The immune-boosting formula which helps fight infections

Common kitchen herbs and spices have many benefits beyond simply helping to bring bland meals to life. For centuries, most of them have been used for their medicinal properties, and with the aid of modern research techniques, scientists have been able to identify and analyse their various active compounds.

A new product called OregaPlus, which contains a blend of five culinary herb and spice oils, has been specially formulated to help bring much-needed relief from yeast, bacterial and parasitic infections affecting the small intestine and lower bowel. Based on the oils of oregano, bay leaf, cumin, sage and black seed, the formula provides effective antimicrobial action, while simultaneously improving overall digestive and bowel health.  

   
This oil combination is emulsified in beeswax, which allows the oils to be released slowly as they pass along your digestive tract. This slow release action ensures they are dispersed further down your alimentary canal where the offending microbes reside.

Another benefit of taking OregaPlus is that unlike conventional antibiotics or antifungals it wont destroy the good bacteria in your colon, and actually supports an even more fertile ground for normal gut flora by helping to eliminate bad bacteria. Antibiotics are capable of wiping out all of the good bacteria in as little as one cycle of treatment.
Better still, according to the book Beyond Antibiotics: Healthier Options for Families by Michael A Schmidt (North Atlantic Books) unlike conventional antibiotics, microbes do not develop a resistance to oregano oil the main active ingredient in OregaPlus and so even if used again and again the oil will not lose its effectiveness.

Harmful microbes prove no match for oregano oils infection-fighting abilities

The formulator of OregaPlus Dr Cass Ingram has been researching the healing properties of edible herb and spice oils for many years and this has led him to develop a range of products based on these oils. The latest, OregaPlus, has been designed as a natural alternative to drug-based antifungals and de-wormers.

As already mentioned, the chief ingredient in the formula is oregano oil, which according to Dr Ingram is the Rolls Royce of natural antiseptics. Historical documentation indicates that even before the widespread use of antibiotics, oregano oil was used extensively as a germ-killer.

It possesses broad spectrum antiseptic powers and has been proven to be a potent bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal agent. The active component in oregano oil is carvacrol, a phenolic compound which is able to dissolve the membranes of microbes, resulting in their death. Oregano oil produces a debilitating exothermic reaction that literally heats up and destroys bacteria, suffocates fungi and melts the envelope of viruses, says Dr Ingram.

Oregano oil helps fight everything from pneumonia to flu

Numerous studies have been conducted with oregano oil in relation to microbes. In the laboratory, the oil has been shown to be 100 per cent effective at killing at least 30 bacterial species including Staphylococcus aureus (can cause illnesses from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (can cause pneumonia in people with a weakened immune system), Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus anthracis (one type of anthrax species) (Ref. 1).

Laboratory studies have also shown that the oil can inhibit viruses such as the influenza virus, including the avian type, and in both lab tests and animal studies oregano oil has inhibited candida growth (Ref. 2, 3).

In human trials, oregano oil has been found to be effective against the hepatitis C virus, with preliminary results indicating that 80 per cent of patients taking the oil experienced a decrease in viral load (Ref. 4). It was also effective when used in a small study involving patients with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that causes more than 90 per cent of duodenal ulcers (Ref. 4).

OregaPlus aids digestion and can help overcome a candida overgrowth

The pungent and aromatic oil of cumin in OregaPlus is rich in cuminaldhehyde a substance that is anti-parasitic and anti-fungal. Since antiquity cumin has been respected as a digestive aid, and scientists have now been able to put this down to its ability to increase the livers bile output, which is critical for good digestion. Oil of bay leaf, another ingredient in OregaPlus, is also a potent anti-fungal agent and improves digestion.

Oil of sage has been added to the formula as studies have revealed that it is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral in activity, which may partially explain the effectiveness of sage for these indications (Ref. 5). Sage is also approved in Germany as a treatment for mild gastro-intestinal upset (Ref. 6).

Black seed oil, which makes up the final edible culinary oil in OregaPlus, is a tonic for the intestines and stomach. This aromatic spice extracted from the Nigella sativa seed has traditionally been recognised in Mediterranean areas for helping to maintain a healthy intestinal tract where parasites (such as worms) could be a problem.

The major component of black seed oil is thymoquinone, which is responsible for much of its biological activity. In fact, this oils mechanisms of action are vast and include antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic (pain relieving), anthelmintic (destroys and expels parasites), carminative (stimulates digestion and induces the expulsion of gas from the intestines) and digestive (stimulates bile and aids in the digestive process) to name but a few.

Through its actions on the digestive system, OregaPlus not only helps in the battle against candida overgrowth, but reduces bloating and sugar cravings two common symptoms of candidiasis. To get on top of a candida problem, OregaPlus should be employed within the framework of a comprehensive anti-candida programme. This includes a change in diet (the avoidance of sugar, refined and processed foods, yeast- and fungi-based foods such as beer and mushrooms, dairy products, wheat and alcohol) and taking a probiotic supplement. OregaPlus may also be taken to help get rid of unhealthy bacteria in the gut or as a dewormer.  

What to take for best results

The recommended dosage for OregaPlus is one or two capsules taken twice daily with meals, for four to six weeks. A mild cleansing reaction is normal. 

References:

1. The Quarterly Review of Biology, March 1998, Vol. 73, No.1
2. Cass Ingram, D.O., M. Khalid Ijaz, DVM, Ph.D. Virucidal Effectiveness Test: Avian Influenza Virus, Microbiotest, Inc, Virginia
3. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 228: 111-117, 2001
4. Cass Ingram. Summary of Human Research conducted on Hepatitis C, Helicobacter Pylori, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, American Biologics Conference 2004, Marbella, Spain
5. ESCOP 1996. Salviae folium (Sage leaf). Monographs on the Medicinal Use of Plant Drugs. Exeter, UK: European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy, 1997
6. Blumenthal M, Busse WR, Goldberg A, et al. (eds). The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Austin: American Botanical Council and Boston: Integrative Medicine Communications, 1998, 198