One of the most popular Mediterranean herbs grown for its culinary and medicinal values since ancient times, Marjoram oil or knotted marjoram has a delicate sweet-flavor with a subtle pungent taste. It was a popular herb amongst the Greeks and widely used in medicine and perfumes. This herb plant is a small woody-stemmed shrub that grows abundantly in well-drained, lime soils. It features a rather hairy stem with delicate oval shaped dark-green leaves and tiny pinkish-white flowers. The whole plant has a peculiarly strong, balsamic odor with a warm bitter aromatic taste. Yes, it is all of those wonderful things at once.
Medicine can be made from the flowers, leaves, and oil. Tea made from the flowers and leaves are often used for runny noses and colds in small children. Marjoram essential oil is steam distilled from dried for fresh leaves, and although it has been used for physical ailments, it has often been used in spiritual rituals as well. The leaves can be harvested from the plant just after flower buds form. First, hang the harvested stems in a dark, dry room for seven to ten days before stripping it’s leaves from the stems and storing in an airtight container.
Benefits of marjoram leaf oil
Marjoram leaf oil is an analgesic, antispasmodic, antiseptic, antiviral, bactericidal, carminative, cephalic, cordial, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emenagogue, expectorant, fungicidal, hypotensive, laxative, nervine, sedative, stomachic, vasodilator, and vulnerary substance. This herb contains many phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins and is used for many medicinal ailments like nausea, eliminating flatulence, relieving diarrhea and constipation as well as improving one’s appetite and calming the stomach. Marjoram oil blends well with bergamot, cedarwood, chamomile, cypress, eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree oils.
With this miracle oil being antiseptic, bactericidal, and fungicidal makes it easy to see why it is ideal for any or all infections of the scalp. From dandruff to psoriasis this oil can be directly applied to the scalp to help with scalp ailments and excessive dryness. Marjoram tea and oil is used quite often in hair rinses for darker colored hair to revitalize the hair and color while giving a soothing aromatic touch to the hair. The hair rinses also aid in numerous scalp infections and should always be the last rinse with no need to follow up with water. The oil can be directly rubbed into the scalp to not only fight scalp ailments but also nourish the hair follicles. Here is a great hair rinse recipe.
Marjoram leaf hair rinse
What you’ll need
- A few drops of marjoram essential oil
- One bunch of marjoram leaves
- Enough water to cover leaves
Directions
- Place marjoram leaves in a pot and add enough water to cover well.
- Allow to boil before removing from stove, steep, and then cool.
- Remove leaves from water, add a few drops of marjoram essential oil to make even more effective, and use as a final hair rinse after cleansing hair to treat any scalp ailments.
- Do not rinse out and style as usual.
