Editing Oregano (section)

==Uses==
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2017}}

===Culinary===
[[File:Oregano (অরেগানো).JPG|thumb|Dried oregano leaves]]

Oregano is a [[culinary herb]], used for the flavour of its leaves, which can be more intense when dried than fresh. It has an earthy, warm, and slightly bitter taste, which can vary in intensity. Good-quality oregano may be strong enough to almost numb the tongue, but cultivars adapted to colder climates may have a lesser flavour. Factors such as climate, season, and soil composition may affect the aromatic oils present, and this effect may be greater than the differences between the various species of plants. Among the chemical compounds contributing to the flavour are [[carvacrol]], [[thymol]], [[limonene]], [[pinene]], [[ocimene]], and [[caryophyllene]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0031-9422(00)00474-X |pmid=11336262 |title=The essential oil of Origanum vulgare L. Ssp. Vulgare growing wild in Vilnius district (Lithuania) |journal=Phytochemistry |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=65–9 |year=2001 |last1=Mockute |first1=Danute |last2=Bernotiene |first2=Genovaite |last3=Judzentiene |first3=Asta |bibcode=2001PChem..57...65M }}</ref>

Oregano is the staple herb of [[Italian cuisine]], most frequently used with roasted, fried, or grilled vegetables, meat, and fish. Oregano combines well with spicy foods popular in [[Southern Italy]]. It is less commonly used in the north of the country, as marjoram is generally preferred. Its popularity in the U.S. began when soldiers returning from [[World War II]] brought back with them a taste for the "pizza herb", which had probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries.<ref>{{cite news |last=Martyris |first=Nina |date=9 May 2015 |title=GIs Helped Bring Freedom To Europe, And A Taste For Oregano To America |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/05/09/405302961/gis-helped-bring-freedom-to-europe-and-a-taste-for-oregano-to-america |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref> 

Oregano is widely used in [[cuisine]]s of the [[Mediterranean Basin]] and [[Latin American cuisine|Latin America]], especially in [[Mexican cuisine]] and [[Argentine cuisine]]. In Turkish cuisine, oregano is mostly used for flavouring meat, especially mutton and lamb. In barbecue and [[kebab]] restaurants,{{Clarify|reason=does this refer to a restaurant in Turkey that serves various kebab dishes, or a kebab shop that sells fast-food [[Doner kebab]]?|date=May 2016}} it can be usually found as a [[condiment]], together with [[paprika]], salt, and pepper.

During the summer, generous amounts of dried oregano are often added as a topping to a tomato and cucumber salad in [[Portugal]], but it can be used to season meat and fish dishes as well. In [[Spain]], apart from seasoning, it is used in preparations of a variety of traditional dishes such as ''morcilla'' (Iberian pig blood sausage) and [[adobo]] sauce for fish and meat. The dried and ground leaves are most often used in Greece to add flavour to [[Greek salad]], and is usually added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies fish or meat grills and casseroles. In Albania, dried oregano is often used to make herbal tea which is especially popular in the northern part of Albania.

===Oregano oil===
[[File:OreganoEssentialOil.png|thumb|Oregano essential oil in a clear glass vial]]

Oregano oil has been used in [[Traditional medicine|folk medicine]] over centuries.<ref name="drugs">{{cite web | url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/oregano.html | title=Oregano | publisher=Drugs.com | date=2016 | access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref> Oregano [[essential oil]] is extracted from the leaves of the oregano plant. Although oregano or its oil may be used as a [[dietary supplement]], there is no clinical evidence to indicate that either has any effect on human health.<ref name=drugs/><ref name="mp">{{cite web | url=https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/644.html | title=Oregano | publisher=MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine | date=2016 | access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref>

In 2014, the U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) warned a [[Utah]] company, [[Young Living]], that its herbal products, including oregano essential oil, were being promoted to have numerous unproven anti-disease effects, and so were being sold as unauthorized misbranded [[prescription drug|drugs]] subject to seizure and federal penalties.<ref name="fda">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/young-living-09222014|title=Warning Letter: Young Living|author=LaTonya M. Mitchell|publisher= Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, US Food and Drug Administration|date=22 September 2014|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref> Similar FDA [[FDA warning letter|warning letters]] for false advertising and unproven [[health claim]]s about oregano essential oil products were published in 2017 and 2018.<ref name="fda2">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/absonutrix-508557-07252017|title=Warning Letter: Absonutrix|author=Ingrid A. Zambrana|publisher= Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, US Food and Drug Administration|date=25 July 2017|access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="fda3">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/long-life-unlimited-533282-01312018|title=Warning Letter: Long Life Unlimited|author=Kimberly L. McMillan|publisher= Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, US Food and Drug Administration|date=31 January 2018|access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref>