Oregano and Thyme A Dynamic Duo

With winter quickly approaching, many of us look for ways to reinforce our amazing immune systems. Two particular essential oils keep coming to my attention recently: oregano (Origanum vulgare/compactum) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Both oils are fantastic options for supporting the immune system. In the world of Raindrop Technique we sometimes refer to oregano and thyme as the “Dynamic Duo,” as these are the first two oils dropped and feathered on the spine of the Raindrop receiver. While the “Dynamic Duo” known as Batman and Robin are busy fighting crime on the streets of Gotham, oregano and thyme occupy their days with taking on some of the toughest bacteria and viruses known to mankind.

When Gary Young was creating Raindrop Technique decades ago, he was very interested in the antiviral and antibacterial properties of oregano and thyme (among other oils used in Raindrop). He had the idea – which has since been explored and verified by several scientific studies – that some spinal misalignments were possibly initiated by viruses and bacteria that lay dormant in the spine causing inflammation, which can then lead to contortions in the spinal column.

It’s interesting to note that in more recent years the scientific community has confirmed many of the health benefits of both oregano and thyme essential oils. Even if you take just a casual look at the numerous studies that have been done on these two powerful oils you will easily find that it is well established and generally accepted that, in addition to being antiviral and antibacterial, oregano and thyme EOs are powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and even antidiabetic and cancer suppressing agents (just to name a few benefits).

Drug Resistant Microbes

Oregano oil has been successful in killing a dozen or so multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbes (and probably more), including the infamous MRSA, the drug-resistant form of Staphylococcus. One of the biggest problems with drugs such as antibiotics is that threatening organisms like bacteria eventually mutate to develop a resistance to them due to the fact that antibiotics are typically a combination of just a few simple chemical compounds. Essential oils are much more chemically complex than antibiotics, being composed of hundreds of compounds, and this makes the microbes’ job of developing a resistance much more difficult. In addition to their complex chemistry, essential oils are not entirely chemically consistent from one harvest to the next. There are always slight variations from one batch of oils to another depending on many factors, such as varying amounts of rainfall, sunlight, humidity, atmospheric temperature, etc., from harvest to harvest. And so, the chemistry of any batch of essential oil will never be identical to a previous or future one. While drug companies strive for 100% consistency, it is actually desirable to have some variance like what we find in essential oils. This factor alone makes it virtually impossible for microbes to develop resistance to essential oils. And this is a beautiful thing! Just the way God intended.

Fighting Microbial Crime as a Team

Being the dynamic duo that they are, oregano and thyme have a special relationship. Pull out a bottle of these two oils and smell each one separately. They do smell different, but you may also notice the similarities. While there are many species of oregano and thyme, oregano oil from Young Living is the species Origanum vulgare (aka Origanum compactum) and thyme is Thymus vulgaris. What you may not know is that Young Living harvests special chemotypes (CT = significant chemical variations of the same species due to certain natural conditions) of both of these oils. YL’s oregano is grown in areas of the world that naturally produces a high content of the compound carvacrol, thus its chemotype is labeled as “CT carvacrol.” Similarly, YL’s thyme is grown in areas that produce higher levels of the compound thymol (CT thymol). Interestingly, carvacrol and thymol are what chemists call “isomers.” They have the same chemical formula of C10H14O, but a slightly different configuration of these elements (see diagram below) that form the molecules. Many of the studies show that much of the beneficial properties of oregano and thyme are due to their high content of these two compounds within the plants.  In one particular study testing several essential oils, including oregano and thyme, against foodborne pathogens, such as Staphylococcus, Listeria sp., E. Coli, and Salmonella sp., showed that the combination of thyme and oregano together had the most significant antimicrobial effects against these pathogens. And so, the Dynamic Duo saves the day again!

Why are Chickens Joining the Bandwagon of Essential Oil Users?

Now, I’m not really what you would call a chicken rancher, but you could say I’m the male version of what chicken enthusiasts call a “chicken mama” (aka chicken daddy). I raise a few chickens for eggs in my front yard, and I’m always looking to learn more about raising healthy chickens. It seems that more and more chicken-folk are using essential oils to benefit their fowl. Even large companies like Perdue Farms use natural means like oregano in place of antibiotics. Oregano and thyme are used by chicken mamas and daddies to help aid in digestive, respiratory, and immune system health. It is also believed that these oils, or even the raw plants, have antibacterial, antioxidizing, anti-parasitic effects, as well as increasing laying production.

Needless to say, this chicken daddy has added oregano and thyme to his chickens’ regimen to witness these benefits firsthand. Some experienced chicken ranchers add about one drop of oregano and/or thyme per gallon of chickens’ drinking water. You could say it makes their health a little less “fowl.” But I digress.

How to Harness the Benefits of the Dynamic Duo

With all this said, we can boost and support our own immune systems with the Dynamic Duo of oregano and thyme essential oils. The FDA considers both to be in the category of GRAS (generally regarded as safe). Young Living has both of these oils in their Vitality™ line, meaning they are approved as safe to take internally. To utilize the health benefits of oregano and thyme essential oils, we can breathe them by diffusing, take them internally in a vegetable capsule or by adding to food, drinking water, or almond milk, or by applying topically. It’s important to note that oregano and thyme are very powerful, so it is best not to apply them to sensitive areas on the body, as they can be quite “hot.” Always have some V6 (a vegetable oil blend from Young Living) or some other seed oil, like extra virgin olive or coconut, just in case the essential oil feels too intense where applied. Generally, applying oregano and thyme to the soles of the feet is a safe bet.

If you know someone that can do the Raindrop Technique, this is a fantastic way to harness the benefits of oregano and thyme, along with all the other oils used in this amazing technique. There is a directory of CARE Approved Raindrop Facilitators on our website at www.raindroptraining.com where you can find experienced Raindroppers that have passed thorough testing in Raindrop Technique as well as Vitaflex.

Get that extra boost for your immune system with the Dynamic Duo: oregano and thyme. Fighting microbial thugs since time immemorial.

Below are a few studies and articles consulted by the author of this article:

Young Living Essential Oils Lab Results:

https://library.youngliving.com/en/us/?categories=Testing

Anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activities of carvacrol, a monoterpene present in the essential oil of oregano:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22892022/

Essential Oils of Oregano: Biological Activity beyond Their Antimicrobial Properties:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6152729/

Bactericidal Property of Oregano Oil Against Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolates:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182053/

The Impact of Thyme and Oregano Essential Oils Dietary Supplementation on Broiler Health, Growth Performance, and Prevalence of Growth-Related Breast Muscle Abnormalities:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9653697/

Carvacrol and human health: A comprehensive review:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29744941/#:~:text=Carvacrol%20(CV)%20is%20a%20phenolic,bergamia)%2C%20and%20other%20plants

Effects of a Combination of Thyme and Oregano Essential Oils on TNBS-Induced Colitis in Mice:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2233768/

Oregano Oil and Its Principal Component, Carvacrol, Inhibit HIV-1 Fusion into Target Cells:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32461309/

Bio-efficacy of the essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae. Ssp. Hirtum):

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25266989/

Anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activities of carvacrol, a monoterpene present in the essential oil of oregano:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22892022/

Potential of Carvacrol and Thymol in Reducing Biofilm Formation on Technical Surfaces:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125478/

Thymol and Thyme Essential Oil—New Insights into Selected Therapeutic Applications:

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/18/4125

A Focused Insight into Thyme: Biological, Chemical, and Therapeutic Properties of an Indigenous Mediterranean Herb:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9147557/

Oregano for Chickens:

https://farminence.com/oregano-for-chickens/

Improve Your Chickens’ Health with Thyme:

https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2016/11/adding-thyme-to-chicken-feed-for.html

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A couple favorite books that I refer to in my practice are “Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils”  by Carolyn Mein and “Feelings Buried Alive Never Die” by Karol Truman.  I find there is usually an emotional link to one’s ailments.  My clients are sometimes surprised when they see the link and they have that “A Ha” moment.

I love to garden in the summer.  This year I tried something different on my garden.  As I live just down the road from Young Living Farms I had them deliver some of their mulch/bark from the distillation process.  I spread it out on the garden and did nothing else.  It releases nitrogen into the garden and boy did I have a great garden this year!  I grew some fantastic butternut squash, and will share that recipe below.

It’s great to have the Messenger back!  Enjoy your monthly edition and please share with your friends.

Penny Cosner, LCCI, MT, MASI

View Penny’s Profile.

Penny also has a website:

https://raindropnorthwest.com

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