digestive
legs on one side move at the same time as the help is particularly important if the roach eats
middle leg on the other side. In this way, the roach cellulose or wood. Only after the material is
can move over nearly any terrain. thoroughly broken down can the roach's midgut
absorb the food's nutrients.
When a roach is running as fast as it can, its legs
move back and forth about 27 times per second. Two segmented cerci lie on the exterior of the
When it runs upside down on a ceiling, it takes lower part of a roach's abdomen. These somewhat
longer steps in an attempt not to fall down. In fact, resemble antennae, and they can behave as sensory
it takes significantly more energy for a roach to run organs. A nerve inside the roach allows it to detect
upside down than to run up a vertical wall. air movement around its cerci. This is one reason
roaches can move out of the way very quickly if
The Abdomen
you try to catch or crush them.
Most insects have a segmented abdomen that
contains most of their internal organs, and roaches Roaches' reproductive systems are also located in
are no exception. Inside a roach's abdomen, a tube- their abdomen. We'll look at this system and at the
like heart moves blood to organs and tissues. Unlike cockroach life cycle next.
human blood, a roach's blood doesn't use
hemoglobin to carry oxygen, so it is colorless STRAIGHT FROM THE ROACH'S ANTENNA
instead of red. The blood also doesn't travel through
an extensive circulatory system. Although an aorta AND COCKROACHES AS PREY
carries blood to specific organs, much of the blood Often, an antenna will continue to react to stimuli
travels through a network of spaces called even after it has been removed from a roach.
a hemocoel. Roaches also store fat a little Scientists have taken advantage of this phenomenon
differently than people do. Instead of spreading it to create theelectroantennogram -- an antenna
throughout most of their physical structure, they attached to an oscilloscope. Researchers have used
store it in one centralized location called the fat this device to study cockroach pheromones, or
body. chemicals used to attract other roaches. These
pheromones could be used to make more effective
A roach's digestive system is located in its
roach baits.
abdomen, and much of it resembles a simplified
version of a mammal's digestive system. However,
a roach's digestive system has a few modifications
Cockroaches may seem indestructible, but they are
food for a variety of other animals. Some species of
wasp use cockroaches as incubators for their eggs.
A female wasp will sting a roach or remove its
antennae to disable it. Then, she will lay her eggs
inside the roach, where they will grow until they
hatch. In addition, another household pest, the
common house centipede, eats cockroach nymphs.

[Link]
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