Can Oregano Treat Candida?

The use of herbs in medicine has been known for centuries. Many pharmaceutical companies use herbal sources as the basis of their products. With the advancement in medical sciences and research however, the use of herbs as medicines has decreased as they have been replaced by comparatively more potent new drug formulations.

But we have to bear in mind that although more efficacious, these new drug advancements are not without their side effects and can at times be problematic. These days there is a significant group of people that is reverting to the herbal products as treatments of various diseases as they believe that nature provides the best cure for all that is wrong, and indeed the more we move away from nature, the more harm we inflict on ourselves. So using herbal medicines wouldn’t be wrong in any aspect.

It goes without saying that being natural herbal medicines are drastically safer compared to synthetically developed drugs these days. We are going to focus on oregano oil as the subject matter here.

Oil of oregano is a very natural substance that can be extracted from wild oregano species. The herb can be found away from populated areas in free mountainous regions. It’s a flowering plant and only its leaves are utilized. The leaves are only plucked when the plant is rich in its oil content.

As it is a wild plant, it is cultivated chemical free and the process of oil extraction is a natural one. The oregano oil pretty much contains all the ingredients contained in the wild oregano. Foster mentions in his book “Herbal Renaissance” that the true ingredients or primary components of oregano oil are carvacrol and thymol.

These agents have fungicidal and worm repellant characteristics. These two ingredients act synergistically and render the oregano oil more potent than a normal phenol would be.

Oregano oil’s role in getting rid of Candida:

Oregano is undoubtedly one of the most potent natural antifungal agents. An advantage that oregano possesses against Candida is that the yeast doesn’t develop resistance against this particular antifungal, whereas other antifungals lose their efficacy against it. How does oregano work against Candida? The answer lies in the researches below:

• In a research carried out in 2001 at Georgetown University Medical Center it was found that the carvacrol and thymol present in the oregano oil inhibit the growth of Candida in a dose dependant manner. It was seen that when injected into a culture of Candida in an amount of 0.25mg/ml, oregano oil inhibited the growth of the yeast completely. To try to see the results in vivo, mice that had Candida infections were divided in two groups and were injected with oregano oil and olive oil respectively. The mice injected with oregano oil were healed totally in a period of 30 days whereas as the ones injected with olive oil only lasted 10 days.
• As mentioned by the Journal of Applied Nutrition, oregano oil extracts have high effectiveness for killing Candida. According to Researchers in Mexico, the antiseptic properties that oregano oil possesses are remarkable.
• Oregano oil exerts its effects on the yeast by inhibiting its germination as well as mycelial growth. The same results can be elicited by using carvacrol alone. But the use of oregano oil showed experimentally better cosmetic results that carvacrol alone.
• In another study it was found that oregano was a more potent agent than 18 different pharmaceutical agents.
• In effect the carvacrol and thymol react with the water in the human bloodstream and deprive the yeast of water thus dehydrating it. Also being completely natural, the side effects of oregano oil are very few in comparison to other antifungals.

How To Properly Use & Take Oregano Oil:

The oregano oil can be used in two ways:

• Oral intake: If you are using 100% oregano oil, you can use 1 drop three times a day. If its concentration is 50 to 75% you can take 2 drops three times a day. If using the oil is causing symptoms and is intolerable, you can mix the oil with more coconut oil or olive and then divide the amount taken throughout the day.
• Topical Application: Oregano oil can be used against nail fungus and skin disorders at least two times a day topically. It produces heat when applied to skin and caution should be taken while applying it on sensitive skin areas. It is good to mix oregano oil with a little more coconut oil or olive oil when you apply it to sensitive skin. If you are using it for dandruff, you can add a few drops to your shampoo.

Who should take oregano oil, a few benefits:

Having discussed the strong anti-Candida properties of oregano oil, it is mandatory that we use oregano oil for any Candida infection.

• Oregano oil has a use as anti-inflammatory for joints and tendons.
• A few experiments have shown it to be as effective as Vancomycin in treating, E.coli and other bacterial infections.
• It helps neutralize insect, spider and snake bites.
• Using 1 to 2 drops of oregano oil, provides instant pain relief for blistering burns.
• Hepatitis, herpes and flu respond very well to oregano oil use.

Caution with the Use of Oregano oil, a few side effects:

It is very important to know which oregano oil brand to buy. Buy oregano oil that has at least 50% carvacrol by concentration as it is the main anti-Candida element of the oil.

The oil may not be suitable for certain people:

1) People with iron deficiencies should avoid oregano oil, as it has an effect of decreasing iron absorption from the gut.
2) Pregnant women should avoid oregano oil as it has an effect of increasing the uterine blood flow and causing the lining around the fetus to weaken.
3) Some people may be mildly allergic to oregano oil and may have a skin rash with its use.

Oregano Oil and Candida die off effects:

Oregano oil has a deleterious effect on Candida and as it dies off, it releases 79 different toxic compounds including ethanol and acetaldehyde.

The common die off symptoms would include headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea. There may be increased joint and muscle pain, elevated heart rate, chills and feeling of cold extremities. These symptoms would vary from person to person depending upon the amount of infestation a person has.

To manage these die off effects, it is good to cut back on your oregano oil dosage a little. As the rate of Candida death decreases, you might feel better and then you can start increasing the dose.

Increasing your fluid intake would also help you to cope with Candida die off as it would efficiently wash off the toxins released.

To conclude, oregano oil is a very potent anti- Candida and antifungal substance. It is mostly sold as commercial preparations in form of bottled oil. It has in addition to its anti Candida effects, other health benefits as well and it wouldn’t be bad to have it in your closet as it alleviates many of your medical conditions.