Healing The Body With Thyme….
Posted on 21 February 2010
Recently I have been using a load of thyme. You probably have some of this herb in your pantry, and use it for sauces or salads. The medicinal properties and balancing effect it can have on the body and mind are amazing.
I have found the best thyme at farmers markets. Getting it fresh really makes a difference, so look for green fresh leaves and avoid dried looking sprigs. It is highly versatile and can be used for:
- Cooking (in pretty much anything)
- Making herbal tea
- Growing it in your garden acts as a natural pesticide
I am especially keen on the herbal teas. I’ll give you some recipes/ideas at the end of the post, but for now lets check out the benefits of adding thyme to your diet.
Infections and Antibacterial Properties - Thyme is a natural antibacterial, and has long been used to treat chest infections and coughs. It is especially good at clearing mucus, thanks to the thymol oil, which soothes the lungs and air passageways. The antibacterial properties also help clear out parasites in the gut.
Minerals and Anti-Oxidants - Thyme is a rich source of polyphenols and Falvnoids, similar to those found in Green Tea. There are also some components unique to thyme, like Thymonin, Luteolin and Apigenin. Thyme is rich in minerals like Iron, Magnese, and Calcium.
Stomach Cramps/Upsets - Thyme has been used for centuries to calm and ease stomach upsets. It does an excellent job at soothing and relaxing cramping muscles, as well as disinfecting the problem areas. Think of it a bit like Nature’s Pepto Bismol. Thyme also helps improve digestion by clearing out mucus in the digestive tract.
Calm the Mind - Ever want a soothing drink to calm the mind and relax? Thyme is the perfect remedy. Drinking it before bed has been shown to lower cortisol levels and help the body relax. Thyme has historically been used as a tea before bed to help prevent sleeplessness and nightmares.
How to Use it? I have found that it goes great with nearly any kinds of food, and have added sprigs of thyme to:
- Roasted potatoes
- Tomato-based pasta sauces
- Homemade pesto
- Homemade chili
- Roasted chicken
- Sticking a few sprigs in bottles of olive oil as an infusion
One of my favourite drinks is a simple thyme-honey tea. Grab a few fresh sprigs of thyme and chop them up into smaller pieces (with scissors). Add them to a big mug, pour boiling water over them, and add a spoon of raw honey. I am a big fan of the honey below can be very beneficial, when used in moderation as a sweetener.
Greek Thyme and Wildflower Honey
You can’t beat this drink for healing and medicinal properties. You can drink it daily with no adverse effects.
Comment by Grok
21 February 2010
Cool. Solid info.
I use thyme in my Crock-Pot cooking usually. Never thought about it being beneficial. Mom has always added loads to her soups and stews. Maybe this is another reason why they have a nice calming affect (aside from being warm).
As a huge tea fan also, I’ll toss this into my nightly arsenal.
Comment by IPBrian
22 February 2010
I have never thought of using thyme in a tea. I will point this out to my wife as she is a crazy tea drinker. Thanks!
Comment by Hans Hageman
22 February 2010
This is good. I have a sick daughter at college and the tea is something I can probably get her to use.
Comment by Petar Sturm Konstantinov
22 February 2010
Good day from Bulgaria
I am a big fan of all kinds of teas (infusions) including the thyme tea (which I actually drink at this very moment).
But I have a couple of questions about this post.
First can you show any studies about the effects of thyme? I am particulary interested in the cortisol lowering function.
And second, do you really think that it is worth mentioning that there are minerals in the thyme when in fact almost none of them will end up in your body when you drink thyme tea? And even if you start eating fresh thyme, you won’t be able to get any significiant ammounts of them.
Thank you very much and greetings from Bulgaria!
@ Petar: Unfortunately I have no studies citing cortisol and Thyme. As for the mineral vitamin content although the amounts are probably small I think they have an impact due to being fresh and real rather than high dose synthetic vitamins….
Comment by Jen-JensFitnessTips.com
22 February 2010
Very interesting!! I’ll have to tell my boyfriend about this. He loves tea! Thank you for sharing!
Jen
Comment by Rodney
22 February 2010
So is it true when they say, “thyme heals all wounds?” Maybe so!
Is it ok to find “fresh” thyme at a grocery store during the winter, to avoid dried thyme? I have only ever used dried and maybe need to stop this.
Lastly, do you leave the thyme pieces in the tea and drink them, or do you use an infuser to remove them? Looks like I might need to set a nightly “tea thyme”, as I have been trying to eliminate various foods to decrease mucus production that leaves me constantly clearing my throat.
Thanks for the informative tip, and for putting up with my terrible puns!!
@ Rodney: I love the puns! especially “tea thyme”. As for your mucus try cutting down on pasteurised dairy and see if that helps. Also look into cutting down on Omega 6′s both will probably help as will the Thyme Tea…
Comment by Lanette
22 February 2010
Thyme is my #1 favorite herb! I had no idea it has so many health benefits. I have thyme growing in pots and in a couple places in my yard. I highly advise growing some – there is no comparison between dried and fresh. I use it on almost everything I make in the summer tuna, chicken, fish, potatoes, deviled eggs, sandwiches, salads, you name it. What I have never done is make thyme tea. Can’t wait to try it.
Comment by Melinda Neely
23 February 2010
I am a big fan of thyme, too, and it happens to be my only herb that survives the winter in Boise. I love it in eggs/omelettes, simmered in rice and on top of roasted vegetables. I’m glad to learn these other health benefits, too.
Comment by Luke M-Davies
23 February 2010
Cheers for filling me in on the truth about Thyme Chris!
As a foodie, I love learning about the benefits of any natural ingredient. It supports my view that food has to be at the foundation of any fit lifestyle.
I will be posting a piece on my LMD Fitness blog about Turmeric shortly, which as many of us know is another super ingredient.
Comment by Adam
23 February 2010
*I will definitely be trying thyme out as a tea…or is that taking thyme out for tea.
*Thymol also has anti-fungal properties.
*Vicks Vapo Rub contains thymol as an ingredient. I have had positive results using the ointment to treat swimmer’s ear, which can be a fungal infection. Others have found that the thymol in Vicks helps eliminate fungal toe nail infections.
Comment by Luke M-Davies
26 February 2010
Thyme has taken the spotlight here (and rightly so) but as promised above, I just wanted to let you know I have put my piece on Turmeric on the web
I’d love to know if you’re a fan of turmeric too Chris – http://www.lmdfitness.com/nutrition/terrific-turmeric/
Comment by A Bower
9 March 2010
Bonjour,
I have just learned that I am very deficient in iron and prefer to get more iron into my diet via not animal mean sources. I read that thyme is very rich in iron.
Would you happen to know how much iron one might absorb from drinking a cup of tea made with an organic thyme tea bag? Merci merci!!
Comment by mattigee
12 March 2010
Chris thanks for this great post! I’ve been having Thyme tea for about a week now and it’s fantastic. I find it quite soothing and I’m now even having it without the honey, lovely stuff.
Comment by DiAnna
13 March 2010
I use fresh thyme or dried on top of popcorn popped in “cold pressed” olive oil and sea salt.
Delicious! No butter needed!