Oregano Spices Up the Fight Against Inflammation

Everyone knows oregano adds a dash of spice to pizza. Additionally, research shows its strong antioxidant potential and ability to act as an antimicrobial. Now, researchers at BonnUniversity, Bonn, Germany, and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zurich, have discovered oregano also contains a substance that might help inflammation. The study appeared June 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Like many spices and plants, oregano contains an active ingredient known as beta-caryophyllin (E-BCP), which is chemically classified as a cannabinoid. Beta-caryophyllin docks on specific receptor structures in the cell membrane, called cannabinoid-CB2 receptors, and changes cell behavior.

In the study, scientists “used E-BCP to treat mice with paws swollen due to inflammations,” explained author Dr. Jürg Gertsch, researcher at ETH. “In up to 70% of cases the swelling subsequently subsided.” The researchers theorize that E-BCP might be useful against disorders such as osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis.

The substance links to the CB2 receptors, part of the endocannabinoid system, which is associated with a variety of disorders such as cardiac disorders, allergies and chronic pain, and it might even affect memory. “Endocannabinoids are formed by the body itself and maintain its equilibrium,” explains Dr. Andreas Zimmer of the Life & Brain-Zentrum in Bonn. When inflammation occurs, they prevent the immune system from wildly overreacting.

As opposed to other cannabinoids that affect the CB2 receptors—particularly the ones from marijuana that also affect the CB1 receptors—beta-caryophyllin does not lead to intoxication. “The endocannabinoid system comes into play when the equilibrium of the metabolic processes has been destroyed,” says Zimmer. “It is similar to the antidepressants in that, although they help for depressions, they don’t do anything to brighten the mood of a healthy person.”