Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a perennial herb that beekeepers value as a first-class and reliable honey plant. Its abundant bloom falls in midsummer and lasts up to two months, giving bees a steady supporting flow of nectar and pollen after many other honey plants have finished. Oregano honey is light amber, aromatic, with a slight greenish tint and a piquant taste. It is nutritious and beneficial, crystallises slowly and suits both sale and winter feed for the colonies.
Oregano and health
Beyond beekeeping, oregano is known worldwide as a favourite culinary herb. Its dried leaves and flowers have a bright, spicy-peppery aroma and a bitter-sharp taste essential to Italian and Mediterranean cooking. The plant is also rich in essential oils, tannins and vitamin C. Because of this it is widely used in folk and conventional medicine as a calming, anti-inflammatory and expectorant remedy, and in perfumery and the household (for example, to protect clothes from moths).