Overview
About Oregano
Oregano is a high-salicylate herb, and because it is nearly always used dried, it is one of the most concentrated salicylate sources in the spice rack.
Drying strips out the water and packs the salicylates into a small volume, so a teaspoon shaken over pizza or a tomato sauce delivers far more than the same weight of the fresh leaf. It is strongly anti-inflammatory, which makes it a genuinely healthy herb that still trips up salicylate-sensitive people.
Sensitivities
How Oregano scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- High in salicylates, and dried oregano is especially concentrated because drying removes water and leaves the salicylates behind
- Turns up in almost every Italian and Mediterranean seasoning (pizza, marinara, dressings), so the doses stack across a meal without you noticing
- Oregano oil capsules concentrate the plant far past anything a spice jar delivers, so a daily supplement is a different exposure from seasoning a sauce
- Clean on histamine, nickel and gluten, and clean on each of the individual FODMAPs, so salicylate is the one grade doing the work on this herb
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Oregano
Is dried oregano high in salicylates?
Yes, and more so than the fresh herb by weight. Drying concentrates the salicylates, so a teaspoon of dried oregano carries a lot into a dish. On Italian food it also shows up again and again, which is how salicylate-sensitive people end up with a big cumulative dose from one meal.
What is a lower-salicylate herb for pizza and pasta sauce?
Marjoram is the closest match in flavour and sits a step lower in salicylates, while a bay leaf simmered into the sauce and fresh coriander are both far milder. None of them will taste identical to oregano, but they let you season an Italian dish without loading it with salicylates.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.