Oregano Oregano Oregano (, ; Origanum vulgare) is a flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is native to temperate Western and Southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region. Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from tall, with opposite leaves long. The flowers are purple, long, produced in erect spikes. It is sometimes called wild marjoram, and its close relative, "O. majorana", is known as sweet marjoram. The word "oregano" is derived from Spanish "orégano", from Latin "orīganum", from Greek ὀρίγανον ("orī́ganon"). This is a compound of όρος ("óros"), "mountain", and γάνος ("gános"), "brightness", whence "brightness of the mountain". Oregano is
Herb and medicinal herbs; in medicinal or spiritual use, any parts of the plant might be considered as "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (and cambium), resin and pericarp. The word "herb" is pronounced in Commonwealth English, but is common among North American English speakers and those from other regions where h-dropping occurs. In botany, the word "herb" is used as a synonym for "herbaceous plant". In botany, the term herb refers to a herbaceous plant, defined as a small, seed-bearing plant without a woody stem in which all aerial parts (i.e. above ground) die back to