Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has a fascinating and long
history of use. If you were a knight going off to fight in the Crusades in the
11th and 12th centuries, your lady would have given you a scarf with an embroidered
sprig of thyme upon it. Thyme was considered to give courage to its wearer even
by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Now, modern scientists use thyme mixed with special fats to
create nanoparticles that give a compound found in thyme more killing power
against cancer cells!
In our modern world, thyme is a popular herb in the kitchen.
It’s known to be full of potent phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant-based
chemicals), vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Thyme is a great source of
vitamins C, A, B2, B6, and B9. It also contains the minerals iron,
copper, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
There are over 300 varieties of thyme and at least 20 different chemotypes of
thyme (see more on chemotypes below).
Did You Know? 10 Interesting Facts About Thyme
1. The word thyme comes from the Greek
word “thumos” which means smell, due to the rich fragrance of the plant.
2. The ancient Egyptian medical text, the Ebers
Papyrus, dating around 1550 BC, makes reference to the healing virtues of
thyme.
3. Egyptians used thyme (they called it
“tham”) as one of the herbs in the embalming and mummification process.
4. Medieval herbalists revered thyme for
its ability to keep a wound safe from infection, and for healing bronchial
infections. They even used it for tucking under the pillow for deeper sleep and
warding off bad dreams.
5. Druids considered thyme to be sacred.
Among other things, they used it to ease depression and to protect against
negativity.
6. In the 12th century, Hildegard of
Bingen, a German abbess, herbalist, music composer, writer, and visionary,
prescribed thyme for her patients with plague, leprosy, even body lice. As it
turns out, she was 100 percent correct in doing so!
7. In the 18th century, thyme was included
in a herbal preparation known as baume tranquille, which helped to relieve
stress and nervous disorders.
8. During the Crimean War (1853-1856)
thyme was sprayed on the clothes of soldiers to protect them against yellow
fever, lice, and other diseases.
9. Thyme is part of a modern formula of
herbs applied topically as a hemostatic agent, which means it stops the flow of
blood. Called the Ankaferd hemostat, Turkish hospitals and ambulances use it to
stop bleeding. It is sometimes used in controlled clinical trials and consists
of standardized plant extracts from thyme, licorice, galangal, common nettle,
and grapevine. (See below under “Research on Thyme” as to how it is also being
used against melanoma).
10. Thyme
has one of the highest antioxidant levels among herbs.
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