Thyme is a cultivated form of the wild thyme of the mountains European countries bordering  the Mediterranean.

Parsely, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Of the dried culinary herbs tested, oregano, sage, peppermint, garden thyme, lemon balm, clove, allspice and cinnamon all contained very high concentrations of antioxidants. In a normal diet, intake of herbs may therefore contribute significantly to the total intake of plant antioxidants, and could be an even better source of dietary antioxidants than many other food groups such as fruits, berries, cereals and vegetables.

Thyme Leaf, Nature's Way, 100 Capsules

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), a sweet smelling herb, has been used traditionally for common winter aliments. It has been used extensively for the high thymol, phenol, and carvacol content in Thyme oil. Thyme is also a popular culinary herb. Thyme herb is also found in a delicious Middle Eastern healthy herbal mix called Zaatar. See below.

Thyme Supplement Facts
Amount Per Serving:
Thyme (leaf) - 850 mg*

* Thyme daily value not established

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Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, including thyme and other herbs, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Zaatar herbal mix
Delicious Middle Eastern herbal mix with Thyme leaves, Oregano leaves, Sesame seeds, Salt, Soy oil, and Sumac. One of Dr. Sahelian's favorite snacks.
6 ounces

Suggested Use: Mix Zaatar with olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and a small amount of flax seed oil. This can be spread on any kind of bread for a healthy and tasty snack. Zaatar can also be added to many different dishes, including egg omelete, salads, soups, stir fries, etc.... use your imagination.

Click Zaatar to learn details or to buy this tasty herbal mix

Antimicrobial activity of Thyme
The extracts from thyme by water and ethanol, thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol were used as antimicrobial agents. The results show that all antimicrobial agents used have strong inhibition activity against Staphalococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Escherichia coli.

Compounds in Thyme
Thyme herb contains many flavonoids including luteolin.

Thyme Research Update
Systemic availability and pharmacokinetics of thymol in humans.
J Clin Pharmacol. 2002 Jul;42(7):731-7.
Essential oil compounds such as found in thyme extract are established for the therapy of chronic and acute bronchitis. Various pharmacodynamic activities for thyme extract and the essential thyme oil, respectively, have been demonstrated in vitro, but availability of these compounds in the respective target organs has not been proven. Thus, investigation of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion are necessary to provide the link between in vitro effects and in vivo studies. To determine the systemic availability and the pharmacokinetics of thymol after oral application to humans, a clinical trial was carried out in 12 healthy volunteers. Each subject received a single dose of a Bronchipret TP tablet, which is equivalent to 1.08 mg thymol. No thymol could be detected in plasma or urine. However, the metabolites thymol sulfate and thymol glucuronide were found in urine. Thymol sulfate, but not thymol glucuronide, was detectable in plasma. Peak plasma concentrations were reached after 2.0 hours. The mean terminal elimination half-life was 10 hours. Thymol sulfate was detectable up to 41 hours after administration. Urinary excretion could be followed over 24 hours. The amount of both thymol sulfate and glucuronide excreted in 24-hour urine was 16% of the dose.

In-vitro anti-inflammatory effect of Eucalyptus globulus and Thymus vulgaris: nitric oxide inhibition in J774A.1 murine macrophages.
J Pharm Pharmacol. 2004 Feb;56(2):257-63.
It is well known that nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Thymus vulgaris L. ( thyme ) have been used in traditional medicine in the treatment of bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases. The present study focuses on the effects of these two extracts on NO production induced by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the murine macrophage cell line. E. globulus and thyme extracts significantly inhibited the enhanced production of NO induced by LPS and IFN-gamma in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with these two extracts did not reduce cell viability at any dose used. Both eucalyptus and thyme showed significant scavenging of NO radicals released by an NO donor, PAPA-NONOate. Results also show that pre-treatment with E. globulus and thyme extracts significantly inhibits iNOS mRNA expression. This study thus suggests that the inhibition of net NO production by these two extracts may be due to their NO scavenging activity and/or their inhibitory effects on iNOS gene expression.

Human platelet aggregation inhibitors from thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.).
Phytother Res. 2002 Jun;16(4):398-9.
Two antiaggregant compounds, thymol (compound 1) and 3,4,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-5,5'-diisopropyl-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl (compound 2) were isolated from the leaves of thyme. These compounds inhibited platelet aggregation induced by collagen, ADP, arachidonic acid and thrombin except that compound 2 did not inhibit platelet aggregation induced by thrombin. thyme maternity rosemary and thyme herbs thyme wild thyme parsley sage rosemary and thyme oil thyme.

Effect of thyme oil and thymol dietary supplementation on the antioxidant status and fatty acid composition of the ageing rat brain. thyme plant
Aromatic and Medicinal Plant Group, Scottish Agricultural College, Auchincruive, Ayr, UK.
Br J Nutr. 2000 Jan;83(1):87-93.
The present study measured changes in antioxidant enzyme activity in, and the phospholipid fatty acid composition of the ageing rat brain and tested whether dietary supplementation with thyme oil or thymol could provide beneficial effects. There were significant declines in superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) activities and the total antioxidant status in the untreated rats with age, while thyme-oil- and thymol-fed rats maintained significantly higher antioxidant enzyme activities and total antioxidant status. The proportions of 18:2n-6, 20:1n-9, 22:4n-6 and 22:5n-3 in the brain phospholipids resulting from all three dietary treatments were significantly higher in 28-month-old rats than in 7-month-old rats. Only 20:1n-9 levels in 28-month-old thyme-oil- and thymol-treated rats were significantly higher than in the age-matched control. The proportion of 22:6n-3 in brain phospholipids, which declined with age in control rats, was also significantly higher in rats given either supplement. This latter finding is particularly important as optimum levels of 22:6n-3 are required for normal brain function. These results highlight the potential benefit of thyme oil as a dietary antioxidant. thyme research thyme oil. season of thyme wild mountain thyme thyme picture thyme and again
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Additioanl links of interest
See herb for a full list of herb topics. Alfalfa herb, Amaranth grain, Angelica pubescens herb, Banaba used for diabetes, and Clove herb. Saw palmetto a prostate herb, coq10 for better energy, dmae for sharper mind, 5-HTP for less stress.