Potential Use of Mexican Oregano Essential Oil against Parasite, Fungal and Bacterial Pathogens

Origanum comprises several species, being the most common Origanum vulgare, a plant endemic of Europe, and Lippia graveolens or Lippia berlandieri found in North America. Aside from its potential economic benefits, the essential oil of oregano, regardless of the species, has a wide range of effects on bacteria, some of them resistant to antibiotics of general use, fungi, and parasites. In Mexico there are more than 4,000 species of medicinal plants, and just in the northern state of Chihuahua there have been reports of over 300 species currently in use, one of them being Mexican oregano Lippia berlandieri Schauer. In the mountainous region of the state, dwellers from diverse ethnic groups have used traditional medicine based in plants to cure illnesses for centuries. Patients seek treatment with medicinal plants for pathological conditions attributed to cultural affiliation such as: "mal de ojo" (evil eye), "susto" (frightening), "empacho" (bloating), and diseases transmitted by parasites, such as malaria or "escoseri", as locals refer to it. In this review we highlight the antimicrobial benefits of Origanum, and the likely benefit of Mexican oregano screening that could potentially be used in the development of alternative drug treatments in diseases such as malaria.