Thyme
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Thyme is the general name for the many herbs of the Thymus species, all of which are small perennial plants native to Europe and Asia. Common or garden thyme, Thymus vulgaris L., is considered the principal type and is utilized commercially for flowering and ornamental purposes. This low-growing woody shrub has gray-green leaves and white, pink, or purple flowers. Thyme is produced and collected in most European countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece, and in the western United States (11.1-128). The three principal varieties of thyme are English, French, and German, and they differ in leaf shape, leaf color, and essential oil composition. 11
The species of thyme most commonly used in food is Thymus vulgaris, but there are hundreds of species of thyme including English thyme, French thyme, and lemon thyme, a yellowish variety which has a strong lemon scent and flavor. In all cases, it is the small, tender leaves of thyme which are used for seasoning, while the thin, woody, and sometimes wiry stems are avoided. The small clusters of white to pale purple flowers, which form distinctive balls at the end of the stems, are also usually avoided for cooking, although they are sometimes used in teas and herb sachets. 6
Thyme is an incredibly useful herb. You can use it in recipes or as a cough suppressant; it attracts beneficial insects, like bees; and it grows just as well on a windowsill as it does in your garden beds. This perennial herb will grow in Zones 5 through 9 and reaches about 1 foot high. Although thyme comes in both upright and prostrate forms, you should choose upright varieties for cooking because low-growing types are often gritty with rain-splashed soil. 2
Thyme is used for flavoring cheeses, soups, stews, stuffings, meats, fishes, dressings, sauces, and honey. The essential oil and oleoresin of thyme are also used in the flavor and food industries. The oil is used in the flavoring of toothpaste, mouthwashes, and cough medicines. The oil is also used in the manufacture of perfumes and cosmetics. Leaves and flowering tops are used in sachets. Thyme has antioxidant properties (6.4-104, 11.1-128). The plant is grown as an ornamental in rock gardens and along walks, paths, and borders. Thyme plants are attractive to bees, and thyme honey is a well-known and popular variety. 11
History, Description, and Chemical Composition.?These two plants are natives of Europe, introduced into this country, and extensively cultivated in gardens as culinary plants, especially the T. vulgaris. They blossom during the summer. The whole herb is used. It should be collected when in flower, and carefully dried. It has a strong, pungent, spicy, rather pleasant taste and odor, both of which are retained by careful drying. These properties are due to a reddish-brown volatile oil (red oil of thyme), procured by distilling the plant with water. Its specific gravity is similar to that of the oil of origanum, for which it is frequently substituted. The rectified oil is known as white oil of thyme (see Oleum Thymi and Thymol). The herb yields its virtues to alcohol, or to boiling water by infusion. 49
Thyme flowers comes in pink, lavender, crimson, or white, and the plant makes both a windowsill herb and an outdoor edging plant. Thyme works well as a groudcover and tolerates light traffic. Bees like the tiny blossoms. The dried flowers have been used to preserve linen from insects. Leaves and flowers are ingredients in sachets. 39
All these differences give rise to a variety of exotic names for the various cultivars such as Golden King, Silver Queen, Archer’s Gold, Rainbow Falls, Pink Ripple, Goldstream, Lemon Curd, Silver Posie, and Highland Cream. The leaves have unique aromas providing a variety of odors such as pine scent, a camphor-like scent, caraway scent, lemon, orange, tangerine, celery, or a eucalyptus-like scent. The unique aromas and flavors of the various thyme plants are the result of subtle differences in the terpenoid composition of the essential oil they contain. 41
Thymol - named after the herb itself - is the primary volatile oil constituent of thyme, and its health-supporting effects are well documented. In studies on aging in rats, thymol has been found to protect and significantly increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell membranes and other cell structures. In particular, the amount of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes was increased after dietary supplementation with thyme. In other studies looking more closely at changes in the brains cells themselves, researchers found that the maximum benefits of thyme occurred when the food was introduced very early in the lifecycle of the rats, but was less effective in offsetting the problems in brain cell aging when introduced late in the aging process. 5
Fresh garden thyme and lemon thyme can generally be bought in bunches from fresh produce retailers. The robustness of this plant makes the prospect of buying wilted thyme almost inconceivable, the reverse being more likely; if thyme is kept too moist, the leaves will start to blacken and lose their flavor. Sprays of thyme will keep for over a week in the refrigerator. The leaves can be stripped off and frozen with a little water in ice-cube trays and sprigs wrapped in foil will freeze and keep for a few mouths. 12
Thyme requires relatively little care, doing best in direct sun with little water. Since leaves are the desired product, soils rich in nitrogen are most desirable. Well-drained soil is mandatory as the plant is susceptible to fungal diseases. Protect plants from deep frost with a mulch. Low, creeping thyme ground covers withstand winters better than bushy varieties, but they are vulnerable to poor soil drainage. 39
Closely related to Garden Thyme, aromatic French Summer Thyme has more narrow, pointed leaves with a bit of a gray tint. The famed culinary thyme from France, it is higher in essential oil content than other varieties which means more and better flavor. A bit less hardy than Garden Thyme, perennial French Summer Thyme will thrive in horticultural zone 6 and warmer but should be brought indoors in colder climates once there is a threat of frost. 38
Thyme is a small shrubby plant with a strong, spicy taste and odour. It grows numerous woody, quadrangular stems which are finely haired and are 6 to 10 inches tall. The leaves are slightly downy on top and are very downy underneath, and have slightly rolled edges. The small flowers grow in head-like clusters and are bluish-purple in colour. They bloom from May to September. 26
To make a tea, use two teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water and steep for ten minutes. Add sage to the tea if you have a nagging cough. The Food and Drug Administration includes thyme on its list of herbs generally regarded as safe, but large doses may cause intestinal problems. If you experience diarrhea or bloating, cut back on the amount you’re using or discontinue use altogether. 13
Companion Plants: Plant thyme in around your vegetables and ornamental flowers and you may find that the thyme serves to repel harmful insects from the other plants. Otherwise consider other herbs or spring flowering plants such as lavender, dill, garden phlox, roses, chamomile or coreopsis. 46
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 6/29/1997; ANNETTE GOOCH; 392 words; Thyme’s gracefully modest appearance in the garden or produce market cover-up for the herb’s potency. A member of the mint family, thyme is notably pungent, especially when fresh. Even dried, its other herbs and seasonings. 21
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