- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Western Mediterranean; now grown worldwide. Thymus vulgaris
- Other names
- Echte tijm
Europe · Herb · № 98
Thymus vulgaris
Herb · Europe
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Traditionally used for coughs and bronchitis; thymol from the oil inhibits bacteria and fungi in the laboratory. There are some studies of thyme-based cough syrups.
Safety notes
Safe as a culinary herb. The essential oil is strongly irritant and toxic if swallowed; avoid in young children or pregnancy.
Cautions by tradition (4)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Oil not internally.
- Western herbalism: Not in pregnancy or with an overactive thyroid.
- Natural skin and hair care: Thyme oil is strong: always dilute well and do not use internally. Do not give honey to children under one year old.
- Western herbs in Chinese medicine: Do not apply essential oil undiluted to the skin and do not use it internally yourself, not even in syrup; no essential oil for children. With high fever or breathlessness in a child: see your GP.
Preparation
As a kitchen herb, tea, syrup or gargle; the oil only well diluted. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Ancient Egyptians used thyme in embalming; Roman soldiers reputedly bathed in it for courage. Thymol became a widely used antiseptic in the 19th century.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Antiseptic expectorant, antispasmodic, astringent, antimicrobial, diuretic, cough-suppressing, antibiotic, wound-healing; externally skin-stimulating.
Preparation and amount
With chamomile as a daily tea (1 tsp per cup); therapeutic for respiratory infections, a cold stomach and irritable bowel; tincture for diarrhoea; gargle for sore throat; warm compress for lung complaints and muscle pain; mouthwash for gum disease; syrup with liquorice for cough; diluted oil (10 drops in 20 ml water) on insect bites and infected wounds; 5 drops in the bath.
Caution: Oil not internally.
Western herbalism
Attributed effects
Induces sweating, tonic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative; soothes throat and airways (whooping cough, vocal cords), calms nerves and digestion, fights bacterial infections.
Preparation and amount
Tea: 1 tsp per cup, 8–10 min covered, 1–3 cups a day; tincture 5–30 drops 1–3 times a day; essential oil not neat on the skin.
Caution: Not in pregnancy or with an overactive thyroid.
Natural skin and hair care
Attributed effects
The thymol in thyme is antiseptic; the European Medicines Agency recognises its traditional use as a cough remedy for colds.
Preparation and amount
Internal: thyme in herbal honey and a cold-season tincture. External: thyme oil in toners, salves, shampoo and hair treatment (see the recipes).
Caution: Thyme oil is strong: always dilute well and do not use internally. Do not give honey to children under one year old.
Western herbs in Chinese medicine
- Nature and taste
- pungent, slightly bitter, slightly cold
- Meridians
- lung, stomach, liver
Attributed effects
Expels wind-heat and is good for the throat: a red, swollen, painful throat, fever, cough, headache and a nose blocked with thick yellow phlegm. Expels wind from the lungs and stops cough, including spasmodic cough; with the right combination usable for both heat and cold. Mild enough for children, including for intestinal cramps. Thymol from the essential oil is antiseptic and antispasmodic and is found in mouthwash and toothpaste. In Chinese medicine T. vulgaris is called she xiang cao (for cough, bronchitis with hoarseness and against hookworms). The related creeping thyme and Mongolian thyme (di jiao) are regarded as warm and slightly toxic and are used for cold in the stomach, abdominal pain, vomiting, cough from wind-cold, toothache and itching.
Preparation and amount
2–6 g as a strong infusion or 1–3 ml tincture (of fresh leaf; a fluid extract of dried leaf). Harvest late in the morning in spring or early summer, just before or during flowering. Dry the sprigs on a rack or newspaper out of direct sunlight and then strip the leaves from the stems. Well-dried leaf is whole, (dark) green and strongly fragrant, with hardly any stem. Gargle for sore throat: tincture or strong infusion with lemon juice and salt. For medicinal use choose Thymus vulgaris.
Combinations
- With oshá and black sage for sore throat from wind-heat
- With sundew tincture for spasmodic cough such as croup or barking cough in children
- With the formulas sang ju yin or zhi sou san for sore throat and cough from wind-heat
Caution: Do not apply essential oil undiluted to the skin and do not use it internally yourself, not even in syrup; no essential oil for children. With high fever or breathlessness in a child: see your GP.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Helps sleep, purifies the house, gives courage and willpower, attracts love, purification, psychic cleansing, divination, healing, improves memory, easier sleep, courage.
Herbal magic and rituals
Attributed effects
In herbal magic associated with courage, good sleep and purification.
Preparation and amount
Roman soldiers bathed in thyme water for courage, and medieval ladies embroidered a bee on a sprig of thyme on their knight's scarf. Thyme was planted on graves and used in embalming in Egypt. The name may come from the Greek thymos, 'courage' or 'spirit'.
Home, kitchen and folk use
Preparation and amount
Uplifting oil and health oil; herb bread, cheese and herb rice, polenta.