oregano
spice or herb / spice-oregano
オレガノ / Origanum spp.
Oregano is a spice made from the leaves of oregano species. Warmth and pungency derived from carvacrol are not equated with bitterness.
On this page (6 sections)
Reading the bitterness
An assessment report from the European Medicines Agency describes marjoram, a species of the genus Origanum, as a plant with a distinctive pungent aroma and bitterness. The subject is the dried flowering top of Origanum majorana, and because its essential-oil composition differs from that of other Origanum species, this description of bitterness cannot be extended to oregano species in general.
Carvacrol, cited as a principal constituent of oregano, has been shown in channel research to act on TRPV3 and TRPA1. An experiment placing isolated carvacrol on the human tongue also produced stimulation such as warmth and numbness/tingling, but this differs from the concentration of oregano in food and is not a measurement of the bitterness intensity of oregano as a whole.
There is a study that evaluated a sample of flaxseed oil infused with 5% oregano over 180 days of storage using a ranking test for bitterness. A trained panel of 14 people ranked the sample, together with an unadded control and oils infused with fennel, rosemary, and chili, in order of bitterness intensity; the oregano-infused oil was ranked second most bitter after rosemary, and was more bitter than the unadded control and the chili-infused oil. A trend was shown in which samples with higher total phenolic content were rated as more bitter. However, this is an evaluation within the medium of oil, and does not measure the bitterness of oregano alone taken directly in the mouth.
Sources for this overview
Assessment report on Origanum majorana L., herba
Checked for this overview: Matched the description of O. majorana's characteristics with the limitation, based on essential-oil composition, that it cannot be generalized to other species within the genus.
Oregano, thyme and clove-derived flavors and skin sensitizers activate specific TRP channels
Checked for this overview: Matched carvacrol's action on TRPV3 and TRPA1 with the limitation that this is not a sensory test of oregano as a whole.
Checked for this overview: Matched the stimulation from isolated carvacrol on the human tongue with the difference from its concentration in food.
Checked for this overview: Used for the overall score from the ranking test and the limitation that this is an evaluation within a medium (oil)
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Sensory (2)
Scope: A connection between channel research on the principal compound and human oral research
Note: Does not directly measure the bitterness intensity of oregano as a whole.
Show data
spice-oregano —has_sensory_response→ "Warmth, numbness/tingling, and stimulation that may derive from carvacrol"Scope: Odeh et al. 2021; ranking test (at each of the 0, 60, 120, and 180-day time points, panelists ranked the most bitter sample 1 and the least bitter sample the highest rank, and the ranks of all panelists were summed; a smaller value indicates the bitterness was rated stronger)
Note: The text points out a tendency for rosemary and oregano, which have higher total phenolic content, to be rated more bitter. Oil with added basil was excluded from the test for not meeting microbial standards, leaving a comparison of only 5 kinds. This is a result for a single concentration (5%) and single maceration method, and cannot be generalized to other forms of use such as dried leaf or powder. This is an evaluation in the oil medium, not a bitterness evaluation from directly ingesting oregano.
Show data
spice-oregano —has_sensory_response→ "A sample of flaxseed oil singly macerated with 5% oregano was compared over 180 days of storage, in a ranking test of bitterness intensity (ISO 8587, a trained panel of 14), against an unadded control and oil macerated with fennel, rosemary, or chili. It received the second-most-bitter rating (rank sum 85) after rosemary (rank sum 82, the most bitter), rating more bitter than fennel (88), the unadded control (98), and chili (115, the least bitter)"Safety and regulation (1)
Scope: Layer: literature. The Description section of the EMA assessment report. Target species: Origanum majorana (marjoram). Not generalized to other species within the genus.
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spice-oregano —is_defined_in_regulation_as→ "Marjoram (Origanum majorana), a species in the genus Origanum, is described in an official assessment report as a plant with a distinctive pungent aroma together with a bitter taste."Culture (1)
Scope: A candidate at the level of general knowledge. Regional and naming differences have not been confirmed.
No source connected — this claim has not been verified yet. It is a general-knowledge placeholder, not a confirmed statement.
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spice-oregano —is_used_as→ "Spices and herbs that add bitter flavor and aroma to dishes and drinks"