Making Oil of Oregano

[donnay]

I just harvested a lot of oregano. I decided to try and make my own oil of oregano. Here is the recipe I am using. (I used Organic Olive Oil)

How to Make Oregano Oil

I talked briefly about infusing oils in Week 4’s, Calendula Tincture, post, and making oregano oil is no different, so I’ll say what I said then:

The summer months are an ideal time for infusing oils: flowers and herbs are abundant, and the solar light feeds the infusion process. I risk sounding like a non-modern hippie when I say this, but there’s something more magical and healing about the sun infusing oils, as opposed to the stove-top or slow-cooker method.

Although the solar-infusion method takes much longer, I prefer it (in the summer months, at least), so that’s the method I’ll discuss.

To infuse oils via the sun/window sill method:

Ensure that the oregano (and any herb/flower/leaf that you may be using) is dry. Unlike an alcohol infusion (tincture), any moisture will create a breeding ground for bacteria to grow.
Fill a jar about 3/4 full of dried, petals and flowers, then top the jar up with liquid, oil. I like to use olive oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, or sweet almond oil for my infusions (and sometimes even a combo of the four.)
Seal with a lid, and leave it on a sunny window sill.
Give it a shake every few days.
After 2-3 weeks, strain it with a fine sieve or cheese cloth, making sure to squeeze all of the oil out of the herb.
Transfer the oregano oil to an amber, tincture bottle and store in a cool place for future use.

Take one adult dose, two droppers full, for any of the ailments listed above.

Source

[tod evans]

Could I please just have my oregano mixed in with Italian food?

[donnay]

Could I please just have my oregano mixed in with Italian food?

Sure...but infused oregano oil has many more benefits.

[luctor-et-emergo]

Nice

Question though, how do you keep all the insects out of your oregano ? I've found it a PITA to grow clean oregano. Apart from sage (which seems to be the biggest aphid magnet) it's the most difficult herb to grow really. Probably because I use a lot of it so I don't have time to inspect every little leaf but there seem to be a lot of spiderwebs and stuff like that.

[donnay]

“Uncovering The Secrets of Oregano.”

The oregano I am going to address in this article isn’t that tasty traditional spice found in spaghetti sauce and pizza.

One of the most potent and powerful of the essential oils, oregano oil has a long and ancient history of medicinal uses, yet unfortunately fell out of favor with us moderns as a consequence of the 20th century proliferation of pharmaceutical companies which were the brainchild of Rockefeller, an oil baron of the early 1900s.

Rockefeller of the Standard Oil Company along with other monopoly barons such as the DuPonts, were visionaries who understood the concept of patents and were powerful enough to influence the governments of their day to legislate strict controls on natural products while protecting the interests of their patented synthetic products.

As a consequence of their efforts over the past century, these corporate giants have enjoyed mind boggling success and continue to wield their mighty influence over virtually the entire planet to the extent that even our history, science and medical books reveal their bias and are written to support their corporate agenda while offering nothing but disparagingly veiled comments or silence in regard to the benefits of nature’s medicinals.

With that in mind, we can hopefully now begin to understand why oil of oregano, one of nature’s wonders has remained to this day, a virtual secret to most people.

What Makes Oregano Oil So Special?

The primary ingredients of oregano oil are the phenols, Carvacrol (60-80%) and Thymol (5%) which provide the antiseptic and antioxidant components. They are also the terpenes, pinene and terinene which contribute to the antiseptic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anesthetic properties.

Two long chain alcohols, linalool and bonreol also beef up the antiseptic and antiviral qualities. Lastly, the esters, linalyl acetate and granyl acetate act as powerful antifungal agents. It is the synergy of these components working together that allows for the healing powers of oregano oil to have their powerful effects on our bodies.

Pharmaceutical companies in ignoring the power of this natural synergy do what they do with all the natural medicinals, which is to extract the main ingredient and create a new product. Unfortunately their newly created and thus patentable products bear similarities to the naturally occurring medicinals but not enough to make them recognizable to our body systems, which often will treat them as pathogens or unrecognizable foreign invaders, thus creating the typical multitude of detrimental side effects so common with pharmaceuticals.

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[donnay]

Nice

Question though, how do you keep all the insects out of your oregano ? I've found it a PITA to grow clean oregano. Apart from sage (which seems to be the biggest aphid magnet) it's the most difficult herb to grow really. Probably because I use a lot of it so I don't have time to inspect every little leaf but there seem to be a lot of spiderwebs and stuff like that.

I am growing it my in a greenhouse and using non-toxic pesticides--I also used diatomaceous earth mixed into the soil when planting and dust them every six weeks with DE. I checked to make sure there were no insects before using any of it. I washed it and dried it thoroughly before using, as well. Some of the herbs I use to dehydrate for my spice jars.

[opal]

I guess coconut oil would be out because it gets solid at non-Florida room temperature... here's it's a little soft, sometimes liquid.

[Zippyjuan]

Fill a jar about 3/4 full of dried, petals and flowers, then top the jar up with liquid, oil. I like to use olive oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, or sweet almond oil for my infusions (and sometimes even a combo of the four.)
Seal with a lid, and leave it on a sunny window sill.
Give it a shake every few days.
After 2-3 weeks, strain it with a fine sieve or cheese cloth, making sure to squeeze all of the oil out of the herb.

Leaving oils in the sun for two to three weeks can cause them to go rancid. They should be stored in a cool, dark place.

[donnay]

I guess coconut oil would be out because it gets solid at non-Florida room temperature... here's it's a little soft, sometimes liquid.

Hmm...good question. I would think it would make a better salve with coconut oil.

[donnay]

Leaving oils in the sun for two to three weeks can cause them to go rancid. They should be stored in a cool, dark place.

Utilize the sun to naturally infuse oil with the goodness and essence of herbs.

Simply infusing oil with herbs will transform them into healing, soothing, and relaxing medicinal preparations. There are several ways to infuse oils, but my favorite is the Folk or Simpler’s Method which relies upon the sun to naturally infuse the oil with the goodness and essence of herbs. You can utilize countless herbs, listed below are some of the most popular choices. Other carrier oils may be used, but Jojoba oil and Olive oil are wise choices because they have a long shelf life and are suitable for a variety of applications.

Folk Method for Solar Infused Oils

1. Place herbs in a clean quart jar. If using fresh herbs, then wilt them first for 12 hours to remove most of the moisture (too much moisture will cause your oil to go rancid), cut into small pieces, and crush with a mortar and pestle before adding to jar. You can skip these extra steps if your herbs are dried.

2. Pour oil into the jar, making sure to cover herbs by at least 1” of oil and leaving at least 1/2” of space at the top of the jar so that the herbs will have room to expand. If your herbs soak up all of the oil, then pour more on top to ensure that the herbs are well covered.

3. Stir well, and cap the jar tightly.

4. Place the jar in a sunny and warm windowsill, and shake once or more per day.

5. After 4-6 weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth. Make sure and squeeze every precious drop of oil out!

6. Pour into glass bottles, and store in a cool dark place. The oil should keep for at least a year.

Source

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.thekitchn.com/good-question-2-90824

Q: I've been trying to find a best way to store olive oil, since I got a larger bottle than normal and don't want it to go bad. Some sources advise to store it in the fridge... but there's counter-advice on that as well.
What's your opinion? — Anna

Editor: Anna, when it comes to storing olive oil we like to quote Nadim Beyrouti of Oliviera in Nice, France. He says that there are three enemies of good olive oil: Light, heat, and hungry friends!

We don't mind sharing our good oil with the third enemy, but we're careful to keep oil away from the first two. But we also buy our oil in large, economical tins. So we pour out oil as we need it into a tall, dark-colored glass bottle with a pour top. We use this up quickly enough that it doesn't go bad, and the dark color of the bottle also protects it from sunlight.

The rest of the tin is stored in the back of a dark cupboard, where it always seems to store fine. So we'd suggest that you do something similar: store what you need for a week or two in a pour bottle, which you can leave in a convenient spot. Then stash the rest away in the coolest part of the kitchen.

For pour bottles, any glass bottle with a cheap oil pour spot works great. Or you can find something cute like the bottles pictured above, left to right:

• Aosta Olive Oil Decanter, $39 at NapaStyle
• Damask Pattern Oil Bottle, $12.50 at Etsy

The worst thing you can do is keep your container of oil on a windowsill, on the back ledge of your stove, or even in a cabinet right over the stove. You might be surprised at how often we see oil stored in those ways. It does not take long for the oil to turn rancid when it is exposed repeatedly to light and heat.

We definitely agree with Harold McGee and the article you referenced above: it doesn't seem necessary or good to store olive oil in the refrigerator.

Less refined oils (such as extra virgin olive oil) have shorter shelf lives and are hurt even more by being in light.

Placing it in the sun to steep is fine for teas but bad for oils.

[donnay]

http://www.thekitchn.com/good-question-2-90824



Less refined oils (such as extra virgin olive oil) have shorter shelf lives and are hurt even more by being in light.

Placing it in the sun to steep is fine for teas but bad for oils.

Okay Zip, I will agree. After doing some further research I will agree the windowsill method didn't sit right with me--especially using olive oil. I may try the next batch with another oil like safflower or grapeseed.

Herb Infused Oils

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE OILS INFUSED WITH HERBS

[donnay]

Okay...I just finished using the double-boiler heat method (2 hours on low heat) and the mix is rather weak. I am going to harvest more and try different oils and the heat process method until I get it very pungent smelling and hot (spicy).

[presence]

http://www.heartmagic.com/EssentialDistiller.html

[presence]

I don't have cool chem tools, so I use a method kind of like this:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5604828_make...equipment.html

Except I use a one size fits all steamer basket; with my herbs in the basket and my collection bowl on top of the herbs; all in a tall pot I use for boiling pasta; metal lid inverted with ice/water on top.

refrigeration seperates the hydrosol

[osan]

I just harvested a lot of oregano. I decided to try and make my own oil of oregano. Here is the recipe I am using. (I used Organic Olive Oil)



Source

If you need it fast, grind your herb into dust, place into jar, and fill with MEDICAL GRADE DMSO. You will have a very strong extract of oregano in about 5 minutes. Of course, you then have to drive off the DMSO. Butane will do the same trick - it is what they use to make hemp oil - but it is a bit $$.