Thyme

Thyme
Broad leaved Thyme Thymus pulegioides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Thymus L.
Species
About 350 species

Thyme is the common name for any of the about 350 species of aromatic, perennial herbs and low shrubs comprising the flowering plant genus Thymus of the mint family (Lamiaceae or Labiatae), and especially the common or garden thyme, Thymus vulgaris, whose leaves are popularly used as a seasoning and whose essential oil is used medicinally. Another well-known thyme species is T. serpyllum, known variously as wild thyme, creeping thyme, or mother of thyme, which also is used as a culinary and medicinal herb and an important nectar source for honeybees. The term thyme also is used more specifically to refer to the dried leaves of those varieties of thyme used for seasoning.

seasoning medicine aesthetic

Description

Lamiaceae (or or Labiatae), the flowering plant family to which thyme belongs, has about 210 genera and some 3,500 species. Lamiaceae plants are frequently aromatic in all parts and include many widely used culinary herbs in addition to thyme, such as mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, basil, lavender, and perilla. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, owing not only to their aromatic qualities but also their ease of cultivation: these plants are among the easiest plants to propagate by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage, such as coleus and snow-on-the-mountain. Others are grown for food purposes, but seeds are utilized instead of leaves, such as with chia. The leaves emerge oppositely, each pair at right angles to the previous one (called decussate) or whorled. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with 5 united petals, 5 united sepals.

Wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum

Thymus is a genus of about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and sub-shrubs to 40 centimeters (cm) tall, in Lamiaceae and native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. A number of species have different chemotypes. The stems tend to be narrow or even wiry; the leaves are evergreen in most species, arranged in opposite pairs, oval, entire, and small, 4-20 millimeters (mm) long. The flowers are in dense terminal heads, with an uneven calyx, with the upper lip three-lobed, and the lower cleft; the corolla is tubular, 4-10 mm long, and white, pink or purple.

Thymus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) insect species including Chionodes distinctella and the Coleophora case-bearers C. lixella, C. niveicostella, C. serpylletorum and C. struella (the latter three feed exclusively on Thymus).

History

Thyme has been used since ancient times for its culinary, medicinal, and even presumed magical qualities (Hanrahan and Odle 2005). Ancient Egyptians used thyme in embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a source of courage. (Courage is "thumus" in Greek, and may be the inspiration for the generic name (Hanrahan and Odle 2005)). Greek men would rub the herb on their chests (Hanrahan and Odle 2005). Tradition also held that an infusion of thyme taken on a midsummer's eve as a tea would enable one to see fairies dancing (Hanrahan and Odle 2005).

It was thought that the spread of thyme throughout Europe was thanks to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms and to "give an aromatic flavor to cheese" and liqueurs" (Grieve 1931). There also was a belief among the Romans believed that thyme added to bath water would impart energy (Hanrahan and Odle 2005). The Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder recommended the burning of the dry herb in the home to "put to flight all venomous creatures" (Hanrahan and Odle 2005).

In the European Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares (Huxley 1992). In this period, women would also often give knights 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 (ECGN 2008).

Thyme has been used for centuries for seasoning of foods, and also long recognized for its antiseptic properties (Hanrahan and Odle 2005). It was used in sickrooms to help stop the spread of disease and the essential oil was used on surgical dressings and to treat battle wounds even as recently as World War I (Hanrahan and Odle 2005).

Cultivation

Thyme is widely cultivated as it was grown for its strong flavour, which is due to its content of thymol.

Thyme likes a hot sunny location with good-draining soil. It is planted in the spring and thereafter grows as a perennial. It can be propagated by seed, cuttings, or by dividing rooted sections of the plant. It tolerates drought well.

Thyme retains its flavour on drying better than many other herbs.

Species and cultivars

The following are some of the well-known species of thyme:

• Thymus vulgaris (common thyme or garden thyme) is a commonly used culinary herb. It also has medicinal uses. Common thyme is a Mediterranean perennial which is best suited to well-drained soils and enjoys full sun.
• Thymus herba-barona (caraway thyme) is used both as a culinary herb and a groundcover, and has a strong caraway scent due to the chemical carvone.
• Thymus × citriodorus (citrus thyme; a hybrid of T. pulegioides × T. vulgaris) is also a popular culinary herb, with cultivars selected with flavours of various Citrus fruit (lemon thyme, etc.)
• Thymus pseudolanuginosus (woolly thyme) is not a culinary herb, but is grown as a ground cover.
• Thymus serpyllum (wild thyme, creeping thyme, mother of thyme, and mountain thyme) is an important nectar source plant for honeybees. All thyme species are nectar sources, but wild thyme covers large areas of droughty, rocky soils in southern Europe (Greece is especially famous for wild thyme honey) and North Africa, as well as in similar landscapes in the Berkshire Mountains and Catskill Mountains of the northeastern US.

There also are a number of different cultivars of thyme with established or growing popularity, including:

• Lemon thyme — actually smells lemony
• Variegated lemon thyme — with bi-color leaves
• Orange thyme — an unusually low-growing, ground cover thyme that smells like orange
• Creeping thyme — the lowest-growing of the widely used thymes, good for walkways
• Silver thyme — white/cream variegated
• English thyme — the most common
• Summer thyme — unusually strong flavor

The following is a general listing of some of the more well-known species of Thymus.

Thymus adamovicii Thymus altaicus Thymus amurensis Thymus bracteosus Thymus broussonetii Thymus caespititius Thymus camphoratus Thymus capitatus Thymus capitellatus Thymus camphoratus Thymus carnosus Thymus cephalotus Thymus cherlerioides Thymus ciliatus Thymus cilicicus Thymus cimicinus Thymus comosus Thymus comptus Thymus curtus

Thymus decussatus Thymus disjunctus Thymus doerfleri Thymus glabrescens Thymus herba-barona Thymus hirsutus Thymus hyemalis Thymus inaequalis Thymus integer Thymus lanuginosus Thymus leucotrichus Thymus longicaulis Thymus longiflorus Thymus mandschuricus Thymus marschallianus Thymus mastichina Thymus membranaceus Thymus mongolicus Thymus montanus

Thymus moroderi Thymus nervulosus Thymus nummularis Thymus odoratissimus Thymus pallasianus Thymus pannonicus Thymus praecox Thymus proximus Thymus pseudolanuginosus Thymus pulegioides Thymus quinquecostatus Thymus richardii Thymus serpyllum Thymus striatus Thymus thracicus Thymus villosus Thymus vulgaris Thymus zygis

Culinary use

Thyme is used most widely in cooking. Thyme is a basic ingredient in Spanish, French, Italian, Turkish and Persian cuisines, and in those derived from them. It is also widely used in Lebanese and Caribbean cuisines.

Thyme is often used to flavour meats, soups and stews. It has a particular affinity to and is often used as a primary flavour with lamb, tomatoes and eggs.

Thyme, while flavourful, does not overpower and blends well with other herbs and spices. In French cuisine, along with bay and parsley it is a common component of the bouquet garni, and of herbes de Provence. In some Middle Eastern countries, the condiment za'atar contains thyme as a vital ingredient.

Fresh, Powdered, and Dry

Thyme is sold both fresh and dried. The fresh form is more flavorful but also less convenient; storage life is rarely more than a week. While summer-seasonal, fresh thyme is often available year-round.

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 ½ to 1" apart. A recipe may measure thyme by the bunch (or fraction thereof), or by the sprig, or by the tablespoon or teaspoon. If the recipe does not specify fresh or dried, assume that it means fresh.

Depending on how it is used in a dish, the whole sprig may be used (e.g. in a bouquet garni), or the leaves removed and the stems discarded. Usually when a recipe specifies 'bunch' or 'sprig' it means the whole form; when it specifies 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. Leaves are often chopped.

Thyme retains its flavour on drying better than many other herbs. Dried, and especially powdered thyme occupies less space than fresh, so less of it is required when substituted in a recipe. As a rule of thumb, use one third as much dried as fresh thyme - a little less if it is ground. Substitution is often more complicated than that because recipes can specify sprigs and sprigs can vary in yield of leaves. Assuming a 4" sprig (they are often somewhat longer), estimate that 6 sprigs will yield one tablespoon of leaves. The dried equivalent is 1:3, so substitute 1 teaspoon of dried or ¾ tsp of ground thyme for 6 small sprigs.

As with bay, thyme is slow to release its flavours so it is usually added early in the cooking process.

Medicinal Use

The essential oil of common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is made up of 20-55% thymol. Thymol, an antiseptic, is the main active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash. Before the advent of modern antibiotics, it was used to medicate bandages. It has also been shown to be effective against the fungus that commonly infects toenails.

A tea made by infusing the herb in water can be used for cough and bronchitis. Medicinally thyme is used for respiratory infections in the form of a tincture, tisane, salve, syrup or by steam inhalation^{[citation needed]}. Because it is antiseptic, thyme boiled in water and cooled is very effective against inflammation of the throat when gargled 3 times a day.^{[citation needed]} The inflammation will normally disappear in 2 - 5 days. Other infections and wounds can be dripped with thyme that has been boiled in water and cooled.^{[citation needed]}

In traditional Jamaican childbirth practice, thyme tea is given to the mother after delivery of the baby. Its oxytocin-like effect causes uterine contractions and more rapid delivery of the placenta but this was said by Sheila Kitzinger^{[citation needed]} to cause an increased prevalence of retained placenta.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

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• Longe, J. L. 2005. The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Farmington Hills, Mich: Thomson/Gale, ISBN 0787693960

• S. S. Tawfik, M. I. Abbady, Ahmed M. Zahran and A. M. K. ‎Abouelalla. Therapeutic Efficacy Attained with Thyme ‎Essential Oil Supplementation Throughout γ-irradiated ‎Rats. Egypt. J. Rad. Sci. Applic., 19(1): 1-22 (2006).‎‏ ‏‎ ‎

• Flora of China: Thymus
• Flora Europaea: Thymus
• Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
• Rohde, E. S. (1920). A Garden of Herbs.

External links

• Herb teas and old remedies: Thyme (fr. with translator)
• Plants for a Future, database entry
• 'A Modern Herbal' (Grieves 1931)
• Website dedicated to Thyme, including research on nomenclature, synonyms list, thyme in the wild, growing thyme in the garden, Plant Portraits. (Margaret Easter, Thymus ICRA)

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