Thyme

the herb of thyme (Thymi vulgaris herba)

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a low, woody subshrub with small grey-green leaves and pale violet flowers, which stays green in the bush through the winter. It is native to the sunny hillsides of the Mediterranean; here it is grown in gardens and in pots. It needs sun and dry, well drained soil, and barely tolerates feeding.

The flowering herb is gathered, that is the upper third of the shoots with their flowers, in the morning in dry weather, once the dew has dried and the essential oil is at its highest. It is cut with shears above the woody part, or the plant does not shoot again well. It is dried in the shade, in a thin layer and at a temperature below 35 degrees, because above that the scent is lost. It is dried properly when the leaves crumble on rubbing and the stems snap instead of bending.

It is told from wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum), its wild relative, by its upright growth and stronger scent; both appear in Father Simon Ašič's collection and they are not interchangeable.

Use and evidence

The EMA recognises the herb as a traditional expectorant for a productive cough with a cold; some combined preparations with cowslip have a further basis. It does not treat pneumonia or whooping cough. EMA 1, EMA 2.