Thyme in cooking recipes. Growing and harvesting. Thyme: use in vegetable and mushroom dishes

The strongest (from Latin Thymus, Greek thymon - strength) spice – Thyme!
Thyme (Thymus) is a genus of strongly aromatic subshrubs of the Labiatae family, also known as thyme, thyme, Bogorodskaya grass, matter.
More than 400 species of thyme are known, the most commonly used are Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpillum).

Use in cooking spices thyme

Thyme leaves are used in cooking. In thyme they are hard, almost leathery, short-petioled, with plates oblong shape.

The best chefs use thyme as a seasoning, preferring, naturally, to add fresh plant, which, unfortunately, is not always possible. A tablespoon of fresh thyme is equivalent to a teaspoon of dry thyme.

Thyme has a pleasant strong odor and a pungent, strongly spicy, bitter taste.

Aromatic, vitamin-rich thyme leaves are used as a spice. It improves the taste, imparts aroma, and gives a bitterness. It remains one of the leading spices in baking. Improves the smell and taste of vegetable dishes, especially potatoes and cabbage.
Thyme as a seasoning fatty foods not only significantly improves and enriches the taste, but also promotes its digestion.

One might say, it is simply necessary when preparing potatoes, pork, lamb, fish, and meat pates (from pork) fried in lard. They season it poultry(goose, duck), game, offal dishes. Thyme is also used when cooking fatty fish.
Thyme goes well with egg dishes and cheeses. Its popularity for smoking foods is undeniable; no spice enhances the taste of lentil, pea and bean soup like thyme. In fresh and dried form, thyme is used for pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash.

Leaves are added to salads, borscht, vegetable soups, chicken broths. This spice is irreplaceable in the preparation of fish dishes and game. Thyme is flavored with cheeses, added to sauces, marinades, fried dishes (potatoes, mushrooms, eggplants), added to spicy mixtures, added to pickling vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.), healing teas and aromatic drinks are prepared with it. .
The leaves are used as a spice in cooking, canning and the alcoholic beverage industry.
Feel free to add Bogorodskaya herb to various dishes, however, please be aware that due to high content thymol thyme may have irritant effect on the stomach, liver and kidneys. Therefore, if you suffer from peptic ulcers, then treat thyme with caution.
It adds extraordinary piquancy to meat dishes and is quite rare view- caraway thyme. It is great in combination with garlic and wine (an inseparable couple Mediterranean cuisine), and goes best with fish and fried chicken.
But a subspecies of wild thyme is quite common in cooking - lemon thyme with pronounced lemon tones. Its tiny heart-shaped leaves go especially well with seafood and sweet dishes.
It is interesting to use lemon thyme in the classic French (Gascony) product Confit - a kind of canned duck, goose or pork.
Fresh and dried leaves, young shoots of all types of thyme are used, like marjoram, in pea and bean dishes, as well as in making sausages. Thyme is one of the main aromatic herbs in French cuisine and is always included in the bouquet garni and herbes of Provence spice mixtures.
In Spain, Greece, and Turkey, thyme oil is used for pickling olives. Thyme is popular not only in Europe, it is also an ingredient in the Jordanian seasoning zakhtar, the Egyptian mixture of dukkah. In Central Europe, thyme is added to soups and egg dishes, and in the cuisine of the American state of Louisiana it is added to the famous Creole dishes gumbo and jambalaya.
The above-ground part of the plant before fruiting is used in the production of drinks. Thyme leaves and young shoots are used as salad and for pickling cucumbers. They are used to flavor sausages, vinegar, cocktails, and tea. Fresh and dry leaves are used for these purposes.

Store dried thyme (thyme) in a dry, dark place in a tightly closed porcelain or glass container.
Thyme fully reveals its aroma during prolonged heat treatment, so it is added at the very beginning of cooking.
An excellent spicy seasoning for roasts is made from thyme and rosemary with the addition of salt.
Thyme is good when combined with pepper, this enhances its aroma.
In powder form, it is used in large doses in all sorts of fish dishes and minced fish. When frying fish, thyme is mixed in large quantities with breading (with flour 1:2). In addition, thyme is sprinkled on cheeses, and it is also used in the preparation of homemade cheeses. It also goes well with vegetables.
Thyme is added to liquid dishes 15 - 20 minutes before cooking, to other dishes - during the cooking process.
Thyme is appreciated by lovers vegetarian dishes. It is added to fried potatoes, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, eggplants, and used for pickling and salting. Drinks made with this plant are very aromatic.

In everyday life, thyme is used as a spice for salting, soaking, as a seasoning for vegetables, meat, fish and other dishes, and for flavoring sausages. Sauces, cheese, jelly, tea.
In Italy, thyme is used to marinate olives.
If you put it on clothes in the closet, it repels moths.
Essential oil Thyme is used in perfumery and the canning industry. Thyme is a valuable honey plant.

Use in medicine spices thyme
Since ancient times, thyme has been revered as a divine herb that can restore a person not only to health, but also to life. The ancient Greeks used it for fainting in the form of snuff.

Thyme (thyme) herb contains 0.1-0.6% essential oil, tannins and bitter substances, gum, resin, flavonoids, organic and mineral salts. Green thyme leaves are rich in vitamin C, minerals(potassium, calcium, magnesium).
Thyme essential oil is a colorless or light yellow liquid with a strong pleasant odor, which contains thymol (20-40%), corvacol, tannins, bitterness, serpilin, etc.
The presence of thymol and other components makes thyme bactericidal, antimicrobial agent. Numerous preparations rich in thymol are used as an anthelmintic, disinfectant and analgesic.
Thyme is used in folk medicine for gargling, for whooping cough and bronchitis, joint pain, heart pain, radiculitis, neuralgic diseases.
It is believed that thyme decoctions dissolve mucus when bronchial asthma. It is used in the manufacture of powders, cough tablets (thyme is a component of Pictusina), tinctures to calm the nerves, etc.
You can simply rub fresh leaves in your hands and breathe in their aroma, because antibacterial properties It is the essential oils of thyme that have
In order to fight microbes, thyme essential oil is added to an aroma lamp, bath or inhalation solution. Best to use fresh thyme. If this is difficult, take medications; you need to store thyme in a sealed container. If dry thyme has lost its characteristic odor, it means that the essential oils from it have evaporated and the healing effect has weakened.
Thyme helps digestion fatty foods. It provides significant assistance in cases of illness gastrointestinal tract, is a choleretic, blood purifying, diuretic. There has been an undeniable effect of thyme on insomnia.
Thymol, originally isolated from thyme, as well as decoctions and powder in folk medicine are used in the form of dressings for radiculitis and inflammation sciatic nerve. In the form of a decoction or ointment made with honey, it “cleanses the chest and lungs,” promotes expectoration and soothes pain. Thyme promotes digestion. As a bath, thyme is useful for nervous diseases, radiculitis, rheumatism, skin rashes, diseases of joints and muscles. Mixtures containing thyme essential oil are used as an external rub.
For gargling and oral cavity thyme is used for stomatitis and gingivitis.
The phenolic compounds contained in thyme irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the secretion of the digestive glands, and are therefore used in treatment chronic gastritis With low acidity.
However, it should be noted that thymol is contraindicated in cases of cardiac decompensation, liver and kidney diseases, peptic ulcer stomach, as well as during pregnancy. Thymol can cause hyperfunction thyroid gland.
Thyme increases arterial pressure, and the effect develops gradually and persists long time, therefore, use of the recipe with thyme is contraindicated for hypertensive patients.
The list of diseases for which thyme helps: enterocolitis, fermentopathy, gastrointestinal dyskinesia, dysbacteriosis. Thyme infusions have a mild diuretic effect. For kidney diseases, thyme infusions taken orally also act as a mild pain reliever.
A bath with thyme has a strengthening effect on nervous system. Baths with thyme are also very useful for treatment gynecological diseases. But such baths are contraindicated when high temperature bodies, high blood pressure, severe heart failure.
Thyme oil is a source of thymol, which is widely used to disinfect the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and pharynx; is part of Hartmann's liquid, used in dental practice as an analgesic, it is an antifungal agent for fungal skin diseases (in particular, actinomycosis). Thymol also has an anthelmintic effect and is used to treat helminthic infestations(in the treatment of hookworm disease, trichuriasis and necatoriasis). Sometimes thymol is prescribed orally as an astringent for gastrointestinal disorders and with flatulence.
In folk medicine, the plant was used as a diuretic, anticonvulsant and sedative for whooping cough, neuralgia, and stomach cramps. In the form of ointments and lotions, thyme was used for rheumatism, as a wound healing agent for skin diseases. A powder made from the herb serves as a snuff for fainting.
Thyme herb, collected during the flowering period, has a sedative, analgesic, antispasmodic, disinfectant, wound healing and aromatic properties. Used when hypertension, atherosclerosis, for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as for medicinal baths and douching.
Use Bogorodskaya grass may create an aversion to alcohol.
Ancient Tajik medicine considered thyme an antidote for poisonous insect bites, an antiemetic and a remedy useful for pain in the abdomen and uterus.

Description spices thyme
This medicinal and aromatic plant is native to the Mediterranean, where it grows in rocky heaths and evergreen shrubby forests. Hundreds of species of thyme of the genus Thymus of the family Labiatae grow almost throughout Eurasia, North Africa, Canary Islands and even in Greenland.
Thyme (thyme) is a perennial subshrub. The stems are numerous, creeping, thin, rooting, with age they become woody at the base and form erect or ascending flowering shoots 15-20 cm high. The leaves are petiolate, small, opposite, entire, oblong-oval, hard with protruding glands. The flowers are small, pinkish-violet, collected at the ends of the branches in inflorescences. The fruit is a small, spherical, smooth black nut.
Grows in dry open sandy places, on hills, next to bushes, in dry pine forests. Thyme is cultivated in Europe and the USA as a medicinal, decorative, spicy and aromatic plant. In Russia, wild creeping thyme is harvested in the Stavropol, Krasnodar territories and Rostov region. 6 domestic varieties of thyme are registered.
Thyme (thyme) is an undemanding, drought-resistant, winter-hardy plant. Areas with fertile, loose, neutral soil of light or medium texture, free from weeds, should be allocated for it, well illuminated by the sun, protected from cold winds.
Thyme (thyme) is propagated by seeds and vegetatively by dividing bushes.
Thyme greens are dried during the summer (in July-August, cutting off flowering shoots with a knife or scissors), starting from the second year of life.
Flowering shoots are cut for medicinal purposes. The fruits are harvested for seeds in the third year of life, when they turn brown. The thyme herb tied into bunches or spread out is dried in partial shade in the air. In dryers, the temperature should not exceed 35°C (as for any raw material containing essential oils).

It is necessary to chop the greens and grind the seeds immediately before use, so that the aroma and smell do not evaporate. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

The plant is very fragrant, previously it was used as component smoking during worship services. The plant is one of the best honey plants. Bees collect unusually fragrant honey from thyme.

Thyme is easy to grow at home, for example, in a container on a balcony or on a windowsill with average watering.

Story spices thyme
The first written mention of thyme dates back to the third millennium BC. e. (cuneiform tables were found with a recipe for a poultice of pears, figs and thyme) - the ancient Sumerians used it as an antiseptic.
The ancient Egyptians used thyme as one of the ingredients in complex process embalming. They also used the herb thyme for leprosy and paralysis.
The name thyme comes from the Greek thymiama (incense, fragrant smoking) - the Greeks dedicated it to Aphrodite and burned it in the temples of the goddess. The fragrant smoke rising to the sky meant that the goddess accepted the sacrifice.
It has long been believed that thyme gives courage, and another suggestion for the origin of the name is from the Greek thymon - strength. Even later there was the Latin Thymus - strength, and Roman soldiers before battle took baths with thyme to lift vitality and courage.
Scottish highlanders drank tea with wild thyme for the same purpose. The glory of the plant as a symbol of courage has passed through the centuries - in medieval Europe, ladies gave a sprig of thyme and embroidered it on the shirts of their knights in the hope that thyme would give them courage in battle and remind them.
Theophrastus and Avicenna also wrote about the properties of thyme, who included thyme seeds in complex medicines based on honey, vinegar, oil or wine, along with the seeds of caraway, celery, parsley, mint, valerian, hyssop, asafoetida and garlic.

An old Irish legend says: if you wash your eyes with dew collected from thyme bushes at dawn on the first of May (after Walpurgis Night), then you can see fairies.

Even modern experts claim that “thyme helps insecure, sensitive, nervous people to open up; restores strength and awakens emotions...”

Thyme penetrated beyond the Alps in the 11th century. The first mentions of it can be found in the “Physics” of Abbess Hildegard von Bingen, in Albert the Great, in the herbalist P. A. Mattiolus (Prague, 1563).

Dishes with thyme spice

Stories with the spice thyme

Fragrant spicy thyme was known back in Ancient Rome and Greece: soldiers of the powerful armies of these states bathed in water infused with thyme to gain strength. At the same time, it began to be used as a spice, and the Egyptians used it instead of perfume and anointed the dead with it during embalming. In the 11th century, thyme spread to Europe, where it was brought by Benedictine monks.

Types of thyme

thyme photo

Thyme is a subshrub whose height rarely exceeds 40 cm. It has small pointed leaves oval shape dark green, bitter taste and spicy smell. It grows in the European part of Russia (in the middle and northern zone), in Armenia, Belarus, Siberia, Kazakhstan and Crimea. If you want to pick it, but don’t know what thyme looks like and are afraid of making a mistake, take a closer look at its flowers: they are small white or purple in color.
There are several popular types of this plant:

• creeping thyme is a perennial herbaceous bush, popularly known as thyme, it spreads along the ground, and its entire above-ground part is subject to harvesting, which is picked during the flowering period and dried in bunches;
• common thyme is a perennial shrub containing from 20 to 40% thymol, it is grown either by dividing the bush or from seeds, it does not require special care, and its greens can be picked throughout the summer;
• lemon thyme is garden form, which has a brighter taste and smell than wild-growing species, and also has a delicate citrus accent;
• Colchis thyme is a perennial variety, also called creeping thyme, it has a strong warm aroma.

Composition and beneficial properties

Thyme contains many vitamins and nutrients

Thyme is a herb that contains the strongest plant antibiotic carvacrol, which kills Staphylococcus aureus. This plant contains essential oil (1-2%), different big amount thymol, linalol and caryophyllene. In addition, thyme contains:

1. cymol;
2. ascaridole;
3. terpineol;
4. borneol;
5. gum;
6. ursolic acid;
7. calcium;
8. magnesium;
9. potassium;
10. sodium;
11. iron;
12. selenium;
13. beta-carotene;
14. vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B9, C, E, K, PP;
15. choline

The plant has thyme medicinal properties determined by its composition. Essential oil has bactericidal, antimicrobial and antifungal effect. Thyme extract has expectorant properties, increases the volume of secretory secretions of the mucous membranes and stimulates the ciliated epithelium in the upper respiratory tract motor activity.
Thyme tincture improves the passage of gases and helps digestion fatty foods and food products. Medications, which contain thyme essential oil, help with dry lesions in the larynx and throat mucous membranes to loosen inflammatory deposits, help thin mucus and speed up the process of its removal. When taking it orally:

• the development of pathogenic microflora is inhibited;
• greater secretion of gastric juice is stimulated.

In addition, thyme is used in medicine as antispasmodic.
Lemon-smelling thyme is used to prepare infusions and decoctions, which are used to rinse the mouth and oropharynx for inflammatory diseases caused by pyogenic bacteria. You can also use them to make medicinal baths and lotions for various skin diseases, as well as a decoction of this plant is often prescribed for laryngitis, bronchitis, bronchopneumonia and tracheitis.
Thyme oil is used in making medical soap, powders and pastes. Dry and fresh thyme leaves are boiled and drunk for:

• radiculitis;
• joint pain;
• neuralgic diseases;
• blood diseases;
• heart pain;
• low blood pressure;
• insomnia;
• poor appetite.

Thyme as a spice

dried thyme is widely used in cooking as a spice

Thyme is a seasoning used in many cuisines around the world. In order to obtain this spice, fresh or dried young leaves of the plant are ground or crushed. But dried thyme contains a higher essential oil content, so this spice will have a more pronounced taste and aroma, and it is added to dishes in a 3:1 ratio to fresh herbs.
Dried spice can quickly dissipate, so be sure to store it in a well-closed glass container or aluminum foil package.
Thyme is used to complement smoked meats, meat dishes, pork, lamb, veal; this spice is perfect for making cheese, meat and fish pates, mushroom and game dishes.
Thyme has also found use in home canning: dried and fresh it is added as a spice when pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, squash and many other vegetables.
You can make drinks from the leaves and shoots of this plant, and simply add the leaves to salads, snacks, marinades and liqueurs in the distillery industry. creeping thyme– thyme – added to sausages and a healing and aromatic tea is brewed from its leaves.
This spice perfectly complements dough products and baked goods. But thyme goes especially well with dishes made from potatoes and various cabbage (white cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts). Very often, thyme is used in cooking when preparing fatty foods. meat dishes as it improves digestion.
The popularity of this plant among chefs is easily explained: unlike most spices, thyme does not lose its taste and aroma during the cooking process; it can be added at the beginning of cooking. It is also used as part of various spicy mixtures and spices.
Some housewives claim that they know what can replace thyme. They say that dishes with oregano taste very similar to food to which thyme has been added. This is not entirely true. Firstly, the tastes of food with these herbs only vaguely resemble each other, and secondly, the unique aroma and medicinal properties of thyme cannot be compared with any other types of plants.

Thyme in folk medicine

thyme infusion has anti-inflammatory properties

Thyme shoots are used for medicinal purposes. Greens are harvested from the second year of the plant’s life. The raw materials are dried in a room with good ventilation or in the open air, but it is very important that the workpiece is not exposed to direct Sun rays.
It is necessary to chop or grind thyme immediately before use, since if you do this in advance, then all the smell and aroma will disappear.
In folk medicine, this herb is used in the form of infusions, decoctions and lotions.

1. Anti-inflammatory infusion: 1 tbsp. l. dried or fresh raw materials are poured into 200 ml. warm water and infuses for 10-15 minutes. Take it three glasses a day between meals.
2. Infusion for diseases of internal organs: 1 tsp. chopped dry thyme mixed with 200 ml. warm water, leave for no more than 30 minutes, strain and drink warm morning and in the evening.
3. Infusion for asthma: equal amounts of thyme herb, tricolor violet, coltsfoot leaves, anise seeds, elecampane root and arnica flowers, mix and brew 200 ml. water 1 tbsp. l. such a mixture. Take on an empty stomach three times a day.
4. Decoction for digestive disorders and neurosis: mix equal proportions of thyme, plantain, knotweed, lemon balm, gentian and angelica roots, pour 1 tbsp. l. a glass of warm water and drink 50 ml before meals.
5. Compress for rheumatism: from fresh leaves make a paste and apply it warm to the affected areas.
6. Compress for skin diseases: mix thyme decoction with olive oil in equal quantities.
7. Aromatic baths: 500 gr. pour 4 liters of herbs. water, boil for 2-5 minutes and add to the bath. They are effective for arthritis, asthenia, gout and wet cough.
8. Thyme exhibits its beneficial properties best in the form of essential oil. For neuroses and various infectious diseases it is simply dripped onto 1 tsp. honey (3-5 drops) and take three times a day.
9. From 25 gr. menthol, 5 gr. Peruvian balsam, 10 gr. thyme oil and 80 gr. ethyl alcohol You can make a mixture for inhalation. 1 tsp. the mixture is stirred in boiling water in a deep plate and medicinal vapors are inhaled when coughing and colds at least twice a day.

Thyme, Thyme

Beneficial features

About properties thyme Theophrastus and Avicenna also wrote that they included thyme seeds in complex medicines based on honey, vinegar, oil or wine, along with the seeds of caraway, celery, parsley, mint, valerian, hyssop, asathetida and garlic. Modern experts echo him, claiming that “thyme helps insecure, sensitive, nervous people to open up; restores strength and awakens emotions...” (annotation to one of the patented tonics).

People have always appreciated thyme for its amazing healing properties. Using this herb, they got rid of many diseases, including serious and even fatal ones. Even today, thyme herb is quite actively used by traditional healers.

Thyme (thyme) contains essential oil, the main component of which is thymol. In addition, the essential oil is rich in carvacrol, n-cymene, y-terpinene, and borneol. Thyme contains a certain percentage tannins, bitterness, gum, triterpene compounds - ursolic and oleanolic acids, flavonoids, large quantity mineral salts. Thyme is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, water, fats, proteins and ash. It contains vitamins A, E, D, C, K, B1-B9.

Psycho-emotional action

Tones the nervous system, useful for asthenia, nervous depression And mental fatigue. Eliminates symptoms of the syndrome chronic fatigue. Stimulates brain activity, improves memory. Recommended for headaches, helps with insomnia.

Cosmetic effect

Recommended for lethargy oily skin. Helps with acne. Thyme essential oil of the linalol chemotype perfectly cleanses the skin.
Has antioxidant properties
An effective remedy to combat cellulite.

Healing effect

Thyme eliminates swelling, helps with overweight, in case of a stroke it can become a real salvation; in case of a concussion, it restores brain function, eliminates headache, strengthens the nervous system and improves sleep, will help with dysbacteriosis, with gastritis with low acidity, will help cure cataracts, also the medicinal properties of thyme will help overcome impotence, as well as get rid of bronchitis and even asthma, and ultimately cure alcoholism.

So feel free to add Bogorodskaya herb to your dishes, it is especially useful thyme men, since the zinc it contains improves the health of their reproductive system.

A pillow stuffed with thyme promotes calm; it is believed that a person who inhales the aroma of this herb in a dream will live a long time and rarely get sick.

Use in cooking:

Thyme It has a pleasant strong odor and a pungent, strongly spicy, bitter taste.

The best chefs use thyme as a seasoning, preferring, naturally, to add a fresh plant, which, unfortunately, is not always possible. A tablespoon of fresh thyme is equivalent to a teaspoon of dry thyme.

Aromatic, vitamin-rich leaves are used as a spice. thyme. It improves the taste, imparts aroma, and gives a bitterness. It remains one of the leading spices in baking. Improves the smell and taste of vegetable dishes, especially potatoes and cabbage.

Thyme as a seasoning for fatty foods, it not only significantly improves and enriches the taste, but also promotes its digestion.

Thyme (aka thyme) is one of the oldest spices, hundreds of species of which grow throughout Eurasia, the Canary Islands, northern Africa, and even in Greenland. First mentions of thyme seasoning discovered in ancient Sumerian chronicles and date back to 3000 BC. e. The Sumerians used it as antiseptic. IN Ancient Egypt thyme was one of the components in the embalming process, and residents of ancient Greek city-states burned it in the temples of the goddess Aphrodite. Roman legionaries took aromatic baths with thyme, and the freedom-loving Scots drank tea with this herb, since it has long been believed that thyme gives courage before battle. Even beautiful ladies medieval Europe For the same purpose, they embroidered a sprig of thyme on the shirts of their fearless knights.

Fresh and dried leaves, as well as young shoots of thyme of all types, are used in the production of sausages and in cooking. Small quantities This spice is also used to season veal tenderloin. Thyme (thyme) perfectly emphasizes the taste and aroma of lentils, beans and peas. It is important to note that only with prolonged heat treatment is it able to fully reveal its aroma, so it is recommended to add thyme to food at the very beginning of its preparation.

It is one of the main herbs in French cuisine. In Turkey, Spain and Greece, the same thyme oil is used when pickling olives. This seasoning is popular not only in Europe, it is respected in Jordanian and Egyptian cuisines. In Central Europe, thyme is added to soups and egg dishes. In the USA, in the state of Louisiana, thyme is part of the signature Creole dish, jambalaya.

Jambalaya is a stewed mixture of rice, pork, vegetables, seafood, ham, chicken and a complex seasoning that contains... mandatory thyme is present. This dish is served only with spicy chili sauce.

Caraway thyme is a rather rare variety of thyme. It is unique in combination with wine and garlic, and goes best with fried chicken and fish.

Subspecies wild thyme - thyme lemon has pronounced citrus tones and is very common in cooking. The small heart-shaped leaves of lemon thyme are especially suitable for and. The citrus aroma of the spice makes it easier to perceive fatty dishes, so it is recommended to season fried potatoes with lard with this variety of this spice. minced meat, scrambled eggs, pork, smoked meats, duck, lamb, mushrooms, cottage cheese and cheeses.

Thyme essential oil is widely used in perfumery and the canning industry.

IN official medicine Thyme decoction is used as an expectorant for bronchitis and pneumonia, and also as an analgesic for neuritis and radiculitis. Externally, thyme is used for lotions, compresses and aromatic baths.

In the article we discuss thyme - beneficial properties and contraindications for use. You will learn what the herb thyme cures, and how it is used in folk medicine, cosmetology and cooking. Following our advice, you will learn how to prepare infusions and decoctions of the plant. We will tell you how to drink thyme for cough, blood pressure, women's diseases, prostatitis and alcoholism.

Thyme is a genus of perennial essential oil shrubs and subshrubs of the Lamiaceae family. Latin name— Thymus. Thyme is also known as thyme. The plant is used in folk medicine, cosmetology, perfumery and cooking. This is a good honey plant.

Appearance (photo) of thyme

Thyme has woody, erect or creeping shoots. The shrub branches heavily and grows up to 30 cm in height.

The leaves are hard, round, ovoid or oblong. They are located on short petioles.

At the tops of the shoots, capitate or elongated inflorescences of pink-lilac color are formed. The flowering period is from June to August, depending on the region. In appearance, thyme inflorescences are similar to oregano. These plants are often confused. Read more about how to distinguish them in the article - Thyme and oregano are the same thing.

The fruits are capsules with small black-brown nuts of spherical or ellipsoidal shape. They ripen from August to September.

Thyme is widely distributed in the wild. It grows throughout almost all of Europe, Central Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Caucasus. The plant is found in steppes, forests, tundra, and on rocky slopes.

Chemical composition

Thyme contains:

• essential oils;
• gum;
• B vitamins;
• vitamin C;
• tannins;
• ursolic acid;
• oleic acid;
• bitterness;
• terpenes;
• triterpenoids;
• organic pigments;
• minerals.

Thanks to its rich composition, thyme has many beneficial properties. Let us tell you in more detail about the medicinal properties of thyme herb and contraindications for use.

Medicinal properties of thyme

Today, the beneficial properties of the herb thyme have been studied quite well, so it is widely used in herbal medicine.. The plant is used to treat diseases of the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous and digestive systems, musculoskeletal system and skin diseases.

Thyme is used as sedative. At regular intake the plant renders sedative effect, normalizes sleep, and also eliminates increased nervous excitability.

Thyme has anti-inflammatory and diaphoretic effects. Plant-based products are used as antipyretic drugs.

Thyme is used for treatment bronchopulmonary diseases. The plant has a powerful expectorant and bronchodilator effect.

Thyme has a beneficial effect on the digestive system. It normalizes the microflora in the intestines, increases appetite, eliminates intestinal obstruction and flatulence.

Thyme is good for the kidneys and genitourinary system. It has antispasmodic and analgesic effects in urolithiasis, cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Plant-based products are used externally to treat wounds and burns. Thyme has antiseptic, disinfectant and wound-healing effects.

For women

The beneficial properties of thyme on the body extend to reproductive system. Plant-based products normalize female hormonal background, eliminate pain syndrome during menstruation and effectively cope with inflammatory diseases of the genital organs.

The plant is often used in dietetics. Why do women who want to lose weight drink thyme? The plant helps food digest faster, normalizes metabolic processes in the body and removes waste and toxins.

For men

Why do men need thyme? The plant contains selenium and molybdenum, necessary for men's health. They increase potency and improve spermatogenesis.

Thyme is used for the prevention and treatment of prostatitis. Products based on it quickly relieve inflammation, improve blood supply to the pelvic organs and have a diuretic effect.

For children

Thyme has beneficial properties for children. Baths with a decoction of the plant gently calm the child’s nervous system and normalize sleep. Thyme syrup effectively copes with whooping cough - the medicine quickly eliminates paroxysmal cough and relieves spasms of the larynx.

You have learned the beneficial properties and uses of thyme for men, women and children. Now we’ll tell you how the plant is used in cooking.

Thyme in cooking

Fresh and dried thyme is used in cooking

In cooking, fresh or dried thyme leaves are used as a seasoning. The plant has a bitter taste and spicy aroma. The spice is added to dishes made from meat, fish, vegetables, and used in canning and baking. Thyme enhances the taste of cheese, mushrooms, honey, apples, lentils and beans.

Thyme is part of spice mixtures, such as Herbes de Provence. The spice is combined with bay leaf, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, lavender, parsley and marjoram.

Thyme in cosmetology

Thyme-based products are used for skin and hair care. In cosmetology, decoctions, infusions and thyme oil are used.

Thyme tightens sagging skin, tightens pores and eliminates puffiness. Face masks and lotions are made from the plant.

For hair care at home, prepare rinsing solutions and hair masks. Thyme infusion is added to shampoos and balms. Let us tell you why thyme is used in cosmetology.

Facial compress

Thyme-based products have an anti-inflammatory and soothing effect on the skin. When carried out regularly cosmetic procedures they normalize the metabolic processes of skin cells, reduce oiliness and swelling.

Ingredients:

1. Thyme - 1 tablespoon.
2. Water - 200 ml.

How to cook: Pour a glass of boiling water over the thyme, cover with a lid and let steep for 30 minutes.

How to use: Soak a fabric base for masks in the resulting infusion or gauze pad, squeeze and apply to your face. Wet the cloth every 5 minutes. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.

Result: The compress tightens pores, tones the skin and removes excess fluid.

Hair rinses

A decoction of the plant is used to rinse hair. It nourishes and strengthens curls, eliminates split ends. At regular use eliminates dandruff.

Ingredients:

1. Thyme - 5 gr.
2. Nettle - 5 gr.
3. Hop cones - 5 gr.
4. Birch leaf - 5 gr.
5. Water - 1 liter.

How to cook: Fill dry herbs with water, place on water bath and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

How to use: Wash your hair regular shampoo and rinse your hair with the resulting decoction. Repeat the procedure 2 times a week.

Result: The product strengthens hair follicles, prevents baldness and makes curls more manageable and silky.

Thyme in folk medicine

In folk medicine, tea, decoctions and infusions are made with thyme

Having examined the medicinal properties of the plant, it became clear why thyme herb is useful. She is providing beneficial effect to all systems of the body. Thyme-based products improve immunity.

The healing properties of thyme affect musculoskeletal system. Products based on it are used to treat joint diseases. At the same time, they are taken orally and used externally in the form of compresses and rubbing to enhance therapeutic effect. Thyme is used to treat rheumatism, radiculitis, and sciatica.

At home, infusions, decoctions and tea are prepared from thyme. Depending on the disease, they are taken orally or used externally. We'll tell you how and why you drink thyme in folk medicine.

Cough and bronchitis syrup

The beneficial properties of the herb thyme were obtained wide application not only in folk, but also in official medicine. The plant is part of the pharmaceutical cough medicine - Pertussin.

Cope with it at home severe cough An infusion, decoction or syrup based on the plant will help. Thyme has expectorant, antispasmodic and disinfectant effects. Read more in the article - Thyme for coughs.

Ingredients:

1. Fresh thyme - 1 bunch.
2. Water - 450 ml.
3. Garlic - 5 cloves.
4. Honey - 300 gr.

How to cook: Rinse the greens and thyme flowers with running water, place them on a towel, and let dry. Cut the herb into large pieces, add water and place on low heat. Cook until the water is reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the drink from the heat, cool and strain. Add to it garlic juice and honey, mix. If the syrup is intended for children, then it is better not to add garlic. Store in closed jar in a refrigerator.

How to use: Take 1 teaspoon 2 times a day.

Result: The syrup thins mucus, removes it and relieves laryngeal spasms.

Pressure infusion

Thyme dilates blood vessels and relieves their spasms. An infusion of the plant is used to treat hypertension.

Ingredients:

1. Dry thyme - 15 gr.
2. Fireweed - 10 gr.
3. Chamomile - 5 gr.
4. Water - 1 liter.

How to cook: Pour a liter of boiling water over the dry ingredients, cover with a lid, insulate with a towel and leave for 45-60 minutes.

How to use: Take ¼ cup 3 times a day.

Result: Infusion normalizes work of cardio-vascular system, lowers blood pressure and strengthens the walls of blood vessels.

Tea for women's diseases

Tea with thyme normalizes a woman’s hormonal levels, eliminates mood swings and has an analgesic effect during PMS. The drink is taken for treatment inflammatory diseases female reproductive system. Read more in the article - Benefits of tea with thyme.

Ingredients:

1. Thyme leaves or flowers - 1 teaspoon.
2. Water - 200 ml.

How to cook: Brew dry thyme with a glass of boiling water, leave for 10-15 minutes. Strain the finished tea through a strainer.

How to use: Take 1 glass 3 times a day.

Result: Tea effectively eliminates inflammatory processes, normalizes hormonal levels, improves mood.

Decoction for prostatitis

Thyme has bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects. A decoction of the plant is used for infectious diseases of the genitourinary system. The product eliminates swelling, pain and facilitates urination.

Ingredients:

1. Thyme - 2 tablespoons.
2. Water - 100 ml.

How to cook: Pour water over dry thyme leaves, place in a water bath and bring to a boil. Cook the product for 10 minutes, then remove from the stove and leave covered for at least 2 hours.

How to use: Take 50 ml of decoction 2 times a day before meals.

Result: The product relieves inflammation, eliminates pain and increases potency.

Infusion for alcoholism

Thyme infusion contains thymol, which provokes attacks of nausea when in contact with alcohol. The drug causes aversion to alcohol.

Ingredients:

1. Thyme - 15 gr.
2. Water - 500 ml.

How to cook: Pour 250 ml of water over the thyme, place on the stove, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and squeeze out leaves. Pour them with a second glass of water, after boiling it. Infuse the product for 30 minutes.

How to use: Take 50-70 ml of infusion 3-5 times a day. The course of treatment is from 1 to 2 weeks.

Result: At regular use thyme infusion develops a persistent aversion to alcohol. The patient becomes nauseous when smelling alcohol.

You learned the beneficial properties of thyme and its use in folk medicine. Now let's talk about contraindications to the use of plant-based products. Indeed, despite the mass of beneficial properties, thyme herb can have a negative effect on the body when self-increase dosage or course of administration.

For more information about thyme, watch the video:

Contraindications and possible harm

Contraindications to the use of thyme-based products:

• gastritis;
• stomach or duodenal ulcer;
• diabetes;
• individual intolerance.

Thyme-based products should be taken with caution in case of asthma and tuberculosis. The expectorant effect of the plant can provoke complications of these diseases.

Taking thyme-based products during pregnancy and breastfeeding is possible only after consultation with a specialist. If self-medicated, the plant can negatively affect the development of the baby. The doctor will prescribe the appropriate dosage and tell you how to take thyme correctly. Read more in the articles - Thyme for pregnant women and Thyme for breastfeeding.

What to remember

1. The medicinal properties of thyme are widely used not only in folk, but also in official medicine.
2. The beneficial properties of thyme herb and contraindications for use are: chemical composition plants.
3. Despite the many beneficial properties, thyme herb has a number of contraindications and can have a negative effect on the body if you independently increase the dosage or course of administration.