Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Tried and True

Family: Labiatae; (includes Mints)

Genus and Species: Thymus Vulgaris, T. Serpyllum

Also known as: Common or garden thyme (T. Vulgaris); Wild, Creeping, Mother, and mother of Thyme (T. Serpyllum)

Parts used: Leaves and flower tops

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and Listerine? Or perhaps Vicks Vaporub. Thyme is commonly found in the kitchen herb cabinet, but millions of Americans stock this herb’s oil in their medicine chest as well. Its use in mouthwashes and decongestants is no coincidence. Thyme has a long history of use as an antiseptic, cough remedy, and digestive aid,

Herbed Sacrificial Lamb

Like several other aromatic kitchen herbs, thyme was used as a meat preservative in ancient times, It was sprinkled on sacrificial animals to make them more acceptable to the gods. Thyme was introduced into cooking as an offshoot of its meatpreserving action. The Romans also used it medicinally as a cough remedy, digestive aid, and treatment for intestinal worms.

Charlemagne ordered thyme grown in all his imperial gardens for both its culinary and medicinal value. Medieval German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen considered it the herb of choice for skin problems, anticipating its later use as an antiseptic.

Signs of Courage

During the Middle Ages, thyme became linked to courage. it was fashionable for noblewomen to embroider sprigs of thyme on scarves and give them to favorite knights departing for the Crusades.

As the centuries passed, thyme was used as an antiseptic during plagues, and those troubled by “melancholia” (depression) were advised to sleep on thyme-stuffed pillows.

Early anatomists named the lymph gland in the chest the thymus because it reminded them of a thyme flower.

Sixteenth-century herbalist John Gerard recommended thyme for leprosy and to “cure sciatica … pains in the head … [and] falling sickness [epilepsy].”

Later. English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper called thyme “excellent for nervous disorders … headaches … and a certain remedy for that troublesome complaint. the nightmare.” He claimed it “provokes the terms I menstruation I, gives safe and speedy delivery to women in travail [labor], and brings away the after-birth.” Culpeper also recommended thyme as “a noble strengthener of the lungs … an excellent remedy for shortness of breath … It purges the body of phlegm … comforts the stomach much and expels wind.”

Thymol Antiseptic Oil

By the late 17th century, apothecary shops were selling thyme oil as a topical antiseptic under the name oil of origanum. in 1719, German chemist Caspar Neumann extracted thyme oil’s active constituent which he called camphor of thyme. In 1853, French chemist M. Lallemand named it thymol, its name today.

From the mid-19th century through World War I, thymol enjoyed great popularity as an antiseptic. The American Eclectic physicians’ text, King’s American Dispensatory, extolled it: “Thymol is considered by many to be superior to carbolic acid I the antiseptic made famous in 1867 by the father of antiseptic surgery, Joseph Lister}. It prevents putrefaction and arrests it when it has commenced … Dissolved in water, it forms an invaluable disinfectant [fori sick rooms.” The Eclectics also prescribed thyme infusion for headache, gastrointestinal upsets, “hysteria” (menstrual cramps), and as a menstruation promoter.

World War Crisis

World War I caused a major thymol crisis. Most of the world’s supply was distilled in Germany, and when the British and French declared war on Germany, they had to scramble to overcome a terrible shortage of the suddenly vital battlefield antiseptic.

Thymol has since been replaced by more potent germ fighters, but it remains an ingredient in several antiseptic mouthwashes, including Listerine.

Contemporary herbalists recommend thyme externally for wound disinfection and internally for indigestion, sore throat, laryngitis, cough, whooping cough, and nervousness.

Fame and Simon & Garfunkel

While somewhat off-topic thyme found 20th century fame in the arts by song writers Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel. The herb made fame through a song Scarborough Fair/Canticle and a reworking of Simon’s 1963 song “The Side of a Hill” with new, anti-war lyrics. It was the title track of the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and was released as a single after featuring on the soundtrack to The Graduate in 1968.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
(a hill in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
(tracing of sparrow on snow-crested brown)
Without no seams nor needle work,
(blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine.
(sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land,
(on the side of a hill a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
(washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand,
(a soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine.
(sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather,
(war bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
(general order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather,
(and to fight for a cause they’ve long ago forgotten)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.

Thyme’s aromatic oil contains two chemicals-thymol and carvacol-that account for its medicinal value. Both chemicals have preservative, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. They also have expectorant properties and may be useful as digestive aids.

Antiseptic - Thyme fights several disease-causing bacteria and fungi in the test tube, supporting its traditional use as an antiseptic, though infusions of the dried herb are nowhere near as powerful as the oil or distilled thymol. Still, for garden first aid, you can crush some fresh leaves into minor cuts and scrapes on the way to washing and bandaging them.

Digestive Aid - Some studies show thymol and carvacol relax the smooth muscle tissue of the gastrointestinal tract, making thyme an antispasmodic. This action of these chemical constituents lend support to thyme’s traditional use as a digestive aid.

Women’s Health - Antispasmodics relax not only the digestive tract but other smooth muscles, such as the uterus, as well. Small amounts may help relieve menstrual cramps, lending credence to the Eclectic physicians’ use of this herb But in large amounts, thyme oil and thymol are considered uterine stimulants.

Pregnant women may use thyme as a culinary spice, but they should avoid large amounts and should not use the herb’s oil.

Cough Remedy - German researchers have lent support to thyme’s traditional use as a phlegrn-loosener (expectorant), and in Germany today, where herbal medicine is considerably more mainstream than it is in the United States, thyme preparations are frequently prescribed to relax the respiratory tract and treat cough, whooping cough, and emphysema. German medical herbalist Rudolph Fritz Weiss, M.D., writes:

“Thyme is to the trachea [windpipe] and the bronchi what peppermint is to the stomach and intestines.”

Rx for Thyme

For garden accidents, crush fresh leaves into the wound on the way to washing and bandaging it. Once wounds have been thoroughly washed, apply a few drops of thyme tincture as an antiseptic.

For an infusion to help settle the stomach, soothe a cough, or possibly help relieve menstrual symptoms, use 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day. Thyme tastes pleasantly aromatic with a faint clove-like aftertaste.

In a tincture, take ½ to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day.

Medicinal preparations of thyme should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Use the herb, not its oil. Even a few teaspoons of thyme oil can be toxic, causing headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness, thyroid impairment, and heart and respiratory depression.

One animal study showed thyme suppresses thyroid activity in rats. Those with thyroid conditions should consult their physicians before taking medicinal doses.

Thyme and thyme oil may cause a rash in sensitive individuals.

Other Cautions

The Food and Drug Administration includes thyme in its list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who do not have thyroid problems, thyme is considered safe in amounts typically recommended.

Thyme should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If thyme causes minor discomforts, such as headache or nausea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Time to Grow Thyme

Thyme is an aromatic, perennial. many-branched, groundcover shrub that reaches about 12 inches. It has small, opposite, virtually stalkless leaves and lilac or pink flowers that bloom in midsummer.

This hardy herb can be propagated from seeds, cuttings, and root divisions. Seeds require a temperature around 70°F to germinate and often do best when started indoors. For cuttings, snip 3-inch pieces from stems with new growth and place them in wet sand. Roots should appear in about two weeks. The best time for root division is in spring. Uproot a plant carefully, preserving as much of its root soil as possible. Divide it in half or thirds and replant the divisions 12 inches apart in moist soil.

Once established, thyme requires little care. It prefers welldrained soil on the dry side. Clumps tend to become woody after a few years. To prevent this, roots should be divided periodically. Wetting thyme leaves during watering reduces their fragrance. Thyme survives frost, but in areas with cold winters, use mulch. Thyme may be killed if winter temperatures drop below 10°F.

Harvest the leaves and flower tops just before the flowers bloom. Dry and store them in airtight containers to preserve the herb’s oil.