Are the oregano flowers edible, or should you discard them?
These are a few of the questions you’ll find an answer to in this short guide. Additionally, we’ve shared a few uses of the oregano flowers with you.
Oregano Flower Meaning – Everything You Should Know!
This aromatic plant is grown worldwide for its special taste that lends a distinctive flavor to many recipes. While most of us grow oregano for its leaves, oregano plants also develop flowers to produce seeds and ensure the propagation of the plant.
If you’re growing oregano for the first time, it’s normal to find that oregano plants have started producing flowers. Oregano flowers are small and typically white, pink, or purple when they bloom.
When these flowers appear, you can remove them to let the oregano plant grow new flowers.
Are Oregano Flowers Edible?
Yes, the whole oregano plant is edible, including its flowers. Oregano flowers are safe to eat and can be consumed in many dishes.
You might notice that the flavor of oregano flowers isn’t as potent as the oregano leaves. But that doesn’t mean oregano flowers aren’t suitable for culinary use.
Many foods don’t need a powerful aromatic taste. That’s when the oregano flowers are better than the leaves of this plant.
Dried Oregano Flowers
Oregano flowers are dried for preservation purposes. Because dried oregano flowers don’t contain a strong flavor, most people like to preserve them to make pretty decorations.
When Can You Not Eat Oregano Flowers?
It may be unsafe to eat oregano flowers in some cases, including:
Pregnancy:
Oregano flowers are possibly unsafe when taken by mouth during pregnancy. Some people think taking oregano in medicinal amounts might cause miscarriage.
Breast-feeding:
There isn’t reliable information to know if large amounts of oregano are safe to consume when breastfeeding. Err on the side of caution and stick to food amounts.
How to Grow Oregano Flowers
If you don’t prune oregano plants regularly, the stems will grow taller and produce flowers in the late spring or summer. Greek oregano has white blooms and the strongest flavor for cooking, but there are other oregano varieties in various colors. You can grow oregano indoors on a bright windowsill, but it blooms best outdoors in full sun. Oregano plants can easily reach up to 2 feet in height. Eventually, the plants get leggy, but a good trim can help rejuvenate your oregano. And the flowers you trim off have many uses in cooking and crafts.
If you leave the oregano flowers, they will attract bees until the plant begins to seed. This won’t harm the oregano plant, but there is no need to save the seeds.
What do Oregano Flowers Taste Like?
Oregano flowers are safe to eat but have a more delicate taste than the leaves. You can use freshly picked oregano flowers on pizzas, pasta, and salads as a garnish. The flowers can also add an artistic touch to desserts, drinks, cheese spreads, etc.
Uses and Health Benefits of Oregano Flowers
Oregano flowers are used as aromatic. They are considered safe in common food amounts and have some health benefits.
These flowers can be dried to use in teas. Traditional uses for oregano tea include treatments for colds, headaches, abdominal discomfort, and more. Besides being high in antioxidants, oregano flowers have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. For those reasons, oregano flowers and leaves have many uses in essential oils.
Oregano flowers contain chemicals that might help reduce cough. People also use oregano for wound healing, parasite infections, and many other skin conditions, but no scientific evidence supports these uses.
Oregano Flowers Are Possibly Effective for:
High cholesterol:
Clinical research proves that taking dried oregano leaves and flowers after each meal for 3 months can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol and increase good cholesterol in people with high cholesterol. However, total cholesterol levels are not affected.
Parasites in the intestines:
Taking oil of oregano leaves and flowers for 6 weeks can kill intestinal parasites.
Oregano Flowers for Crafts
Fresh-picked oregano flowers make great filler for a farmhouse-style bouquet, but you can also use dried oregano flowers in craft projects. Hang them upside down in a ventilated area until thoroughly dried. You can then add dried oregano flowers to a potpourri or display them in a vase. You can also spray your dried flower display with a dry flower preservative if you would like it to last longer.
Additionally, you can press dried oregano flowers for craft projects. Frame dried flowers in sun catchers, bookmarks, jewelry, and more. Whether fresh or dried, oregano flowers will add a fragrant and sweet touch to your cooking and home.
Oregano Flowers for Tea
Another usage for oregano flowers is for the preparation of teas.
Oregano tea contains antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects, and can elevate stress and anxiety. Oregano flower tea may also help you get rid of coughs, sore throat, and some digestive issues.
While you can make oregano flower tea with a more intense taste by using the leaves of oregano, the drink made only out of the flowers of this plant has a milder taste. You can also use both flowers and leaves for your tea.
Collect the flower heads of oregano and let them dry on a piece of paper in a warm place. Avoid leaving oregano flowers in direct sunlight.
Once oregano flowers are fully dried, you can store them in a paper bag and enjoy oregano tea in any season.
Oregano Flower Essence
An oregano flower essence is used in the ritual of release. When we release, we give up any control and influence. This essence helps us see with more clarity that we don’t need to hold on, and we can surrender power to something beyond ourselves.
Oregano helps distinguish between the relevant things in life in the present and those that have become meaningless. Only longing still exists. When the heart sticks to what is no longer available, it prevents us from recognizing and accepting what is available here and now. The essence supports the adaptation and orientation, helps to reach out and make new contacts, and ends the withered and dead.
You can find an oregano flower essence here.
Final Thoughts
The flowers and leaves are edible parts of the oregano plant. Oregano flowers are known to be not as potent as the leaves of this plant, but this makes them more suitable for other uses.
The leaves of the oregano plants give off a bold aroma before the plants start blooming. So you may want to harvest oregano leaves before these herbs produce flowers.
I hope you learned a few additional uses for oregano flowers. If you know of any other uses, please share them in the comments!
Frequently Asked Questions
Will oregano come back every year?
Oregano is a low-growing perennial that can be an excellent groundcover in sunny areas of your yard. Consider covering your oregano plant with some straw to protect it during harsh winters. This will ensure that it comes back the following year.
What type of oregano has white flowers?
Greek oregano has white flowers and fuzzy leaves. Italian oregano has off-white flowers. And Syrian oregano is also another type of oregano.
Why does this type of oregano have purple flowers?
If you want purple oregano flowers, consider planting Mexican bush oregano. The flowers are a gorgeous purple color, and this plant can survive in harsh climates. In some areas, it is also called rosemary mint or Mexican sage.
Can I harvest oregano after its flowers?
The best time for harvesting oregano is just before it blooms. When your oregano is at this point, the leaves are at peak flavor and intensity.
Is oregano good after blooming?
While oregano is most flavorful when picked before the plant flowers, you can still eat oregano after it begins to flower: it might be slightly bitter.
Keep in mind that after oregano flowers, it will most likely produce seed. However, it’s tricky to grow oregano from seed, and whatever grows won’t remain true to the mother plant. Because of this, there isn’t any need to save oregano seeds when you harvest your oregano leaves and flowers.
