Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''

Thymus The thymus (: thymuses or thymi) is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, T cells mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. The thymus ...

'' of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the mint family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

. Thymes are native to

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medicinal, and ornamental uses. The species most commonly cultivated and used for culinary purposes is ''

Thymus vulgaris ''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme, German thyme, garden thyme or just thyme) is a species of flowering plant in the mint family (biology), family Lamiaceae, native plant, native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Ital ...

'', native to Southeast Europe.

History

Wild thyme grows in the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

, where it might have been first cultivated.

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ians used common thyme (''Thymus vulgaris'') for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

in their temples, believing it was a source of

courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

. The spread of thyme throughout Europe was thought to be due to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms and to "give an aromatic flavour to cheese and liqueurs". In the European

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan. In this period, women also often gave

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s and warriors gifts that included thyme leaves, as it was believed to bring courage to the bearer. Thyme was also used as incense and placed on coffins during funerals, as it was supposed to assure passage into the next life. The name of the genus of fish ''

Thymallus ''Thymallus'', commonly known as graylings, is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish and the only genus within the subfamily Thymallinae of the family Salmonidae. Although all ''Thymallus'' species can be generically called graylings, withou ...

'', first given to the grayling (''T. thymallus'', described in the 1758 edition of ''Systema Naturae'' by Swedish zoologist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

), originates from the faint smell of thyme that emanates from the flesh.

Cultivation

Thyme is best cultivated in a hot, sunny location with well-drained soil. It is generally planted in the spring, and thereafter grows as a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

. It can be propagated by seed, cuttings, or dividing rooted sections of the plant. It tolerates drought well. It can be pruned after flowering to keep from getting woody.

Culinary use

Thyme is a common component of the '' bouquet garni'', and of '' herbes de Provence''. Thyme is sold both fresh and dried. While summer-seasonal, fresh greenhouse thyme is often available year-round. The fresh form is more flavourful but also less convenient; storage life is rarely more than a week. However, the fresh form can last many months if carefully frozen, and thyme retains its flavour on drying better than many other herbs. Fresh thyme is commonly sold in bunches of sprigs. A sprig is a single stem snipped from the plant. It is composed of a woody stem with paired leaf or flower clusters ("leaves") spaced apart. A recipe may measure thyme by the bunch (or fraction thereof), or by the sprig, or by the tablespoon or teaspoon. Dried thyme is widely used in Armenia in tisanes. Depending on how it is used in a dish, the whole sprig may be used, or the leaves removed and the stems discarded. Usually, when a recipe mentions a bunch or sprig, it means the whole form; when it mentions spoons, it means the leaves. It is perfectly acceptable to substitute dried for whole thyme. Leaves may be removed from stems either by scraping with the back of a knife, or by pulling through the fingers or tines of a fork. In Moroccan tradition, dried figs are elevated with the infusion of minty leaves. After softening in a couscous pot, the figs are rested with additional minty leaves before being sprinkled with thyme for a delightful flavor enhancement and preservation in sealed containers.

Chemical and antimicrobial properties

The chemical composition of ''Thymus'' (thyme) includes a variety of essential oils, flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpenes, and other compounds. The essential oils found in thyme include thymol, which is a major component responsible for the plant's antiseptic properties, and carvacrol, another primary component with similar functions. Other essential oils present are p-cymene, γ-terpinene, linalool, and 1,8-cineole. Gas chromatographic analysis reveals that the most abundant volatile component of thyme leaves is thymol, at 8.55mg/g. Other components are

carvacrol Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3(CH3)(OH)C3H7, is a monoterpene, monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano. Natural occurrence Carvacrol is present in the essential oil of ''Origanum vulgare'' (oregano), oil of t ...

, linalool,

α-terpineol Terpineol is any of four isomeric monoterpene, monoterpenoids. Terpenoids are terpene that are modified by the addition of a functional group, in this case, an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol. Terpineols have been isolated from a variety of sources ...

, and 1,8- cineole. Some of these compounds have beneficial properties. In particular, thymol has been historically used as an

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

and

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

, especially in traditional medicine. Oil of thyme, the

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

of common thyme, contains 20–54% thymol.''Thymus Vulgaris. PDR for Herbal Medicine''. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company. p. 1184. Thymol is an active ingredient in various commercially produced mouthwashes, such as Listerine. Flavonoids in thyme include luteolin-7-O-glucoside, a glycoside known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as apigenin, quercetin, and kaempferol. Phenolic acids such as rosmarinic acid, which is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities, along with caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, are also present in thyme. Triterpenes, such as oleanolic acid and ursolic acid, are part of thyme's composition, contributing to its overall health benefits. Additionally, thyme contains tannins, which contribute to its astringent properties, as well as saponins and other minor compounds.

Important species and cultivars

Variegated Lemon Thyme Thymus citriodorus variegata Leaves 3264px

* '' Thymus citriodorus'' – various lemon thymes, orange thymes, lime thyme * '' Thymus herba-barona'' (caraway thyme) is used both as a culinary herb and a ground cover, and has a very strong caraway scent due to the chemical carvone. * '' Thymus praecox'' (mother of thyme, wild thyme), is cultivated as an ornamental, but is in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

also gathered as a wild herb for cooking, and drunk as a warm infusion. * '' Thymus pseudolanuginosus'' (woolly thyme) is not a culinary herb, but is grown as a ground cover. * '' Thymus serpyllum'' (wild thyme, creeping thyme) is an important

nectar source A nectar source is a flowering plant that produces nectar (plant), nectar as part of its reproductive strategy. These plants create nectar, which attract pollinating insects and sometimes other animals such as birds. Nectar source plants are imp ...

plant for honeybees. All thyme species are nectar sources, but wild thyme covers large areas of droughty, rocky soils in southern Europe (both

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and Malta are especially famous for wild thyme honey) and North Africa, as well as in similar landscapes in the

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

and

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

of the northeastern US. The lowest growing of the widely used thyme is good for walkways. It is also an important caterpillar food plant for large and common blue butterflies. * ''

'' (common thyme, English thyme, summer thyme, winter thyme, French thyme, or garden thyme) is a commonly used culinary herb. Common thyme is a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

perennial which is best suited to well-drained soils and full sun.

History

Cultivation

Culinary use

Chemical and antimicrobial properties

Important species and cultivars

References

Further reading