The Immunity Booster Food You Don’t Know About
Oregano Oil for a Cold, Flu and More
You’ve been hearing about Vitamin C for immunity likely since before you could talk. You’ve even started taking Zinc and Vitamin D. Elderberry? Yep, you’re taking that too.
You might be asking, “What else is there?” Oregano oil. And because you likely haven’t heard about it’s immune-boosting properties, I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s kind of a big deal!
My dad clued me in on oregano oil usage after he read an article about it about the same time as Covid became a thing in 2020. He bought me a bottle and although I wasn’t convinced about any of it’s immune boosting properties, I took it, because, why not? And then I started researching it.
The findings spoke volumes, and here’s why:
Health Benefits of Oregano Oil
Oregano oil contains the following compounds: phenols, terpenes and terpenoids. According to Dr. Daniel Boyer of the Farr Institute, these compounds, “may manage certain risk factors of health conditions such as free radicals, high cholesterol levels, yeast infections, inflammation and cancerous cells.”
One of those phenols, Thymol, contains powerful antifungal properties while also supporting the immune system and protecting against toxins. Dr. Farr states that, “Thymol is suggested to promote the immune system by enhancing the effectiveness of the immune cells. As a result, the body produces more antiviral protein that may easily fight some viral infections that may affect the upper respiratory part of the body when the immune response has been triggered.”
Pretty amazing, right? We’ve been popping Vitamin C and drinking orange juice, combined with any countless combination of OTC medicines and we’ve likely never been told about oregano oil.
But the fun doesn’t stop with colds, the flu and other possibly other viruses. Oregano oil can potentially benefit our bodies in a host of other ways.
The remaining two phenols contained in oregano oil are Carvacrol, shown to stop the growth of several types of bacteria and Rosmarinic Acid, an antioxidant that helps to protect against damage caused by free radicals.
Carvacrol has a few other potential benefits as well.
It serves as a natural antibiotic.
May help lower cholesterol.
Pain reliever.
May have cancer-fighting properties.
Might help you lose weight.
Oregano oil is readily available at your local nutrition store, or in the supplement section of your grocery store, in either a pill form or as a pure essential oil. Dr. Farr recommends the oil, stating that, “oregano pills can get contaminated with toxins such as parabens and benzyl lactate during processing. In addition, some manufacturers may not include all the oregono ingredients that are on their label, making them less effective compared to pure oregano oil. As a result, you may not get the best out of oregano pills when taken for mental or physical enhancement.”
While I’m not in anyway here to tell you that adding oregano oil to your daily supplement list will stop or prevent the effects of colds, flu or even COVID, I do think there’s some serious evidence in adding it to your arsenal of immune-boosting supplements to potentially lessen the severity.
I know some of you are incredibly skeptical when it comes to more natural means to staying healthy.
I’m not one of those people.
There’s way too much evidence that suggests a healthy lifestyle is a contributing factor in our overall health. And there’s a slew of facts that indicate some of the icky chemicals we’re ingesting regularly contribute to some pretty nasty illnesses (read this post).
Stay Healthy, Get Healthy
How can you EASILY become a bit healthier this year?
Take a walk (or short jog).
Skip dessert. And don’t buy the cookies. OR, if you really need the cookies, ditch the preservatives and make them yourself.
Eat a vegetable at every meal.
Trade your pop for water.
Trade your alcohol for water.
Become a label reader (and KNOW what each ingredient is).
Stretch.
Cook more.
Enjoy homecooked leftovers.
Don’t be afraid to park a little further away. I promise, the extra 1 minute of walking is actually good for you (and you won’t melt, get blown away or turned into an icicle).
With all of that said, here’s to virus season;) May it be filled with fewer runny noses, no coughs and sore throats that can be relieved with gargling warm salt water😊🤞
*To learn more about Dr. Boyer and the Farr Institute, visit FarrInstitute.org.
