How I outsmarted death with wild oregano

Dr Cass Ingram's personal story: Healed by natural methods

Cass Ingram, D.O., author of the popular books The Cure Is in the Cupboard and The Cure Is in the Forest.

Updated on his personal blog on 9 June 2015, translated into Czech in April 2017.

Many years ago, I really was dying, at just 33 years of age. I had to share my story, and the photographs are an integral part of it. I published them on 10 February 2015. In this article, everyone can learn what really happened and what I did to overcome my life-threatening illness. At the time, I was going through an extreme crisis with no solution in sight. Both conventional medicine and alternative treatments had failed. It was the result of extreme stress, much of which, I admit, I had brought upon myself, together with medical corruption.

I was working at a clinic in Arlington Heights, Illinois, when one day there was a disaster in the laboratory. I suffered a needlestick injury from an intravenous needle contaminated with the blood of a very ill person. This happened in 1988, during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. It turned out that the needle had been contaminated by a patient suffering from a cancer known as Kaposi's sarcoma, which is caused by human herpesvirus HHV-8. Under normal circumstances, the immune system can suppress the virus, with the disease developing only when immunity is severely compromised. Kaposi's sarcoma became notorious in connection with AIDS and, together with pneumococcal pneumonia, formed part of the original description of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; according to the World Health Organization, its occurrence is a diagnostic sign of immune failure. Among other things, the patient also had a fungal infection, and clinical evidence showed that his body had an extreme candida burden. The fungus was literally multiplying on his membranes and skin.  The patient died shortly afterwards.

The needle went 1.5 centimetres into the palm of my hand. I received the best treatment available. But the worry remained. Although I kept telling myself everything would be fine, the thought kept running through my mind: “I know there is a danger. Will I even survive this?” I was under constant stress throughout that period. Three months after the contaminated needlestick injury, my body suddenly collapsed. It was serious – my skin began turning yellow, much like that of someone with cancer or hepatitis. I was overwhelmed by severe weakness, felt confused and could not concentrate on my work. I was so weak that even simple tasks such as tidying up or getting dressed became an enormous burden. My weight fell dramatically and I lost almost 14 kilograms in a very short time. My digestive system was completely wrecked. I could not keep any food in me; it essentially passed through my digestive system whole and undigested. My entire internal system seemed to be collapsing, and there appeared to be nothing that could stop it. Life at the clinic carried on, but life was slowly draining from my body. I struggled simply to get to the office, see patients or care for them in any way. It was 1989 and nothing was functioning normally. Eventually, I had no choice but to leave the clinic, which was the hardest decision I had ever made.

  How I changed...

I had little choice, as I had no income. So I decided to leave Arlington Heights. I moved in with my mother and tried to carry on as best I could. Occasionally, I gave radio interviews to help sell my books, but I made no public appearances. I did not want anyone to see me in that condition. After almost a year with virtually no progress, I began looking for further help and found a doctor specialising in metabolic disorders. After reviewing all my test results, I was told that I was more than likely to succumb to the illness and that there was no known treatment capable of reversing my condition. Doing anything was incredibly difficult – even talking to someone or making a phone call. The slightest stress caused my body and its functions to collapse. My appearance deteriorated. Although it seemed as though death was knocking at the door, the idea that I might succumb to the illness was beyond my comprehension. I was utterly desperate and deeply depressed – I sensed that death would be long and painful...

There was, however, a glimmer of hope... I took my doctor's advice to heart and removed all foods with little nutritional value from my diet. Instead, I focused on eating organic foods, particularly meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, fish, yoghurt and vegetables. My digestion improved by perhaps 5 to 10%, but even that counted.  It was clear that any carbohydrates in my diet spelled trouble, mainly because they fed the candida so well. I needed to strengthen my metabolism, which meant eating nutrient-rich foods, particularly fat and protein.

Despite these small improvements, I was still in agony. Grimacing became part of my daily life. I suffered from muscle atrophy in my upper body. Even holding my head upright was difficult. I was frightened, and all my strength went into fighting this debilitating illness. I was a young man whose condition was deteriorating, and I could almost taste death. There was no treatment available, nor any herb that could stop the progression of the illness. Yet in the end, I recovered. I have absolutely no doubt that I recovered through a miracle that came from God himself.

Wild nature to the rescue

Later, I found myself back in Chicago, where  I joined forces with a remarkable woman (author's note: the founder of North American Herb & Spice, Judy Kay Gray M.S.), who began doing everything she could to help me. It was thanks to her that another major breakthrough came in 1993. For our home project, we bought two ground mountain herbs: wild oregano, Latin name Origanum vulgare, and wild Sicilian sumac, Latin name Rhus coriaria. These were completely pure, hand-picked, food-grade herbs. Both were intensely aromatic and of a quality far above ordinary commercially available spices. I felt an urgent need to taste them; their aroma and appearance were incredibly appealing. I took a handful of the herbs and ate them. I felt as though I experienced immediate relief. “I haven't felt this good since I became ill,” I exclaimed. “That's great news,” my friend replied. “Have some more.”

So I took a spoon and the bags of herbs to my bedside and began eating them by the heaped spoonful. First, I chewed the herbs thoroughly and then swallowed them. “These herbs are essentially antiseptic spices. They must help me recover,” I thought. The reality, however, exceeded my expectations. One of the ways I monitored my condition was by measuring my body temperature. During my illness, it routinely fell to 34.7 ˚C, whereas a normal temperature is 37˚C. I measured my temperature orally. As a result, I constantly felt cold inside, to the point that during autumn and winter I wore a fur hat even indoors. While following the oregano and sumac regimen, my temperature suddenly rose to around 36 ˚C.

So I carried on, eating spoonful after spoonful. I considered which other antiseptic spices I could add to the blend and ordered organic garlic and onion powder. This seemed to increase the effect of the regimen. I committed to this combination and continued taking it. After some time, I felt well enough to begin doing a few things again. I helped pack and dispatch orders while occasionally appearing on radio and even television. While travelling, I realised that taking the herbal blend this way was impractical, and for the first time I had the idea of putting it into capsules, which led to the world's first multi-herb blend of wild plants.

Despite all my efforts, my condition improved very slowly. It still was not enough; I was functioning at around 40%. Only through the persistence of my friend Judy did we achieve what felt like a miracle – we were able to begin sourcing wild oregano oil directly from the Mediterranean mountains. After many trials, using titration in extra virgin olive oil, we arrived at the ideal formula for the Oreganol P73 tincture. I began taking large quantities of this oil and rubbing it over my entire body. A kind of “black soot” began coming out through my pores. Then I began to experience a significant improvement... that toxic, deadly illness was finally retreating. It is no wonder that biblical texts refer to wild oregano (esov or essop) as a “cleansing” herb. It was 1994 and I finally felt well. “I'm going to be all right,” I thought. “It's only a matter of time.”

At first, these herbs were the only tools I had, and the only ones that worked. They were so powerful that they began to be recommended to other people who were ill. They too reported remarkable results. We realised that we needed to begin producing them for the wider public, and North American Herb & Spice was founded. Among the first products introduced to the world were wild oregano capsules and sumac, made from whole herbs, as well as wild oregano oil in “Original Strength” and “Super Strength” versions.

People responded to these products with extraordinary enthusiasm and wanted to share their personal experiences. Their stories, together with scientific research into the effects of wild oregano, are described in the book “The Cure Is in the Cupboard”. It was the first publication devoted to the powerful potential of wild oregano.

It took me a good year to recover with the help of wild oregano, but in the end I recovered completely, and the world of natural medicine and the healing power of wild herbs was never the same again. Life has been wonderful ever since.

As one villager from the region where we sourced the herbs explained, this “God-blessed herb” could lift a person from the very edge of their strength to a point where they could fulfil their potential and begin doing something positive by sharing information about the power of nature with the wider public.

There is nothing good about being ill; it is a nightmare, a genuine horror. The only answer is to “feel well again”, something almost anyone can achieve. Looking back, I can hardly believe it ever happened. My body collapsed completely; my legs felt as though they had died. It was something like a combination of AIDS and ALS – God knows what it really was. I hated life. I was in agony and unable to do anything; it is difficult to describe all the feelings inside – an awful sense of incurable despair. How else can I put it?

My story is true, and there is more to it than I have described here. I hope I will be able to share more in the future. But the most important thing is that wild nature saved me. I truly was healed, and I credit natural medicine alone for that, specifically the blend of wild oregano and sumac together with the highest-quality wild oregano oil. I emphasise “the highest-quality food-grade oil” because this makes it a type of food that can be safely consumed in large quantities without having a negative effect on the human body.

Be very careful when choosing inexpensive oils, which are commonly made from farm-grown oregano or genetically modified oregano. These are inactive imitations, and the food supplement market is literally flooded with them. The exceptional healing results I describe can only be achieved with full-strength 100% oregano oil, gently extracted from hand-picked wild mountain herbs.

The chance to recover is there for everyone. Everyone can live their lives again and be productive. They can enjoy life to the full again and be completely healthy.  Effective use of the energy-rich complex of natural substances found in wild oregano and sumac, together with the oil, can defeat any illness.  

Tell the world your story – let others know how the immense power of wild nature, the ultimate source of healthy energy, has helped you.

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About the Author

Dr Cass Ingram is a nutritional physician who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa in 1979. In 1984, he received his D.O., Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa. Since then, Dr Ingram has written more than 20 books on natural healing. He has made countless television and radio appearances, where his talks have given hope and answered the questions of millions of people around the world. His research and articles have led to many recoveries and discoveries, while his books on health, nutrition and disease prevention present hundreds of tips and insights into alternative treatment. He is one of America's leading experts in natural medicine, particularly the medicinal properties of wild herbal extracts. He now travels the world giving talks on how to achieve and maintain optimal health naturally.