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hyme is a Mediterranean herb with dietary,
medicinal, and ornamental uses. The flowers, leaves, and oil of thyme have been
used to treat a range of symptoms and complaints.
These include diarrhea, stomach ache, arthritis, and sore throat.
The most common variety is Thymus vulgaris. A wide range of thyme products is
available for purchase online.
This article looks at the
medicinal uses and nutrition of thyme,
as well as the history of its rise to popularity.
Fast facts on thyme
·
Thyme is thought to have antibacterial,
insecticidal, and possibly antifungal properties.
·
People used thyme throughout history for
embalming and to protect from the Black Death.
·
Forms of thyme include fresh and dried herbs
and essential oil.
Benefits
Thyme has
a range of powerful medicinal effects.
Thymol is one of a
naturally occurring class of compounds known as biocides.
These are substances that
can destroy harmful organisms, such as infectious bacteria.
Used alongside other
biocides, such as carvacrol, thyme has strong antimicrobial properties.
One study from 2010 suggests
that thymol can reduce bacterial resistance to common drugs, including penicillin.
Killing
the tiger mosquito
The tiger mosquito is
native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia.
Since the 1990s, it has
spread around the world, carrying West Nile virus, Yellow
fever, St. Louis encephalitis,
dengue fever,
and Chikungunya fever.
A team at Chungbuk National
University in South Korea reported that a combination of thymol,
alpha-terpinene, and carvacrol was effective in killing off tiger
mosquito larvae.
High
blood pressure
Researchers at the
University of Belgrade, Serbia, found that an aqueous extract obtained from
wild thyme reduced blood pressure in
tests on rats.
Rats respond to hypertension in a
similar way to people, so the findings might have implications for humans.
More tests are required for
the data to prove significant, however.
Foodborne
bacterial infections
A team at the Center for
Studies of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Portugal, studied the antimicrobial
activity of essential oils extracted from a range of aromatic plants, including
thyme oil.
They reported that thyme
oil, even at low concentrations, showed potential as a natural preservative of food
products against several common foodborne bacteria that cause
human illness.
A Polish study tested
thyme oil and lavender oil, and they that observed that thyme oil was effective
against resistant strains of Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Escherichia and
Pseudomonas bacteria.
Colon cancer
A study carried out in
Lisbon, Portugal, found that extracts of mastic thyme might protect people from colon cancers.
Breast
cancer
Researchers in Turkey
looked at the effect of wild thyme on breast cancer activity,
and specifically how it affected apoptosis, or cell death, and gene-related
events in breast cancer cells.
They found that wild thyme caused
cell death in breast cancer cells.
Yeast
infection
The fungus Candida albicans (C. albicans)
is a common cause of yeast infections in the mouth and vagina, a recurring
condition called "thrush."
Researchers at the
University of Turin, Italy, found that essential oil of thyme significantly enhancedthe
destruction of the C. albicans fungus
in the human body.
Prolonging
the stability of cooking oils
Lipid oxidation is a
serious problem during food processing and storage. It can cause food to lose
quality, stability, safety, and nutritional value.
Scientists from Warsaw,
Poland, examined whether thyme extract might prolong the stability of sunflower
oil at different temperatures.
They suggest that thyme
might be a potent antioxidant for stabilizing sunflower oil.
Common
skin problems
Skin problems are common
worldwide. In some countries, herbal preparations are important medicines.
A team at Addis Ababa
University, Ethiopia, carried out a study to
assess the therapeutic benefits of a 10 percent chamomile extract cream and a 3
percent thyme essential oil antifungal cream for eczema-like lesions.
They noted that full
healing occurred in 66.5 percent of people treated with a fungal cream
containing thyme essential oil, compared with 28.5 percent of those using a placebo.
Results for the chamomile cream were similar to those for the placebo.
The researchers conclude:
"A 3 percent thyme essential oil cream
could represent a relatively economical and easily available opportunity to
treat and heal mild to moderate cases of fungal infections."
However, they recommend
further research.
Acne
Scientists from Leeds,
England, tested the effects of myrrh, marigold, and thyme tinctures on Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the
bacterium that causes acne. They found that
thyme might be effective in treating acne.
Its antibacterial effect
proved stronger than that of standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, the
active ingredient in most acne creams and washes.
Benzoyl peroxide also
causes a burning sensation and irritation on the skin, which means that a thyme
tincture might be a solution to acne that leads to fewer unwanted effects.
People
have used thyme throughout history. For example, the ancient Egyptians used
thyme as an embalming fluid.
The ancient Egyptians used
thyme as an embalming fluid. In ancient Greece, they used thyme as an incense
in temples and added it to bathwater.
The Romans used thyme as a
flavoring for cheese and alcoholic beverages. They are also supposedly offered
it as a cure people for who were melancholic or shy. The Roman army introduced
thyme to the British Isles when they conquered the land.
Hippocrates, who lived
around 460 BCE to 370 BCE and is known today as "the father of Western
medicine," recommended thyme for respiratory diseases and conditions.
People grew thyme in gardens and gathered it in the countryside.
When the Black Death took
hold of Europe in the 1340s, people would wear posies of thyme for protection.
Scientific research does
not support this specific use but has shown thyme to have a range of medicinal
properties that modern people can put to beneficial use.
Thyme oil
has high thymol content and can target harmful bacteria and insects.
People can use the fresh
leaves of thyme in teas and in cooking and sometimes place them between layers
of linen to protect the fabric from insects.
Thyme's essential oil,
usually referred to as "oil of thyme," contains between 20 percent
and 60 percent thymol.
Manufacturers extract oil
of thyme for a range of uses, including scenting soaps and as an ingredient in
deodorant.
People have used oil of
thyme as both an antiseptic and an insect repellent. Thymol is a common meat
preservative, and olive farmers often combine thymol into the oil that
preserves olives in the Mediterranean.
Unlike the fresh leaves, a
person cannot consume essential oils by mouth or apply it directly to the skin.
Dilute oil of thyme in a carrier oil, such as olive oil.
Click here to
shop for an excellent range of thyme products with thousands of customer
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The United States Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) classifies thyme essential oils as "generally
recognized as safe for their intended use."
However, anyone planning to
make a significant change to treatment for a health condition should first
discuss this with a physician.
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