Thyme

See also : Thymus (genus) and Antibiotic against Gram-positive Bacteria

Overview

Medicinal Parts: the oil extracted from the fresh, flowering herb, the dried leaves, the stripped and dried leaves, and the fresh aerial part of the flowering plant.

Qualities: pungent, aromatic, bitter, astringent, warm, dry, restoring, astringing, stimulating

Properties Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, carminative, decongestant, emmenagogue, circulatory stimulant

Tropism: lungs, stomach, intestines, uterus, nerves, adrenals

Ground: Melancholic & Phlegmatic krases

Sensitive/Tai Yin Metal; Dependent/Tai Yin Earth biotypes; Lymphatic/Blue Iris constitutions

Constituents

Listing on Duke's Phytochemical Database

Effect of drying on the volatile constituents of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.)

Volatile oil min. 1% (incl. terpenoid phenol thymol and isomer carvacrol up to 60%, cymol, linalool, borneol, pinene, 1.8 cineole, geraniol, bornyl/linalyl acetate, thymol methyl ether), bitter, tannins 10%, flavonoids (incl. luteolin, apigenin, thymonin, naringenin), triterpenoids, saponins, labiatic/caffeeic acids, resins

It contains  about 2.5% but not less than 1.0% of volatile oil. The composition of the volatile oil fluctuates depending on the chemotype under consideration. The principal components are thymol and carvacrol (up to 64% of oil), along with linalool, p-cymol, cymene, thymene, α-pinene, apigenin, luteolin, and 6-hydroxyluteolin glycosides, as well as di-, tri- and tetramethoxylated flavones, all substituted in the 6-position (for example 5,4'-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone, 5,4'-dihydroxy-6,7,3-trimethoxyflavone and its 8-methoxylated derivative 5,6,4'-trihydroxy-7,8,3'-trimethoxyflavone)

Effects

Thyme is a bronchial antispasmodic and an expectorant. It has shown antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoan and antioxidant properties. In animal experiments, a spasmolytic effect was demonstrated for the flavone fraction and an expectorant effect on ciliary activity for the terpenes.

Thymol, classified as a biocide, is one of the major monterpene phenols of Thymus vulgaris, consisting of 20 to 60 percent of the oil. It functions as a powerful antiseptic, used both internally and externally.

Tissue State Relevance

(Warm • Drying • Aromatic • Dispersive • Antimicrobial • Expectorant)

Warm • Drying • Aromatic • Dispersing • Penetrating • Antimicrobial • Expectorant • Carminative

Thyme is a warm, drying, aromatic dispersive herb that excels in cold, damp, stagnant, congested tissue states — especially in the respiratory and digestive systems.

1. Cold / Depression — STRONG MATCH

Why it works:

• Warming volatiles stimulate circulation and metabolic fire
• Activates cold‑sluggish digestion
• Warms cold respiratory tissues
• Restores tone and vitality to depressed, underactive systems

Patterns:

• Cold, sluggish digestion
• Cold respiratory congestion
• Low vitality, slow immune response

Energetic action:
Warming, activating, restoring.

2. Damp / Stagnation — STRONG MATCH

Why it works:

• Aromatic volatiles are drying + dispersive
• Clears damp congestion in lungs and gut
• Strong antimicrobial action reduces damp‑infection patterns
• Moves stuck fluids and mucous

Patterns:

• Damp respiratory congestion (phlegm, mucous)
• Damp‑sluggish digestion
• Damp skin conditions with microbial involvement
• Boggy lymph

Energetic action:
Drying, clearing, dispersing.

3. Wind / Tension — MODERATE MATCH

Why it works:

• Aromatic relaxant for spasmodic cough
• Reduces GI cramping from cold/damp
• Eases tension in respiratory pathways

Patterns:

• Spasmodic cough
• GI spasm with cold/damp
• Restlessness from respiratory discomfort

Energetic action:
Gentle relaxing + dispersing.

4. Heat / Excitation — LOW MATCH (can aggravate)

Why:

• Warming aromatics can increase heat in already inflamed tissues
• Drying action can irritate hot, dry mucosa
• Antimicrobial intensity may be too stimulating for hot conditions

Avoid for:

• Hot, inflamed respiratory tissues
• Hot GI inflammation
• Heat‑driven headaches

Energetic action:
Too warming for pure heat/excitation.

5. Dry / Atrophy — MIXED (use cautiously)

Why:

• Aromatic drying can worsen true dryness
• Some protective phenolics offer mild support
• Best used when atrophy coexists with damp/cold congestion

Patterns:

• Atrophic tissues with damp → helpful
• True dryness → avoid

Energetic action:
Drying; use only when damp/cold is present.

Summary Table

Thymus vulgaris is a warm, drying, aromatic dispersive herb that excels in cold‑damp stagnation of the lungs and gut, but should be avoided in hot or atrophic tissue states.

Uses

Approved by Commission E;

• Cough
• Bronchitis

Used internally for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, dyspeptic complaints, asthma, laryngitis, chronic gastritis, and whooping cough. Externally it is used as a mouthwash, gargle for inflammations of the mouth and throat, pruritus and dermatoses. It is also used externally for tonsillitis and poorly healing wounds.

Promotes expectoration, resolves phlegm cold and relieves coughing; circulates lung Qi, opens the chest and relieves wheezing

lung phlegm cold: full productive cough with thin white sputum, wheezing CHRONIC BRONCHITIS, emphysema

lung phlegm dryness: dry, difficult cough, difficult breathing, expectoration of sputum plugs

lung Qi constraint: irritating, spasmodic dry cough, severe wheezing, obsessive thinking SPASMODIC & ALLERGIC ASTHMA, SPASMODIC COUGH, whooping cough

Promotes sweating, dispels wind/damp cold and reduces fever; opens the sinuses and relieves pain

lung wind cold: sneezing, chills, fatigue, cough, sore throat muscles aches & pains COLD & FLU ONSET, LARYNGITIS

head damp cold: watery nasal discharge, congested painful sinuses SINUSITIS, rhinitis

A tea made from thyme is also a noted means to arrest gastric fermentation.

Spasmolytic and antitussive activities

The spasmolytic and antitussive activity of thyme has been most often attributed to the phenolic constituents thymol and carvacrol, which make up a large percentage of the volatile oil . Although these compounds have been shown to prevent contractions induced in the ileum and the trachea of the guinea-pig, by histamine, acetylcholine and other reagents, the concentration of phenolics in aqueous preparations of the drug is insufficient to account for this activity. Experimental evidence suggests that the in vitro spasmolytic activity of thyme preparations is due to the presence of polymethoxyflavones. In vitro studies have shown that flavones and thyme extracts inhibit responses to agonists of specific receptors such as acetylcholine, histamine and L-norepinephrine, as well as agents whose actions do not require specific receptors, such as barium chloride. The flavones of thyme were found to act as noncompetitive and non-specific antagonists; they were also shown to be Ca2⁺antagonists and musculotropic agents that act directly on smooth muscle.

Expectorant and secretomotor activities

Experimental evidence suggests that thyme oil has secretomotoric activity. This activity has been associated with a saponin extract from T. vulgaris. Stimulation of ciliary movements in the pharynx mucosa of frogs treated with

diluted solutions of thyme oil, thymol or carvacrol has also been reported . Furthermore, an increase in mucus secretion of the bronchi after treatment with thyme extracts has been observed.

Antifungal and antibacterial activities

In vitro studies have shown that both thyme essential oil and thymol have antifungal activity against a number of fungi, includingCryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus, Saprolegnia, and Zygorhynchus species. Both the essential oil and thymol had antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and a number of other bacterial species .As an antibiotic, thymol is 25 times as effective as phenol, but less toxic.

Carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, impairment of fertilityThyme essential oil did not have any mutagenic activity in the Bacillus subtilis rec-assay or the Salmonella/microsome reversion assay . Recent investigations suggest that thyme extracts are antimutagenic  and that luteolin, a constituent of thyme, is a strong antimutagen against the dietary carcinogen Trp-P-2 .

Note: Wild Thyme herb from Thymus serphyllum, also known as Mother of Thyme, is used in the same way and is considered somewhat stronger in most of its actions.