Oregano – Origanum vulgare

Detailed description of pitchgrass:

Origanum vulgare (Old or other familiar names: wild marjoram, wild marjoram, toad marjoram, black cohosh, sweetgrass, dry grass, pitch grass, toadflax) Ajakosak – Labiatae Pitch-grass is a perennial plant. Its shoots sprout in the ground and develop annual shoots 30-50 cm tall each year. The stems are reddish brown, rectangular and the leaves are opposite each other. The leaves are pointed egg-shaped, dark green. The stem gives way to a strongly branched inflorescence, each branch arising from the axils of the leaves. The inflorescence is rich-flowered and consists of many tiny rose-purple flowers. The flowers are supported by tiny green and reddish-brown flowers which give the whole inflorescence a more blurred and much darker colour. The wild marjoram blooms from July to September.

Occurrence:

The pitcher-grass is widespread throughout the country and grows in open areas of woodland, scrubby places, dry soil and sunny hills.

The medicinal properties and uses of pitchgrass:

All parts of pitchgrass have a strong succulent odour and a bitter spicy taste, and are used as a spice. Its leaves and flowering stalks, which have a strong odour, are used to make perfume. Its budding twigs are known in medicine as herba origani. It is used as a household remedy for tea and especially for baths against scrofula. It is also used as an oil(oleum origani vulgaris), which is dripped on cotton and applied to the tooth as an analgesic. It is an ingredient of a tea called species aromaticae, and is also used to make a yellow and red dye, very suitable for dyeing yarn and wool, and its grass dyes wool brownish red.

Active ingredient:

Essential oil.

Decoction:

It is not cultivated, though it is an excellent honey and dyeing plant, and is well worth cultivating. It can be propagated by sowing seeds and by division in autumn or spring in medium-loamy soil. Seed sowing: March to April. The seed required per acre is 250 grams. Yield per hectare: 5 q (hundredweight) of dry matter.

Harvesting:

Wild marjoram is a less sought-after herb with little sales, and is mostly harvested by pharmacists themselves in their area. It is not an export article. Inquire about the need before picking to ensure receipt. For sale, the budding branch tips are usually picked when in flower, which should be dried quickly to minimise the loss of fragrance. The wild marjoram picked should therefore be dried in the sun. They can be packed in bags when completely dry. (The plant, which flowers between June and August, should be cut above ground with a knife or sickle, the leaves stripped from the thicker branches and dried with the thinner flowered, leafy stems in a layer about the thickness of the palm of the hand, spread out in the attic. According to Dr. Ferenc Darvas) Source: Dr. Ferenc Darvas and Dr Gyula Magyary-Kossa,Domestic herbs, their production, marketing, effects and medicinal uses Béla Páter, Wild medicinal plants, their production, use, distribution, and marketing