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Parsley vs. Oregano — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Article author photo Tatevik Stepanyan by Tatevik Stepanyan | Last updated on March 13, 2024
Medically reviewed by Jack Yacoubian Article author photo Jack Yacoubian

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Nutritional Content
      1. Health Impact
        1. Cardiovascular health
        2. References
          Parsley
          vs
          Oregano

          Summary

          Oregano contains significantly more vitamins and minerals than parsley.

          In recent years, parsley and oregano have been at the center of scientific attention. While parsley is more researched, both are excellent sources of antioxidants and vitamins in the daily diet.

          Table of contents

          1. Introduction
            1. Nutritional Content
              1. Health Impact
                1. Cardiovascular health
                2. References

                  Introduction

                  Herbs and spices are a perfect way to add a range of flavors to any dish. Both parsley and oregano are ideal herbs and spices.

                  Parsley belongs to the Umbelliferae family, also known as the carrot or celery family. On the other hand, oregano is botanically classified in the family of mints. Oregano owes its flavor to compounds such as thymol, carvacrol, ocimene, pinene, limonene, and caryophyllene.

                  In this article, we are going to compare parsley and oregano, focusing on their nutritional differences and health impacts.

                  Nutritional Content

                  Parsley is richer in vitamins C, K, and A. On the other hand, oregano contains higher amounts of vitamins E, B complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6), and folate.

                  Vitamin Comparison

                  Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
                  Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 443% 140% 15% 0% 22% 23% 25% 24% 21% 0% 4100% 114% 7%
                  Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 7.7% 28% 365% 0% 44% 122% 87% 55% 241% 0% 1554% 178% 18%
                  Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +5682.6%
                  Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +395.3%
                  Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +163.8%
                  Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +2334.7%
                  Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +105.8%
                  Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +438.8%
                  Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +253.4%
                  Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +130.3%
                  Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +1060%
                  Contains more FolateFolate +55.9%
                  Contains more CholineCholine +152.3%
                  ~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
                  ~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

                  When comparing their mineral profile, oregano is richer in phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, copper, magnesium, and potassium.

                  While both of these plants are low in sodium, oregano contains less.

                  Mineral Comparison

                  Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
                  Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 36% 41% 49% 233% 50% 29% 25% 7.3% 21% 0.55%
                  Oregano
                  Oregano
                  10
                  Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 193% 479% 111% 1380% 211% 73% 63% 3.3% 651% 25%
                  Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +440%
                  Contains more CalciumCalcium +1057.2%
                  Contains more PotassiumPotassium +127.4%
                  Contains more IronIron +493.5%
                  Contains more CopperCopper +324.8%
                  Contains more ZincZinc +151.4%
                  Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +155.2%
                  Contains less SodiumSodium -55.4%
                  Contains more ManganeseManganese +3018.8%
                  Contains more SeleniumSelenium +4400%

                  Health Impact

                  Myricetin, a flavonoid found in parsley, helps prevent skin cancer (1).

                  Parsley can also decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (2).

                  One study has shown the antiviral potential of oregano against norovirus infections (3).

                  Generally, parsley and oregano have protective roles against the following:

                  • Cancer prevention (1, 4)
                  • Antibacterial properties (5, 6)
                  • Anti-inflammatory properties (7, 8)
                  • Bone health improvement

                  Parsley has antiosteoporotic effects on bone tissue (9).

                  Cardiovascular health

                  Parsley has negative inotropic and chronotropic properties, leading to hypotensive activity. Additionally, it has a strong antiplatelet aggregation effect. These effects are crucial in reducing cardiovascular risk (10).

                  Oregano may also lower blood pressure by increasing endothelial NO, an important vasodilator, and binding PPARγ. This effect is distinct from parsley's mechanisms (11).

                  Furthermore, both parsley and oregano have a diuretic effect, which can be beneficial for managing hypertension and heart failure (12, 13).

                  It should be noted that oregano oil (at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg) reduced the incidence of cardiac complications in rats with doxorubicin-induced myocardial infarction (14).

                  According to this study, oregano's anti-inflammatory properties may help prevent atherosclerosis. Further research is needed to confirm these findings (15).

                  References

                  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5629766/
                  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16223573/
                  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24779581/
                  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6680447/
                  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27525894/
                  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6152729/
                  7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5322505/
                  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5801825/
                  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4891838/
                  10. https://cloudfront.net/87763441/6-IJCBS
                  11. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf802298w
                  12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11849841/
                  13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11094-023-02795-3
                  14. https://phcog.com/article/view/2018/14/57s/s363-s368
                  15. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691510001754
                  Article author photo Tatevik Stepanyan
                  Education: Food Blogger
                  Last updated: March 13, 2024
                  Medically reviewed by Jack Yacoubian

                  Infographic

                  Parsley vs Oregano infographic
                  Infographic link

                  Macronutrient Comparison

                  Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
                  3% 6% 88% 2%
                  Protein: 2.97 g
                  Fats: 0.79 g
                  Carbs: 6.33 g
                  Water: 87.71 g
                  Other: 2.2 g
                  9% 4% 69% 10% 8%
                  Protein: 9 g
                  Fats: 4.28 g
                  Carbs: 68.92 g
                  Water: 9.93 g
                  Other: 7.87 g
                  Contains more WaterWater +783.3%
                  Contains more ProteinProtein +203%
                  Contains more FatsFats +441.8%
                  Contains more CarbsCarbs +988.8%
                  Contains more OtherOther +257.7%

                  Fat Type Comparison

                  Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
                  24% 54% 23%
                  Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.132 g
                  Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.295 g
                  Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.124 g
                  43% 20% 38%
                  Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 1.551 g
                  Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.716 g
                  Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.369 g
                  Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -91.5%
                  Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +142.7%
                  Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +1004%

                  Comparison summary table

                  Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
                  Parsley Oregano
                  Lower in Sugar ok
                  Lower in Saturated fat ok
                  Lower in price ok
                  Lower in Sodium ok
                  Lower in Glycemic Index ok
                  Rich in minerals ok
                  Rich in vitamins ok
                  Lower in Cholesterol Equal

                  All nutrients comparison - raw data values

                  Nutrient Parsley Oregano DV% diff.
                  Vitamin K 1640µg 621.7µg 849%
                  Iron 6.2mg 36.8mg 383%
                  Manganese 0.16mg 4.99mg 210%
                  Fiber 3.3g 42.5g 157%
                  Calcium 138mg 1597mg 146%
                  Vitamin C 133mg 2.3mg 145%
                  Vitamin E 0.75mg 18.26mg 117%
                  Vitamin B6 0.09mg 1.044mg 73%
                  Copper 0.149mg 0.633mg 54%
                  Magnesium 50mg 270mg 52%
                  Vitamin A 421µg 85µg 37%
                  Vitamin B2 0.098mg 0.528mg 33%
                  Folate 152µg 237µg 21%
                  Carbs 6.33g 68.92g 21%
                  Potassium 554mg 1260mg 21%
                  Vitamin B3 1.313mg 4.64mg 21%
                  Zinc 1.07mg 2.69mg 15%
                  Phosphorus 58mg 148mg 13%
                  Protein 2.97g 9g 12%
                  Calories 36kcal 265kcal 11%
                  Vitamin B5 0.4mg 0.921mg 10%
                  Vitamin B1 0.086mg 0.177mg 8%
                  Polyunsaturated fat 0.124g 1.369g 8%
                  Selenium 0.1µg 4.5µg 8%
                  Saturated fat 0.132g 1.551g 6%
                  Fats 0.79g 4.28g 5%
                  Choline 12.8mg 32.3mg 4%
                  Fructose 1.13g 1%
                  Sodium 56mg 25mg 1%
                  Monounsaturated fat 0.295g 0.716g 1%
                  Net carbs 3.03g 26.42g N/A
                  Sugar 0.85g 4.09g N/A
                  Tryptophan 0.045mg 0.203mg 0%
                  Threonine 0.122mg 0.322mg 0%
                  Isoleucine 0.118mg 0.441mg 0%
                  Leucine 0.204mg 0.78mg 0%
                  Lysine 0.181mg 0.5mg 0%
                  Methionine 0.042mg 0.127mg 0%
                  Phenylalanine 0.145mg 0.449mg 0%
                  Valine 0.172mg 0.585mg 0%
                  Histidine 0.061mg 0.144mg 0%
                  Omega-3 - ALA 0.621g N/A

                  Which food is preferable for your diet?

                  ok
                  ok
                  is better in case of low diet
                  Parsley Oregano
                  Low Calories diet ok
                  Low Fats diet ok
                  Low Carbs diet ok
                  Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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                  Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

                  The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
                  Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
                  379%
                  Parsley
                  208%
                  Oregano
                  Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
                  49%
                  Parsley
                  319%
                  Oregano

                  Comparison summary

                  Which food is lower in Sugar?
                  Parsley
                  Parsley is lower in Sugar (difference - 3.24g)
                  Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
                  Parsley
                  Parsley is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 1.419g)
                  Which food is cheaper?
                  Parsley
                  Parsley is cheaper (difference - $4.3)
                  Which food contains less Sodium?
                  Oregano
                  Oregano contains less Sodium (difference - 31mg)
                  Which food is lower in glycemic index?
                  Oregano
                  Oregano is lower in glycemic index (difference - 27)
                  Which food is richer in minerals?
                  Oregano
                  Oregano is relatively richer in minerals
                  Which food is richer in vitamins?
                  Oregano
                  Oregano is relatively richer in vitamins
                  Which food contains less Cholesterol?
                  ?
                  The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)

                  References

                  All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

                  1. Parsley - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170416/nutrients
                  2. Oregano - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171328/nutrients

                  All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

                  Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.