Thyme / Thymus vulagaris / Banajawain

General features: The plant exists in numerous diversities. The common species is Thymus vulgaris which is normally consumed as spice in daily uses. This evergreen perennial herb although used mostly for the culinary reasons but it has immense medicinal values. The botanical name assigned is Thymus vulgaris (in Hindi, Banajawain) and it belongs to the Lamiaceae (Mint) family, closely related to Oregano. It is mainly seen in six varieties. There are many genus identified but all of them are not edible but are usable for the perfumery. The plant grows upward with woody stem about 1.0 ft height. The tiny leaves are greatly aromatic exhibiting elliptical shape and displaying light green color. It produces petite tubular lilac flowers in the spring or early summer days spreading sweet flavor with pungent but minty lemon aroma. In some occasions it also produces strong lemony smell. The herb breeds mostly in sunny, hot climate in well-drained alkaline to neutral soil. It can withstand drought in dry climatic condition. Occasionally it is seen over the mountainous regions flashing patches of tiny flowers. The herb is not much in use in traditional Indian cuisines. It occasionally finds uses in the Punjabi and Kashmiri cooking. It grows in the Northwest and Himachal Pradesh regions of India. It is primarily a native of Mediterranean, Levant, North African and Southern regions of Italy. The herb spreads its popularity as spice and fragrant for aromatherapy throughout the Europe and North America.

History: Historically, it finds extensive use in the field of aromatherapy rather than as a spice. Once it symbolized elegance, sophisticacy and gracefulness. In ancient Egypt it was used for entombing of mommies of the elites wishing them good life and good luck in the next world. In England and other European nations Thyme oil was considered as love potions treasured with the stories of knights in shining armor, their valor along with sacrifice. The word ‘Thyme’ originates from the Greek, Thumos meaning courage signifying resoluteness and bravery. It was lavishly used in the Greek temple as a perfume demonstrating elegance and grandeur. According to the writings by the Roman poet Horace (65 to 8 BC), Romans used to grow Thyme for the culturing of bees for making Thyme scented honey which was used to spike the drinks, greatly appreciated by the Roman elites. In the book Eclogues by the Roman poet Virgil, Thyme was mentioned to combat the fatigue. The seventeenth century English botanist, Nicholas Culpeper recommended Thyme to remove the nightmare. The famous Finnish mathematician, Rolf Neovius advocated about its effectivity in controlling the whooping cough. Further, regarding the growth of Thyme, an outlandish botanical theory was proposed by the eighteenth century Danish naturalist, Otto Friedrich Muller. According to it, the flowers of Thyme when growing, some are born as male at the beginning at first day of its arrival but later changes to female on the second day. But eventually they coexist with those who are already female from the beginning. Otto Muller thought that it is the way the plant attracts insects to the colorful male pollen-bearing flowers prior to their visit to the less colorful female flowers. Interestingly, this theory was supported by the eminent American nature writer and scientific historian, Neltze Blanchan in 1900. But it is never been proven even today. Regarding previous medicinal use from the ancient times, Thyme oil was noticed to treat the skin diseases eg, eczema and psoriasis. On inhalation it is said to cure the sore throat. It was also applied during scarlet fever and in the case of ring worm.

Thyme as folk medicine: For a long time the herb is implicated for being efficient to fight against numerous infections particularly for the respiratory and digestive tract. In addition, it is also used to treat vaginal and infections within the fallopian tubes. In villages Thyme is consumed to control the diarrhea. Besides, it has the ability to enhance appetite and digestion by stimulating the secretion of various liver enzymes. The constituents in Thyme oil is noted induce relaxation on bronchial tissues helping the asthma sufferers and also offers relief in the case of sinus problems, bronchitis, laryngitis, dry and whooping coughs. It is also used to treat mouth and gum infections by adding to the mouth wash. Thyme has the preventive role in aging owing to its strong antioxidant effect. Following is the causes for which Thyme or its oil is used for the prevention of, nail fungus, parasites, muscle pain, chronic fatigue, and loss of hair, mental depression, headache, insomnia, snoring, skin problems, and anxiety and kidney problems. Thyme tea can expel hook worms from the infected intestine. It was once thought to have the preventive action on plague. During WWI, before the invention of antibiotics, Thyme oil was commonly used as an antiseptic in dressing the wounds.

Culinary use: In Mediterranean, Persian and Arabian nations Thyme leaf is almost a necessary cooking ingredient. It is normally used in making various cuisines by adding either the dry or fresh leaves. The herb holds its plentiful flavor even in dry condition although somewhat less than the fresh counterpart. It is a part and parcel of Herbes de Provence, a typical mixture of five herbs (Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Savory and Rosemary) originated from Provence region of France and often used in various foods like grilled meat, fish and varieties of soups or stews. Thyme is also added to make several herbal teas. Due to its strong spicy nature it is incredibly popular spice in numerous European cuisines.

Chemical components and pharmacological role: The herb is loaded with minerals and vitamins necessary for maintaining good health. Concerning the notable ingredients, Thyme (100 g solid) is enriched with Niacin (~ 1.8 mg), Vitamin – A (~ 5000 IU), K⁺ (~ 600 mg), Ca⁺² (~ 400 mg), Mg⁺² (160 mg), Mn⁺² (~ 100 mg), Se⁺² (~ 1.7 mg) and β – carotene (~ 3000 µg). K⁺ is important mineral for regulating the fluid levels in the body which also helps control heart rate as well as the blood pressure. Mn⁺⁺ is a cofactor for Super oxide dismutase, an enzyme acts as a powerful anti-oxidant in our body. The spice is also a good source of several vitamins like A, K, E and C including folic acid. The level of Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6 is quite high (350 µg / 100 g of dry herb) providing ~ 30 % of daily need. Pyridoxine helps maintain the level of GABA in the brain that enables to lower the stress. Vitamin C is known to boost the immune system whereas Vit – A being a powerful antioxidant is needed to preserve mucus membrane and skin in good shape as well as the vision. The other substance like β – carotene and flavonoids are important factors to protect from infections in lung and oral cancers. The major attraction to Thyme is due to its oil. The essential oil of Thymus vulgaris contains high concentration (~ 30 – 50 %) of thymol which is considered for its antiseptic action. Thymol is used in many mouthwashes eg, Listerine. The compound is also effective against several fungi like in toe-nails. Its use is seen also in alcohol free hand sanitizers. Besides thymol, the major ingredients of the Thyme oil are Carvacrol, Cadalene, Cineole, Myrcene, Terpinene (mostly α – and β – although there are other isomers like γ – and δ -), Linalool, p – Cymene, Rosmarinic acid. Other components identified are monoterpenoids, flavonoids, flavonoid glycosides, phenolic derivatives and various polysaccharides.

Cadalene is a polycyclic hydrocarbon derived from the sesquiterpene in plant. No specific effect on human health has been identified so far but some of its derivatives can act as potent antioxidant. Thymol is noticed to be the major ingredients in Thyme oil which has number of biologic roles. The compound acts as natural biocides having strong antimicrobial, antifungal properties. It works well against Penicillin resistant bacteria. Further, it is a strong fungicide particularly effective against Fluconazole resistant strains especially toward the Candida infections (oropharyngeal infection and vaginal infections etc). Like Thymol, Carvacrol being an isomer has almost the similar actions that could be due to the identical phenolic structure. If together they often exert synergistic effect. The disruption of surface membrane is the primary way of potential antibiotic action. It majorly act against Aeromonas hydrophila (causing serious gastroenteritis) and Staphylococcus aureus (numerous serious infections from Pneumonia, Bronchitis, meningitis, boils, carbuncles, endocradititis and many others). Both Thymol and Carvacrol inhibit the fungus growth, and lactate production by decreasing the glucose uptake. The antifungal action of Thymol is by altering the morphology of hyphal (long filamentous branches of fungus) which allows its aggregation. Eventually, their diameters are reduced inducing lysis of the wall finally leading to death. Interestingly Thymol can allosterically modulate the GABA_A receptor. It could be a plausible factor behind the calming effect of Thyme oil on brain. Thymol or Thyme extract exerts relaxing effect on the organs expressing β₂ – adreno-receptors like in the case of trachea, causing bronchodilation increasing K⁺ conductance thus providing relief to the asthma patients. Using 3T3-L1 adipocytes cell model for finding effects on adipose tissue relying on the fact that Thyme can reduce the obesity, it is observed that Thymol and other terpenes in the herb has multiple role while inducing brown-like phenotype along with the enhancement of lipid metabolism. In that way, Thyme might have a positive role in lowering the obesity. Thymol also shows hepatoprotective role including potent anti-helminthic property. The numerous other effects like hyperglycemic, acaricide and anti-epileptic effects of Thyme oil could be due to the existence of Thymol and other chemical ingredients like Cineole, Linalool, Carvacrol, p- Cymene.

Regarding other miscellaneous actions, thymol and several of its derivatives within Thyme oil show inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. Additionally, Linalool, Carvacrol and several others prevent the action of acetylcholinesterase thereby enhance the role of acetylcholine inside the neurons. It is thus anticipated that the herb might have potential in controlling Alzheimer’s disease. The extract of Thyme enhances the level of Glutathione – S – transferase enzyme in the liver which supports detoxifying action of the herb. The constituents of Thyme oil are individually tested for anti-oxidant effect. In most situations its NO and other free radical scavenging ability have been identified including the prevention of lipid peroxidation.

Medicinal uses:  Below is the table for medicinal uses of Thyme.

Purpose	Uses
Skin health – Thyme oil is beneficial for skin care.	Treatment for Acne, maintaining skin texture, treatment for Athlete’s foot.
Hair health.	Stimulating hair growth, preventing thinning of hair, removal of of dandruff.
Health benefits.	Anti-inflammatory, treatment for indigestion, respiratory disorders, enhancement of bone health, cardiovascular benefits, control of blood pressure, reduction of menstrual cramp, strengthening healthy vision, boosting immune system, acting as diuretic, anticancer, lowering fatigue, acting as sleep inducer, preventing anemia, etc.
Oral health.	Remedies for bad breath and preventing gum diseases.
Parasite infection.	Removal of intestinal worm, protecting from mosquito born disease.

Adverse reactions: Only the contact dermatitis for Thyme oil has been recorded. The reaction is seen aggravated in the presence of rosemary oil.