Popular names: garden marjoram, roast herb, kitchen herb, sausage herb.
Parts Used: Whole flowering herb.
Pharmacy name: marjoram herb – Majoranae herba (formerly: Herba Majoranae), marjoram oil – Majoranae aetheroleum (formerly: Oleum Majoranae), marjoram ointment – Majoranae unguentum (formerly: Unguentum Majoranae).
Botanical description.Pretty heat-loving plant, reaching 20-50 cm in height, strongly branched, erect, with tetrahedral, thin, rigid stems, on which are oppositely located sessile or short-petiolate, spatulate, entire, with tucked edges, shortly pubescent leaves on both sides. Pubescent shoots sometimes cast red. Light red (to white) flowers, collected in a dense, ovoid false ear, sit in the axils of the covering leaves. The whole plant smells good. Blooms in July-August. In Europe, marjoram is not found north of the Alps, it penetrated from India to Arabia, Egypt and the Mediterranean; these places are considered his homeland. He is bred in gardens, and sometimes he runs wild; known in culture for a very long time. Cultivation and collection. To grow marjoram in your garden, it is necessary to sow in March in a greenhouse for seedlings within 5 g of seeds (the plant is very sensitive to cold and may simply not sprout in open ground). After the end of frost, transplant the 15 largest seedlings into open ground (this is quite enough for a traditional household), in light, fertile soil. The distance between individual plants should be at least 15 cm. It is best to plant them in a place warmed by the sun, protected from the wind, they grow rather slowly. It takes patience and constant weeding. Grown plants reach 30-40 cm in height. When they bloom, it’s time to harvest. By this time, the content of aromatic substances is especially high. The grass is cut low above the ground and dried in bunches in the air. In well-closed vessels, marjoram is stored for many years without noticeable loss of active ingredients.
active ingredients. The main active ingredient is essential oil, which in a well-harvested herb ranges from 0.6 to 1.0%. The healing effect is enhanced by bitterness and tannins.
Healing action and application. Some doctors believe that marjoram treatment of patients with poor digestion, lack of appetite, flatulence and diarrhea gives good results; others – that this herb serves only as a very pleasant health-improving spice. Even more different is the assessment of the ancient marjoram ointment, which was once especially recommended for infants and young children from the common cold, and was also highly valued as a rub for neuralgia, in the treatment of dislocations, wounds and abscesses. The German National Health Service, however, warns against the use of marjoram, comparing the benefits and risks of using this plant. I consider this a reinsurance – not a single case is known when marjoram has hurt someone. In my opinion, both the herb and the ointment should be tried.
- Tea from marjoram: 1-2 teaspoons of herbs pour 1/4 liter of boiling water, leave for 5 minutes, strain and drink 1-2 cups every day in small sips.
My special advice.Breastfeeding babies are often awake, suffering from gas and a bloated belly. They are helped by fennel or cumin tea, since both plants are good carminatives (remedies for gas). Yet it is not always appropriate to give another bottle of tea, it increases the amount of fluid in the body and causes anxiety. In this case, rubbing within the navel with marjoram ointment justifies itself. Many mothers were likely to be convinced that after 10-20 minutes. after rubbing the gases come out. And a runny nose in infants is treated with marjoram ointment: a clogged nose is released, the child sleeps calmly and without interference. Marjoram ointment can be purchased at a pharmacy, but you can also prepare it yourself (I got the recipe from my grandmother). o Marjoram ointment: Pour 1 teaspoon of marjoram powdered into powder with 1 teaspoon of wine alcohol and leave the mixture for several hours. Then add 1 teaspoon of fresh unsalted butter and heat it all in a water bath for 10 minutes. Then strain through a cloth and leave to cool. With this fragrant ointment, you can lubricate the nose inside and out, lightly rubbing it with your fingers. Due to the short duration of storage, it should be prepared in small portions. Pharmacy marjoram ointment (it also works well) is made on petroleum jelly. I advise you to cook it in oil, it’s better.
Use as a condiment. In ancient times, marjoram was believed to be under the auspices of Aphrodite, and therefore it is a bit ridiculous that it is now considered to be one of the best sausage seasonings. Without a doubt, then they were not filled with sausage, but a special rich wine was prepared from it in order to enhance sexual desire. In Central Europe, marjoram has been known since the 16th century, and all this time it was used as a spice. Fatty roasts, sausages, potato soup, vegetable stews and stews with a large admixture of peas and beans with marjoram not only taste better, but are also better digested. It is good to add marjoram to sauces that are used with noodles and spaghetti, as well as fatty fried potatoes. Marjoram is very good in a spicy mixture with thyme, rosemary, basil and tarragon.
Use in homeopathy. Homeopathy uses the product Origanum majorana mainly in sexopathology, since it has a special effect on the nervous system and genitals of women. It is also used as a tonic and an appetite enhancer. The dosage for all this is very different. The most commonly used dilutions are D4-D6.
Application in folk medicine. Nervous diseases, anemia, colds with cough and sputum, asthma, digestive disorders with flatulence and spasms, allergic rhinitis, inflammation of the mouth, bleeding gums – all this in folk medicine is an indication for the use of marjoram tea. The scope of the ointment is even wider: it is used for neuralgic pains, dislocations and sprains, for the treatment of poorly healing wounds, abscesses, rheumatic diseases. It is difficult to assess how correct this is, since the active ingredients of marjoram do not exclude any of these indications.
Side effects. In case of overdose or too long use (more than a few weeks), headaches and depression may occur.