THYME ESSENTIAL OIL
Family Name: Lamiaceae
Common Name: Thyme
Botanical Name: Thymus vulgaris.
Extraction method: Steam distillation of the dried or partially dried leaves and flowering tops.
Odour: 'Intense warm herbaceous odour, distinctly aromatic'
General Description:
Thyme is a hardy perennial sub-shrub, growing to a height of 10 to 40 centimetres, with hairy, pointed grey-green leaves and small, white-to-lilac flowers. Indigenous to the Mediterranean region of Europe, thyme today grows in temperate regions throughout the world. Spain is the largest producer of the essential oil.
Thyme is a hardy perennial sub-shrub, growing to a height of 10 to 40 centimetres, with hairy, pointed grey-green leaves and small, white-to-lilac flowers. Indigenous to the Mediterranean region of Europe, thyme today grows in temperate regions throughout the world. Spain is the largest producer of the essential oil.
There are more than 300 different varieties of thyme, including garden, or common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), the less strongly aromatic wild or mother of thyme (Thymus serpyllum), and lemon thyme (Thymus limonum), which has a distinct lemony scent.
There are six different chemotypes of Thymus vulgaris - the two most common ones are located close to the Mediterranean Sea, at a low altitude: the thymol type and the carvacrol type.
History/Folk lore:
It is believed that thyme was used by the Ancient Sumerians some 3,500 years ago, most likely burnt as an aromatic fumigant. Calling it tham, the Ancient Egyptians employed it in the embalming process, while the Greeks made use of thyme as a culinary herb. They also used it to disinfect the air and so prevent the spread of disease.
The Roman soldiers bathed in a bath infused with the herb before entering battle, and in the Middle Ages sprigs of thyme were woven into the scarves of knights departing for the Crusades. In the Middle Ages, St Hildegarde of Bingen prescribed thyme for plague and paralysis, leprosy and body lice. Thyme was a strewing herb in Britain and was included in posies carried by judges and kings to protect them from disease in public.
Thyme oil is used in the food, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The strong antimicrobial activity of thyme oil is ascribed mainly to the high content of phenolic constituents.
'Thyme was used, along with clove, lemon and chamomile essential oils, as a disinfectant and antiseptic in hospitals until the First World War, as it could kill yellow fever organisms and was seven times stronger than carbolic acid. It was sprayed onto the clothes of soldiers during the Crimean War to protect against disease and lice.'
Main Uses In Massage:
The antioxidant property of thyme oil can be utilised to prevent a number of pathological disorders such as atherosclerosis, cancer, inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.
Thyme oil is recommended for all infections. It stimulates the production of white blood corpuscles to strengthen the immune system.
Thymus vulgaris ct. linalool is recommended for skin infections as it is non-irritating.
Therapeutic Properties or Actions:
Anti-rheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, bactericide, carminative, cicatrisant, diuretic, expectorant, hypertensive, insecticide, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge.
Body Systems & Therapeutic Uses:
Respiratory system - May be used for any cold condition involving weakness, congestion and/or infection of the lungs. Will benefit catarrhal coughs and bronchitis, especially when there is copious, clear or white catarrh.
Digestive system - A digestive stimulant and a carminative. Promotes appetite, eases abdominal distension and relieves flatulence.
Immune system - Recommended for all infections — an excellent immunostimulant, particularly where there have been repeated infectious pathologies.
Musculo/skeletal - Used to ease gout, rheumatic pain and arthritis and sporting injuries.
Body Systems & Therapeutic Uses:
Respiratory system - May be used for any cold condition involving weakness, congestion and/or infection of the lungs. Will benefit catarrhal coughs and bronchitis, especially when there is copious, clear or white catarrh.
Digestive system - A digestive stimulant and a carminative. Promotes appetite, eases abdominal distension and relieves flatulence.
Immune system - Recommended for all infections — an excellent immunostimulant, particularly where there have been repeated infectious pathologies.
Musculo/skeletal - Used to ease gout, rheumatic pain and arthritis and sporting injuries.
Antiseptic - Powerful antiseptic for internal and external uses; extensively used to medicate gauze and wool for surgical dressings. Resembles carbolic acid in its action, but it is less irritating to wounds and its germicidal action is greater.
Precautions:
Non-toxic, non-irritating and a possible sensitiser in some individuals.
I will be posting more information about other essential oils on this blog so keep checking back.
< Related articles - lavender , lemon , peppermint , rosemary & tea tree >
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great post
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