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PROPERTIES OF THYME

 

Thyme medicinal plant





 

 


 

A detail of the plant

Daniel Martínez Bou

Common noun: Thyme
Scientific noun: Thymus vulgaris L.
Habitat: By the side of the roads and shrubs.
Characteristics : Perennial aromatic bush of the mint family - labiatae - up to 30 cm. Ligneous, grayish stems. Lanceolate or ovate leaves, undivided, stalked, white velvety below and with the margins rolled inwards. Pink or white flowers, with the upper lip cleft, the lower one divided in three lopes. Reddish, velvet- like calyx.

Components::

  • Acids: oleic, palmitic, nicotinic, linoleic acids. ( plant) Ascorbic acid (leaves)
  • Essential oils: thymol, anethole and borneol ( leaves) , carvacrol and cineole (plant)
  • Amino acids: cystine, valine, glycine, isoleucine (plant)
  • Metals and minerals: aluminium, calcium, cobalt and magnesium ( leaves); iron (plant)

Medicinal properties :

 

Internal use

 

- Digestive, carminative and antiputrid: It favors digestion, avoiding gastric and intestinal spasms, besides preventing aerophagia and flatulence (Infusion of a teaspoon of floriferous summits in a cup of water. Drink 3 cups a day after meals.) ( Maceration of a handful of flowers in a litre of white wine. Take a little cup after meals)

 

- Digestive stimulator: The essence of the plant increases appetite, being specially suitable in case of anorexia.( Add some flowers to any cooked meals)

- Antiseptic ,pectoral and expectorant: It can be use to relieve sore throat ( Gargles with the preparation of an infusion of dry flowers in a litre of water) or when having a pain in the breast or cough . ( Drink 3 cups of the infusion of a teaspoon of dry flowers per cup) (You can drink the syrup made with a spoonful of thyme and two spoonfuls of chamomile in a litre of water till it becomes reduced to a third. Add some sugar or honey and take 3 tea spoonfuls a day.)

- Mouth:Having mouth disorders, as inflammations, wounds, bad breath ( Gargles with the preparation seen above)

- Cicatrizant - antiseptic: Clean the wounds with the liquid resulting from a heavy infusion of floral summits three or four times a day)

- Sedative and soft somniferous: Being anxious or exhausted, feeling tired or unable to sleep, you can take a sedative bath, by adding in the water a good quantity of infusion made with thyme flowers. ( Amino acid lysine, which can become crucial for the youth to attain a normal growth, is very suitable here. Lacking it may lead, among another symptoms, to become tired.) ( A light infusion , in a proportion of a tea spoonful per cup of water can help to sleep better.)

Another uses

- Kitchen spice : In the kitchen it can be used to increase taste in dishes, giving them a different flavor and enhancing their medicinal properties. It has also been used to flavor cheese, or even to eat their tender sprouts. The presence of niacin improves blood circulation, reduces cholesterol and avoids indigestion, a disorder often related with the lack of this element in the body.

- Mosquito repellent: Having alcohols and essential oils ( specially carvacrol that has an industrial use as disinfectant and fungicide) it can be considered together with basil a good mosquito repellent , so that you can have it at home, placing it on a windowsill, in order to these insects not to approach so much to houses.

- Industrial oil essences:: From eat oil essence industry extracts some products as anethole, used in the perfume industry or carvacrol , previously referred.

Toxicity :

In normal doses it has not any toxicity at all. It must be taken into account when using its essential oil , which must never be used in cases of pregnancy, ulcer and hearth disorders. A high usage of oil , because its high level of timol , may lead to hyperthyroidism or intoxication by irritation of digestive tract.

Picking-up and storing: Leaves and floral summits must be collected in spring. They should be dried in the shade and kept in a well-closed crystal container.

More information about natural medicine in the listing above.

 

The information given is informative. In case of doubt, consult the doctor.
"Botanical" is not responsible for damages caused by self-medication.


 
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