Omnia SanaSymptom → Plant Sources
Marjoram (Origanum majorana) and Indigestion: evidence and sources
inferred from digestive action
For educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants, especially alongside prescribed medication, during pregnancy, or for a serious condition.
Oregano essential oils obtained from the genera Origanum, Thymus, Coridothymus, Thymbra, Satureja and Lippia are rich in carvacrol, a monoterpenic phenol isomeric with thymol. Turkey is the biggest exporter of oregano herb and oil to the world markets. Oregano is mainly used in food, spice and pharmaceutical industries. Carvacrol is responsible for the biological activities of oregano. Many diverse activities of carvacrol such as antimicrobial, antitumor, antimutagenic, antigenotoxic, analgesic, antispasmodic, antiinflammatory, angiogenic, antiparasitic, antiplatelet, AChe inhibitory, antielastase, insecticidal, antihepatotoxic and hepatoprotective activities and uses such as feed additive, in honeybee breeding and in gastrointestinal ailments have been shown. This paper highlights these activities and attempts to explain the possible in vivo mechanism of action of carvacrol.
3 sources supporting Marjoram for Indigestion. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's digestive aid action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Ethnopharmacological relevance Origanum majorana L., is an aromatic and medicinal plant distributed in different parts of Mediterranean countries. This species is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many diseases such as allergies, hypertension, respiratory infections, diabetes, stomach pain, and intestinal antispasmodic. Aim of the review This work reports previous studies on O. majorana concerning its taxonomy, botanical description, geographical distribution, traditional use, bioactive compounds, toxicology, and biological effects. Materials and methods Different scientific data bases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley Online, SciFinder, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink were consulted to collect data about O. majorana. The presented data emphasis bioactive compounds, traditional uses, toxicological investigations, and biological activities of O. majorana. Results The findings of this work marked an important correlation between the traditional use of O. majorana as an anti-allergic, antihypertensive, anti-diabetic agent, and its biological effects. Indeed, pharmacological investigations showed that essential oils and extracts from O. majorana exhibit different biological properties, particularly; antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, anticancer, nephrotoxicity protective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic, hepatoprotective, and antimutagenic effects. Toxicological evaluation confirmed the safety and innocuity of this species and supported its medicinal uses. Several bioactive compounds belonging to different chemical family such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were also identified in O. majorana. Conclusions The results suggest that the pharmacological properties of O. majorana confirm its traditional uses. Indeed, O. majorana essential oils showed remarkable antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, nephroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities. However, further investigations regarding the evaluation of molecular mechanisms of identified compounds against human cancer cell lines, inflammatory process, and microbial infections are needed to validate pharmacodynamic targets. The toxicological investigation of O. Majorana confirmed its safety and therefore encouraged pharmacokinetic evaluation tests to validate its bioavailability.
'Marjoram,' Origanum majorana L., a culinary aromatic medicinal herb is known to possess various therapeutic properties. We evaluated the antiulcerogenic activity of the ethanol extract in hypothermic restraint stress-, indomethacin-, necrotizing agents- (80% ethanol, 25% NaCl and 0.2 M NaOH) induced ulcers and basal gastric acid secretion using pylorus ligated Shay rat-model. Marjoram at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg of body weight, significantly decreased the incidence of ulcers, basal gastric secretion and acid output. Furthermore, the extract replenished the ethanol-induced depleted gastric wall mucus and nonprotein sulfhydryls (NP-SH) contents and significantly lowered the increase in the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA). Ulcer preventing potential was further confirmed by histopathological assessment. An acute toxicity test showed a large margin of safety of the extract in mice. The phytochemical screening of aerial parts of marjoram revealed the presence of volatile oil, flavonoids, tannins, sterols and/or triterpenes.