The Common Herb That Can Help Reduce Stress, Protect Your Immune System, And Fight Infections

Stress doesn't just cause mental symptoms like anxiety or insomnia. It can also lead to physical issues. According to a 2024 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, being under chronic stress can leave the body unable to defend against illness, thanks to the real effects of stress on the immune system. But you can protect yourself against stress and its side effects in different ways, including through the consumption of anti-stress foods. (Here are some easy ways to lower your stress and cholesterol levels.)

According to functional medicine expert Dr. Melissa Young, some kinds of food can be used as a treatment for stress. Said Dr. Young in a Cleveland Clinic interview, "There's clear medical evidence that nutrition affects our emotional well-being and can reduce the risk of anxiety." One of the foods that could help reduce stress, build up the immune system, and deter infections may be as close as your nearest garden or pantry. It's oregano, a versatile herb that may also foster calm while it fights against the development of illnesses and bacteria.

A 2022 study in Brain and Behavior examined whether or not oregano might affect stress in animal subjects. During the two-week study, rats were put through a period of chronic stress and then evaluated on their ability to learn and remember amid heightened anxiety. The rats who were given oregano extract exhibited fewer anxiety symptoms and had better recall.

Meanwhile, in a 2018 study in Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, rats experiencing chronic stress were fed oregano essential oil as a daily treatment. After two weeks, they presented fewer depression-related responses than those that weren't given the oil. 

Though both studies were conducted on animals, the results show that oregano might present a food-based therapy to bring down stress levels in humans. When it comes to immune system protection, oregano contains two compounds that give it antioxidant capabilities: thymol and carvacrol. These antioxidants may help the immune system function normally.

A 2021 study in Frontiers in Immunology highlighted the immune system benefits of thymol and carvacrol. The study evaluated the effectiveness of thymol, carvacrol, and garlic essential oils on the skin of a fish subject. After being fed the three substances, the fish seemed better able to stand up against the immune system-affecting elements of oxidative stress.  Additionally, having stronger immunity left the fish protected against an invasion of bacteria. 

Essential oils from oregano and two other herbs could be used as antimicrobial agents against some bacteria strains (although not as well against E. coli), per the findings of a 2015 study in Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. Meanwhile, a 2014 study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology found that the essential oil from oregano, as well as its inherent compound carvacrol, could destroy norovirus, thus making it a possible sanitizer.

It's important to know that essential oils from oregano should not be consumed orally, but they may be applied topically. (You can consume oregano oil extract, though.)