THYME (THYMUS VULGARIS) has a centuries-long history of use in both the pharmacy and kitchen. Thyme, strongly aromatic, is well-known as a seasoning and is added to most of our major dishes. For example, jerk, the most famous culinary export item of Jamaica (besides rum, of course), often contains thyme.
For fresh use, the flavour is best when thyme is picked just before flowering. For chicken and fish marinades, bruise fresh sprigs of thyme and tarragon and combine with red-wine vinegar and olive oil.
Thyme is a perennial native to the Mediterranean. Leaves are dark gray-green in colour, and pale pink flowers bloom at the tips of the stems. Once established, the only care required is regular pruning of the plants and removal of dead flowers. To dry, cut the stems just as the flowers start to open and hang in small bunches. Harvest sparingly the first year.
This fragrant, ground-hugging shrub was grown in monastery gardens in southern Europe during the Middle Ages for use as a cough remedy, digestive aid, and treatment for intestinal parasites. Thyme is still being used medicinally. Thyme kills bacteria and fungi, loosens phlegm and relieves
coughs. It is also used as an antiseptic, spasmolytic, tonic, or as an antihelmintic.
The key constituents of thyme include flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, eriodicytol), tannins and volatile oils (thymol, methylchavicol, cineole, borneol). Lemon thyme, Thymus citriodorus, contains an essential oil rich in geraniol (up to 60 per cent) and citral (14 per cent) Flavour Fragrance Journal, 10, 225,1995.
A solution of thyme's most active ingredient, thymol, is used in such over-the-counter products as Listerine mouthwash and Vicks VapoRub. "Thymol is added to these products because of its well-known antibacterial and antifungal properties," explains Dr. Brian Lawrence, editor of the Journal of Essential Oil Research.
Eriodicytol, a flavonoid in thyme was found to be antioxidative. It inhibited superoxide anion production in the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system and protected red cells against oxidative haemolysis.
Thymol apparently also has a therapeutic effect on the lungs. "The oil from the leaves of this plant, when ingested or inhaled, helps to loosen phlegm and relax the muscles in the respiratory tract," explains Dr. Norman
Farnsworth, director of the Programme for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chicago.
In Germany, where herbal medicine is considerably more mainstream than it is in the US, concoctions of thyme are frequently prescribed for coughs, including those resulting from whooping cough, bronchitis, and emphysema.
These days, you are most likely to find thyme in 'cold formula' herbal teas or remedies for coughs. In addition, thyme has antifungal properties and can be used against athlete's foot.
To use thyme safely and effectively, brew a tea or infusion, Dr. Farnsworth suggests. Use two teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water, and steep for 10 minutes. Add sage to the tea if you have a nagging cough. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, includes thyme on its list of herbs generally regarded as safe.
As with many herbs, though, too large a dose may produce intestinal problems. If you experience diarrhoea or bloating, cut back on the amount which you are using or discontinue use altogether. And make sure you take thyme as tea, not as oil. Undiluted thyme oil can be toxic, causing headache, nausea, vomiting, and weakness, as well as thyroid, heart, and lung problems. It is safe to use thyme as a seasoning during pregnancy, but strong medicinal doses should be avoided if there is any possibility that you are pregnant. A stronger tea is useful as a mouthwash or rinse to treat sore gums.
Dr. Sylvia Mitchell, research fellow (Graduate School), Biotechnology Centre, University of the West Indies, Mona. email:smitchel@uwimona.edu.jm.
