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Oregano is a wonderful perennial culinary as well as medicinal herb. It has long been recognized as one of the "functional foods" for its nutritional, anti-oxidants and disease preventing properties. The herb, whose name means "delight of the mountains" in Greek, is native to the Mediterranean region. Botanically, the herb belongs to the mint (Lamiaceae) family, of the genus; Origanum and is known scientifically as Origanum vulgare. The plant is a small shrub, growing up to 75 cm in height with multi-branched stems covered with small grayish-green oval leaves and small white or pink flowers. Oregano is particularly used widely in Greek and Italian cuisines. Its leaves have a characteristic aromatic, warm, and slightly bitter taste. The intensity varies; however, good-quality oregano is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue. There are many varieties of oregano cultivated across Europe but the influence of climate, season, and soil on the composition of the essential oils is greater than the difference between various species. Origanum heracleoticum is another Greek variety that is having characteristic sharp scent and flavor. Sweet marjoram(Origanum majorana) is one of close related species of oregano. Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) is a different from origanum species but related to the verbena family of herbs. It is used in place of oregano in many Central American regions.
Oregano is a proven super "functional food." This herb is one of the foundation bases of healthy Mediterranean diet in addition to olive oil, fish and lots of greens, herbs and vegetables. It has an excellent nutritional profile; just 100 g of oregano herb provides: Dietary fiber- 107% (Percent of RDA) Folates- 69% Pyridoxine- 93% Vitamin-C- 83% Vitamin-A-230% Vitamin-K- 518% Iron- 550% Manganese-203% Carotene-- 4112 g