USA
Composition of Oregano Oil
Essential oils are the secondary metabolites of plant materials that obtained by distillation. Essential oils are oily liquids consist of a lot of chemical components which can easily crystallized and have characteristic smell and flavor of obtained plant. Generally they are in liquid form, but named volatile oil because of their easily evaporation properties. These volatile components give plant a lot of properties such as antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-oxidative etc.
Oregano oil is the most known and used essential oil because of its strong antibacterial properties. The major active components of oregano oil are phenolic terpenoids such as carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene. These active components consist of great amount of oregano oil.
Oregano oil which consist of 62-68 % carvacrol, 1-3 % thymol and 8 % p-cymene. Oregano oil shows biological effects at animals gastro-intestinal system because of these active components and with the synergism of other components existing in oregano oil.
In the year 2002, USA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) classified carvacrol as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimelanomic, anti-oxidative, antispasmodic, carminative, flavor and thymol as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimelanomic, anti-oxidative, antiseptic, carminative, flavor because of their biologic activities.
In our present day, carvacrol is used against infections and as anthelminthic. Also presents in medicines as a treatment factor against cold, flu, sore throat, ear ache, lung infections, infectious diseases, injuries, analgesics, arthritis, muscle spasms, headaches, E. coli, hepatitis, viral pneumonias, meningitis, Lyme disease, allergies, bronchitis, diarrhea, gingivitis, sinusitis, asthma, aphtha, eczema, neuritis, ankle twists, prostates, parasites, cricks, psoriasis, colitis, insects bite, gastritis and mycosis.
Also thymol used as anthelminthic, antiseptic present day and present in medicines against gingivitis.