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Habitats
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Cultivated Beds;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves.
Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.
Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 52]. Sweet marjoram is widely used as a flavouring for salad dressings, vegetables, legumes and oils[7, 14, 27, 61, 171, 238]. It has a more delicate flavour than the closely related oregano (Origanum vulgare), and is best when used fresh and only added towards the end of cooking[238]. The aromatic seeds are used as a flavouring in sweets, drinks etc[183]. A herb tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[21, 183]. The flavour resembles a blend of thyme, rosemary and sage[183].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antidepressant; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Aromatherapy; Carminative; Cholagogue; Diaphoretic; Disinfectant; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Stimulant;
Stomachic; Tonic.
Sweet marjoram is mainly used as a culinary herb, but is also medicinally valuable due to its stimulant and antispasmodic properties[254]. It is a good general tonic, treating various disorders of the digestive and respiratory systems. It has a stronger affect on the nervous system than the related oregano (O. vulgare) and is also thought to lower the sex drive[254]. Because it can promote menstruation, it should not be used medicinally by pregnant women though small quantities used for culinary purposes are safe[254]. The herb is antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic and mildly tonic[4, 7, 21, 240]. It is taken internally in the treatment of bronchial complaints, tension headaches, insomnia, anxiety, minor digestive upsets and painful menstruation[238]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. Externally, it is used to treat muscular pain, bronchial complaints, arthritis, sprains and stiff joints[238]. The plant is harvested as flowering begins and can be used fresh or dried. Marjoram is often used medicinally in the form of the essential oil, about 400 grams being obtained from 70 kilos of the fresh herb[4]. The oil is used as an external application for sprains, bruises etc[4, 240]. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is 'Muscle relaxant'[210].
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Other Uses
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Disinfectant; Dye; Essential.
The leaves and flowers yield 0.3 - 0.4% essential oil by steam distillation[240]. Called 'Oil of Sweet Marjoram', it is used as a food flavouring and in perfumery, soaps, hair products etc[57, 61, 171, 238]. The plant is often used to disinfect bee hives[7].
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Cultivation details
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Requires a rather dry, warm, well-drained soil, but is not fussy as to soil type[18], thriving on chalk[1, 37]. Prefers slightly alkaline conditions[200]. Sweet marjoram is often cultivated as a culinary herb, there are some named varieties[46, 183]. Plants do not normally survive the winter outdoors in Britain so they are usually grown as an annual[1, 4, 14, 37]. Another report says that it is possible to overwinter plants in areas with cold winters so long as you apply a thick mulch to the roots[200]. Plants do not often set seed in Britain[K]. A good companion plant, improving the flavour of nearby plants[14, 18, 20]. The flowers are very attractive to bees[108]. The bruised leaves emit a fragrance somewhat resembling thyme, but somewhat sweeter with balsamic undertones[245]. This is a sacred plant in India[171]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].
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Propagation
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Seed - sow early spring at 10 - 13°c and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 4 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in April or early May and, although it can be slow to germinate, usually does well[4]. Division in March or October. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Basal cuttings of young barren shoots in June. Very easy. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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93200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[14]Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs.
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A good herbal.
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[18]Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants.
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Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
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[20]Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
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Fairly good.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[27]Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden.
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A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
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[37]Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant.
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Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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[52]Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round.
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A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
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[57]Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
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Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
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[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
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Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
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[93]Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey.
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Not for the casual reader, this is an immense work in many volumes. Some details of plant uses and habitats.
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[108]International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees.
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The title says it all.
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[171]Hill. A. F. Economic Botany.
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Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[210]Westwood. C. Aromatherapy - A guide for home use.
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An excellent little pocket guide. Very concise.
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[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
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Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
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[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.
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An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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Subject : Origanum majorana
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