I love to cook Italian food for my family. Fresh spaghetti with cheesy marinara sauce, homemade pizzas, bruschetta with cheese, tomatoes and oregano, and of course our family favorite is spinach tortellini.   Oregano is an herb that I use often in these recipes. Not only does it add great flavor to our Italian dishes, but it also has many great health benefits as well.

Here are 4 reasons why oregano is good for your health:

1. Vitamin K: Oregano is a rich, natural source of vitamin K.  This vitamin plays an important role in blood clotting and is absolutely essential to building strong bones and helping to prevent heart disease.

2. Antioxidant Power: Antioxidants help fight oxidation, a normal chemical process that takes place in the body every day. Oregano is among the highest in antioxidants of the dried herbs.   In fact, one teaspoon of oregano has as much antioxidant power as three cups of chopped broccoli.  Oregano has been shown to have over 42 times the antioxidant activity as apples and 30 times higher than potatoes.

3. Antibacterial: Oregano contains the essential oils thymol and cavacrol.  These have been shown to inhibit the growth of many kinds of bacteria and fungus, including some forms of bacteria that cause serious food-borne illnesses. Many believe that oregano also kills germs just as well as prescription antibiotics and can even protect you against the common cold.

4. Iron: Oregano is high in iron which is important for good health.  Iron has been considered an essential mineral for our bodies for over a century. It helps carry oxygen in the body and it also aids in immune function, cognitive development, temperature regulation, energy metabolism, and work performance.

I love the fact that oregano tastes so great and is good for me too!

MySpicer stocks 3 varieties of oregano: Mediterranean, Mexican Cut, and Mexican Ground.