Thyme is another herb that may be most popular in the kitchen… but is useful elsewhere. The little flowers on the plant attract bees and make thyme popular in garden borders. Thyme grows well in windowsill and container gardens, and has a long history in both cooking and medicine.
Ancient writings refer to both common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and wild mountain thyme (Thymus praecox articus). The name may come from a Greek word for courage… or a similar word meaning “to fumigate”. Both meanings are applicable to the plant — thyme can be invigorating but it was also burned to help chase insects from the home.
A few uses for thyme over the years:
- The herb was stuffed into pillows to help relieve mental afflictions like melancholy and epilepsy.
- A soup of beer and thyme was used to treat shyness (though maybe it was the beer more than the herb that helped create feelings of boldness).
- Thyme tea was used to chase away nightmares.
- Ancient Greeks used thyme to relieve asthma and coughs.
- Thyme essential oil was used to treat hookworm, but the doses needed to expel worms could be fatal.
- When plagues swept across Europe between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, thyme was popular in many treatments.
- Essential oil of thyme was used as a battlefield antiseptic as recently as World War I.
- Dried flowers and leaves can help preserve clothing and linens from insects.
- Thyme is antiseptic and stimulating, making it popular in herbal skin cleansers. However, people with sensitive skin may find thyme a little TOO stimulating and even irritating.
In essential oil form, thyme is too strong to be used undiluted. Thymol (thyme essential oil) can cause dizziness, nausea and diarrhea, headache, and weakness. Do not use thyme essential oil without first diluting it in a carrier oil or lotion. Do not take thyme essential oil internally — you can use the leaves and sprigs safely in cooking and in teas.