Analysis on the development trend and hot spots of Origanum vulgare research based on bibliometrics

This study aims to employ VOSviewer and CiteSpace to map research hotspots related to oregano, analyze their research status and trends, and generate a knowledge map to provide new ideas for future research. The analysis utilized VOSviewer and CiteSpace to examine both Chinese-language literature from the CNKI database and English-language literature from the WOSCC database. VOSviewer was used to explore publication trends, authorship, and country contributions, while CiteSpace focused on keyword analysis. Additionally, patent analysis was conducted using the Innojoy patent database, concentrating on four key dimensions: geographical distribution, application trends, patent applicants, and technical themes. The analysis reviewed 896 Chinese and 3,122 English articles, revealing increasing publication trends. Key journals included Feed Research and Journal of Animal Science (Chinese) and Molecules (English). Active research countries were China, the U.S., Brazil, and Italy, with leading authors Wu Jianping (Chinese) and Lacroix, M. (English). Research centered on oregano essential oil, with Chinese literature being more specialized and English literature more diverse. Oregano patent applications are declining, primarily from China, the U.S., and Russia, mostly filed by enterprises in pharmaceuticals/healthcare and food science. As a traditional folk plant with both medicinal and edible values, the current research hotspots of oregano focus on essential oil, antibacterial effects, growth, phenolic substances and biofilms. It has traditional efficacy of relieving fever and pain, and its volatile oil also shows therapeutic effects on treating respiratory diseases. In future research, focusing on oregano’s applications as a functional food, feed additive, and food preservative could greatly contribute to the development of new products.