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Thyme | | Name : | Thyme | | Latin : | Thymus vulgaris L. | | Synonyms : | Commonthyme
Gardenthyme
Motherof thyme
Serpyllum
Tomillo
| | Family : | Lamiaceae | | Parts Used : | Berries, fruits, leaves, and flowers | | Habitat : | Thyme grows wild on dry banks and heaths. Grows wild on hillsidesin Greece and throughout the Mediterranean, Europe and the BritishIsles. | | Picture : |  | | Description : | Thyme has numerous woody stems 6-10 inches high, covered in finehair, and flattish round leaves, growing in pairs. The flowers, smallbluish-purple, two-lipped, are borne in whorled in dense, head-likeclusters, blooming fro May to September, like the rest of the plant,are heavily scented.
This herb has been cultivated for centuries for both medicine andcookery. There are many varieties of thyme from ground covers to shrubbyplants a foot or more high: creeping thyme (T. praecox), lemon thyme(T. citriodorus), orange blossom thyme (T x citriodorus orange blossom),(T. glabrescens), (T. mastichina), mother-of-thyme (T. praecox subsp.arcticus), woolly thyme (T. psudolanuginosus), wild thyme (T. serpyllum),argenteus, aureus, T. herba-barona, Spanish thyme (T. zygis), etc.All thymes require full sun and fairly dry, light, well-drained soil.Basil thyme (Acinos thymoides). Thyme tends to rob the soil of nutrients. | | Constituents : | Borneol, cavacrol, fluorine, gum, trace minerals, bitter principle,saponins, flavonoids, essential oils, tannins, triterpenic acids,and vitamins B-complex, C, and D.
Anthelmitic, antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant,sedative. | | Uses : | Used for sinusitis and asthma.Eliminates gas and reduces fever,mucus, and headaches. Goodfor chronic respiratory problems, colds,flu, bronchitis,whooping cough, and sore throat.Lowers cholesterol levels.Good to relieve coughs, and whooping cough. Externally, helps sprainsand strains.
A poultice can be made from the leaves of thyme that will combatall forms of inflammationand infection.Effective against hookworms.Rub the extract between the toes daily for athlete'sfoot. Used externally, the extract can be used daily for crabs,lice, and scabies.
Taken internally by standard infusion, thyme is a first-rate digestive,febrifuge and livertonic. Anti-spasmodic and nervine, it is held to cure a wide rangeof psychological disorders, even insanity. Hysteria, halitosisand assorted female ailments, especially mastitis, lossof appetite.
Thyme baths are said to be helpful for neurastenia, rheumaticproblems,, paralysis, bruises, swellings, and sprains. The salvemade from thyme can be used for shingles.
Thyme can repel insects and moths. It is said to aid the growth ofeggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes when planted nearby in the garden.Thyme is a favorite of bees. | | Dosage : | Infusion: steep 1/2 tsp. fresh herb or 1 tsp. dried herb in1/2 cup water for 3 to 5 minutes. Take 1 to 1 1/2 cups per day, amouthful at a time.
Oil: take 10-20 drops, 3 times per day.
Bath additive: make a strong decoction and add to the bathwater. | | Safety : | Use sparingly. Do not make a habit of using thyme.
Avoid therapeutic doses of thyme and thyme oil in any form duringpregnancy because the herb is a uterine stimulant.
Thyme oil can irritate mucous membranes. Always dilute it well ifused.
Excessive internal use of thyme can lead to symptoms of poisoningand to overstimulation of the thyroid gland. Use caution. | | Myths : | An oil in thyme was once a standard ingredient of most antisepticlotions and commercial disinfectants, mouthwashes and toothpastes.
Around 3000 BC the Sumerians were using it as a medicinal ingredient,and the Egyptians included it among the herbs and spices used in mummification.The Greeks used thyme as a temple incense (the word thyme comes froma Greek word meaning 'to fumigate', and both they and the Romans praisedits healing virtues. During the Middle Ages thyme was considered asymbol of courage, and knights rode into battle wearing scarves onwhich their ladies had embroidered sprigs of the herb.
A Biblical association with thyme is the Christ-child's manger, Christiantradition holds with good cause that thyme was among the 3 or 4 herbsupon which Mary and the Child bedded in Bethlehem of Judea, and soit has become an herb to be in the gardens of churches and monasteries. | | Sold : | Sold commercially as a spice. |
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