
The name oregano is from the Greek word for "joy of the mountains," as this herb grows wild on the mountains of Greece. Long before it found its way into modern recipes, oregano was widely used as a medicine -- the ancient Greeks used it on open sores and sore muscles, and the Romans applied it to spider and scorpion bites.
Read more at Marthastewart.com: Greek oregano: Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum - Martha Stewart Home and Garden