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Habitats
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Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves.
Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.
Leaves and flowering tops - raw in salads, used as a garnish or added as a flavouring to cooked foods, going especially well with mushrooms and courgettes[2, 4, 21, 46, 183, 238]. It is an essential ingredient of the herb mix 'bouquet garni'[238]. It retains its flavour well in long slow cooking[200]. The leaves can be used either fresh or dried[183]. If the leaves are to be dried, the plants should be harvested in early and late summer just before the flowers open and the leaves should be dried quickly[200]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. An aromatic tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[21, 183]. Pungent and spicy[183].
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Composition
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Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
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Leaves (Dry weight)
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- 276 Calories per 100g
- Water : 7.8%
- Protein: 9.1g; Fat: 7.4g; Carbohydrate: 63.9g; Fibre: 18.6g; Ash: 11.7g;
- Minerals - Calcium: 1890mg; Phosphorus: 201mg; Iron: 123.6mg; Magnesium: 220mg; Sodium: 55mg; Potassium: 814mg; Zinc: 6.2mg;
- Vitamins - A: 3800mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.51mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.4mg; Niacin: 4.94mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
- Reference: [ 218]
- Notes:
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anthelmintic; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Aromatherapy; Carminative; Deodorant; Diaphoretic; Disinfectant; Expectorant; Sedative; Tonic.
Common thyme has a very long history of folk use for a wide range of ailments[218]. It is very rich in essential oils and these are the active ingredients responsible for most of the medicinal properties[218]. In particular, thyme is valued for its antiseptic and antioxidant properties, it is an excellent tonic and is used in treating respiratory diseases and a variety of other ailments[254]. The flowering tops are anthelmintic, strongly antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, deodorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, expectorant, sedative and tonic[4, 7, 21, 200, 218]. The plant is used internally in the treatment of dry coughs, whooping cough, bronchitis, bronchial catarrh, asthma, laryngitis, indigestion, gastritis and diarrhoea and enuresis in children[238]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. Externally, it is used in the treatment of tonsillitis, gum diseases, rheumatism, arthritis and fungal infections[238]. The plant can be used fresh at any time of the year, or it can be harvested as it comes into flower and either be distilled for the oil or dried for later use[238]. Thyme has an antioxidant effect, thus regular use of this herb improves the health and longevity of individual body cells and therefore prolongs the life of the body[254, K]. The essential oil is strongly antiseptic[4]. The whole herb is used in the treatment of digestive disorders, sore throats, fevers etc[4]. The essential oil is one of the most important oils used in aromatherapy[7, 210]. Its keyword is 'Bacterial'[210]. It is used especially in cases of exhaustion, depression, upper respiratory tract infections, skin and scalp complaints etc[238]. The oil can cause allergic reactions and irritation to the skin and mucous membranes[238].
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Other Uses
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Deodorant; Disinfectant; Essential; Fungicide; Pot-pourri; Repellent.
An essential oil from the leaves is frequently used in perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, medicinally etc[11, 21, 57, 89, 238]. It has fungicidal properties[171] and is also used to prevent mildew[218]. The leaves are dried and used in pot-pourri[238]. The plant makes an attractive ground cover for a sunny position[201]. Plants are best spaced about 30cm apart each way[208]. The dried flowers are used to repel moths from clothing[4] whilst the growing plant is said to repel cabbage root fly[18, 20].
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Cultivation details
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Prefers a light, dry calcareous soil and a sunny position[4, 7, 11, 27, 37]. Succeeds in dry soils, poor soils and tolerates drought once it is established[190]. Plants can be grown on old walls. Thymes dislike wet conditions, especially in the winter. A layer of gravel on the soil around them will help protect the foliage from wet soils[238]. Thyme is hardy to about -15°c[200], though it is even hardier when grown on old walls are in well-drained poor light soils[4]. Thyme is commonly grown in the herb garden, there are many named varieties[182]. It is also harvested commercially for its essential oil[218]. The leaves are very aromatic[190]. It is sometimes grown as an annual from seed when used for culinary purposes[200]. The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to honey bees[4, 7, 200]. Thyme is a good companion for most plants[20, 54], it is said to repel cabbage root flies when grown near brassicas[18, 20]. This is a very difficult genus taxonomically, the species hybridize freely with each other and often intergrade into each other[200].
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Propagation
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Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Seed can also be sown in autumn in a greenhouse. Surface sow or barely cover the seed. Germination can be erratic. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed can keep for three years in normal storage[4]. Division in spring or autumn[200]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring. Cuttings of young shoots, 5 - 8cm with a heel, May/June in a frame[200]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[200]. Layering.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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11200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
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A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
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[18]Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants.
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Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
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[20]Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
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Fairly good.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[27]Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden.
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A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
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[37]Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant.
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Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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[54]Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds.
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Interesting reading.
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[57]Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
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Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
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[89]Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean.
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A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.
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[171]Hill. A. F. Economic Botany.
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Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
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[182]Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos.
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Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[190]Chatto. B. The Dry Garden.
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A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[201]Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting.
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A well produced and very readable book.
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[208]Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover
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An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.
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[210]Westwood. C. Aromatherapy - A guide for home use.
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An excellent little pocket guide. Very concise.
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[218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
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A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.
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Subject : Thymus vulgaris
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