Project Description
(Thymus vulgaris)
A commonly grown garden herb with many benefits.
The flowers and the leaves can be used for their medical qualities and in food for a delicious flavour and a great anti oxidant.
Actions: Anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti oxidant and antimicrobial. It is also has expectorant and spasmolytic actions so beneficial for any types of cough such as bronchitis, whooping coughs, asthma and healing common colds. Can be used in herbal preparation as a soothing gargle for sore throats and tonsillitis.
I use this herb often when treating patients with mould illness and mould sensitivities in combination with other anti fungal and soothing herbs.
Due to its many medicinal properties this is also a wonderful general herb for gut health especially diarrhoea when gut dysbiosis (unbalanced bacteria) is present.
A recent study in February 2018, showed preventative and therapeutic effects in acute lung injuries (ALI) of Thyme’s active constituent Thymol, reducing IL-6 and TNF-alpha. These inflammatory markers are commonly high in patients with mould illness, chest infections and stealth infections such as Lyme disease (1).
There are many more scientific studies referenced on PubMed proving the anti-fungal properties of essential oils thyme and its active constituent thymol (2).
Anti inflammatory activities are also shown in studies reducing pro-inflammatory mediators TNF-alpha, IL-1B and IL-6 and increased anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine (3) which is often low in patients with chronic inflammatory symptoms such as Lyme disease and mould illness.
References:
1. Wan L1, Meng D2, Wang H1, Wan S3, Jiang S2, Huang S2, Wei L4, Yu P5. Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of Thymol in a Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury Mice Model. Inflammation. 2018 Feb;41(1):183-192. doi: 10.1007/s10753-017-0676-4.
2. Segvić Klarić M1, Kosalec I, Mastelić J, Piecková E, Pepeljnak S.
Let Antifungal activity of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil and thymol against moulds from damp dwellings. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2007 Jan;44(1):36-42.
3.Ocaña*and G. Reglero Effects of Thyme Extract Oils (from Thymus vulgaris, Thymus zygis,and Thymus hyemalis) on Cytokine Production and Gene Expression of oxLDL-Stimulated THP-1-Macrophages, J Obes. 2012; 2012: 104706. Published online 2012 Apr 17. doi: 10.1155/2012/104706,
