Thyme is one of the plants that nature puts at our disposal to soothe the problems of the upper airways and in cases of cough, pertussis, acute and chronic bronchitis, for seasonal ills in general, exerting an antiseptic, balsamic and expectorant.
Thyme: description of the plant
Thyme ( Thymus vulgaris ) is one of those aromatic plants whose history is lost in the most ancient times. Its name, of Greek origin, derives from the verb thyo, which means making sacrifices .
In the ancient world, in fact, the thyme was often burned in the rituals of offering to the gods due to its characteristic and penetrating fragrance.
In fact the aroma of this plant is really unmistakable, and it becomes even more intense when the thyme grows in dry and sun-struck soils and the leaves, due to the heat, become small and sharp, similar to needles.
Thyme honey: properties and use in the kitchen
Thyme in history and in the present
Greeks and Latins soon realized that one of the peculiarities of the thyme was to preserve the meat, by virtue of its antiseptic and disinfectant properties.
The germicidal properties of this plant were also exploited in later times, up to the last century. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century the French chemist Lallemond succeeded in extracting from the thyme the essential oil, which he called thymol, the main agent of the plant's medicinal properties. Thereafter thymol became highly sought after and used basically as an antibiotic.
Thyme is still used today in the preparation of industrial drugs and in the family pharmacopoeia. Thymol, in fact, is, as has been said, a powerful and experienced antiseptic, a strong antibiotic and an effective antifungal. Thymol is one of the main causes of the antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and antitussive effects of this plant.
