It has been used to flavor beer and it is often added to commercial chili powder. O. vulgare ssp. Pliny recommended it for scorpion and spider bites. The oil has been used for toothaches and as an ointment mixed with olive oil to treat male baldness. Aristotle reported that tortoises who swallowed snakes would immediately consume oregano to prevent death by poisoning.
Oregano contains an antioxidant which retards rancidity of fats and oils.