Oregano Plant (Plectranthus Amboinicus)

Growing up with my mom and grandma who is fond gardening and living in a farm most of my childhood, I noticed that there are plants that are always present in the garden. And my parents tending our container garden to our current residence, there's one herbal plant that won't missed a spot in our little garden, the oregano, also known as Cuban oregano, Spanish thyme and Indian borage.

The oregano is an aromatic herb used in cooking but growing up as a kid back in the Philippines, I only knew one use of it, my medicine for cold, cough and asthma. Fast forward to the present, I now know its culinary uses but still, I see it mostly as a herbal medicine, and whenever I feel an oncoming asthma attack, the oregano, is my remedy aside from bitter melon.

A beautiful, hardy, tropical, highly aromatic herb, the oregano has been used as the herbal remedy I knew even in early Egyptian times. The plant has a heart-shaped, fleshy green leaves, and is a succulent herb. The plant grows to 80 cm. tall. and branch's out.

Both stems and leaves can be hairy, often can be seen up-close as they are so little and white in color.

I love brushing off the oregano leaves, they gives off a highly aromatic smell and is just soothing. Leaves are fleshy, broad, with toothed margins.

Chopped some oregano leaf and enjoy it with your egg or tuna sandwich. Or add it to fish or chicken stuffing for its fragrance.

It is also use as a substitute for sage.

Remedies using oregano leaves:

* Juice the leaves to help with colds, cough and asthma. In countries such as Philippines and India, oregano is cultivated for its medicinal uses. It is also use for skin allergy, malaria fever, and bronchitis to add on the list.

* Insect bites. (Juice the leaf and dab on affected area to reduce itchiness.)

* It is also use in soups in Indonesia to help nursing mothers in lactation.

* Rheumatism, sore throat and nasal congestion.

* Poultice made from the leaves helps to relieve pain from sprains.

* Warmed up leaf is applied to forehead or temple for headache.

* Upset stomach.

* Helps with indigestion.

* Has anti-epileptic properties.

* Macerated oregano leaves can be applied to burns.

* For urinary tract infections.

Growing oregano is easy, just take some cuttings and plant them on the prepare soil or just lay stems on the ground. That easy, but of course make sure the soil is moist.Or put the cuttings in a fresh water and transplant them once they develop roots. One thing that even surprised me was when I checked on a leaf that was left on the ground. Weeks had gone by and I went on to check on it as I have to dig on where it was and plant something else, surprisingly, the leaf is still green and starting to develop roots!

Other names:

* Indian borage

* Mexican mint

* Doddapatre in India

* Kapparawalliya in Sri Lanka

* Cuban oregano

* Spanish thyme

* Brujo

* Indian mint

* Patharchur in Hindi

Oregano flowers in a spike.

Our oregano flowered last year while it's in a small pot. The light colored lavender flowers are in a spike which is about over 1 ft. tall. and lasted for weeks.

And few times, I saw a hummingbird checking on it. The little jewel probably enjoyed the little flowers as well as I did.