A perennial, woody plant, it is a member of the mint family and is often used as an herb. Additionally, it can be used to create oregano oil, which is used as an essential oil. When used as an herb, the leaves of the plant are what are used, which is also called oregano.

The food has been used as an additive to different vegetable based dishes. It should be noted that oregano is also frequently used as an herb for various meat based dishes. Additionally, oregano has been found to pair well with spicy dishes.

Climate has been found to affect the flavor of the leaves. Cooler climates and the plants adapted to those environments tend to result in leaves that have a weaker flavor. It should be noted that the plant originated in the Mediterranean region, but the plant has been naturalized to many other regions.

Chemically speaking, oregano contains compounds known as polyphenols, which are organic compounds that contain multiple hydroxyl groups on aromatic rings. This is the generally agreed upon definition, but it should be noted that polyphenols are a class of compound, not a single compound. The polyphenols in oregano include flavonoids and phenolic acids, which are sub-classes of polyphenols. The specific compounds in oregano include rosmarinic acid, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, and scutellarein.

Aside from the culinary uses, oregano has been eyed as part of strategies to help fight climate change, specifically by substituting some cattle feed for oregano. The end result is decreased methane emissions.

There is one final thing that I should mention. The plant that I have been referring to here is origanum vulgare. However, the term “oregano” actually has been applied to multiple plants.