Monday, May 25, 2009

Oregano - The Minty Spice?

Happy Monday Bloggers!

As many herb experts know that oregano is truly a member of the mint family one can not help to wonder why it tastes nothing like "mint". Oregano is traditionally used in hundreds of recipes especially Italian cuisine as well as a great spice for soups and sauces. You can buy the freshest dried oregano right at our "Florida Herb House" in Port Orange, FL or online at www.FloridaHerbHouse.com or www.SharpWebLabs.com! We would love to see you!
Oregano which comes from about 35 plants is widely cultivated in Europe as a culinary herb. Oregano is an upright perennial herb, growing to about 30 inches but can reach heights of six feet. It has square, red stems, elliptical leaves, and clusters of deep pink flowers. It thrives in chalky soils near the sea, and is gathered when in flower during the summer.
Marjoram is a woody perennial herb native to countries bordering the Mediterranean, but now widely cultivated, especially in Germany. Depending on the area of cultivation, there may be two crops per year. It grows to about twenty inches, having aromatic, light green, oval leaves and pinkish white flowers emerging from the upper leaf axils. The leaves have a mild sage-like flavour.
The oregano plants are well known food seasonings, as well as having a long history as medicinal plants. In China, they have long been used to treat fever, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Oregano was much used by the ancient Greeks, and had a more significant role in medicine than did marjoram.
The 18th century herbalist, K'Eogh described it as having a "hot, dry nature" considered good for stomach pains and the heart as well as for coughs, pleurisy, and "obstructions of the lungs and womb", and thought to be a "comfort" to the head and nerves.
In 1597, the herbalist John Gerard made an assessment of marjoram, saying that it was a remedy "against cold diseases of the brain and head" including that of toothaches. It was also thought to lower the sex drive.

www.FloridaHerbHouse.com