Thyme – Components, Nutritional Values, Properties & Ayurvedic Applications
Description
‘Thyme’ is known in Hindi as Banajwain, Marizha, Masho, Rangsbur in Punjabi, and Hasha in Urdu. Thyme is a perennial shrub with a semi-evergreen ground cover and greenish-gray aromatic leaves. This is an herb with a distinct aroma. Thyme leaves are small, usually 2.5 mm long, and vary greatly in shape and hair covering depending on the variety, with each species having. Flowers, leaves, and oils are commonly used to flavour foods and are also used medicinally. It originated in southern Europe and other countries. This Mediterranean herb grows in temperate climates and has dietary, medicinal, and ornamental uses. Currently, there are numerous plant varieties with different flavour profiles. Thyme plants contain volatile oils, flavonoids, and monoterpenoids, all of which contribute to their medicinal properties. The current studies looked at the effects of supplemental thyme intake on immune responses and antioxidant activity. Thyme is also used to treat coughs, patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), dementia, and a variety of other conditions. Thyme is an herb that I learned about in the food, pharmaceutical, health, and beauty industries.
Introduction
Thymus vulgaris, from the family Lamiaceae, is a pungent herb. It is rich in aroma and flavor from its dried leaves. Thyme is widely cultivated around the world and is harvested for its essential oil. This is a tiny , growing shrub that is commonly grown once a year, but it can also survive in warm climates and is everlasting . The stems are woody and have simple, oviform leaves that are contraryly arranged. These tiny tube-shaped flowers grow in hoop rings along the stems and are usually white. It is used to season a wide variety of foods, including poultry, stuffings, fish, eggs, meat, sauces, soups, and vegetables. It is one of the herbs used to season Benedictine liqueur.
Thymol, or thyme camphor, is the primary component of essential oil and is used in the manufacture of perfumes. This is a significant aromatic plant with approximately 100 species worldwide, and it is commonly used in pharmaceutical and culinary dishes. Some thyme varieties are grown for ornamental purposes.
Thyme thrives in a temperate to hot, dry, sunny climate where the plant does not appear shaded. Thyme grows well in a temperate to hot, dry, sunny climate where the plant does not appear to be shaded. The use of sun-drying techniques results in low-quality, volatile oil. Artificial drying strategies, on the other hand, allow for more effective product quality management. Thyme should be dried at temperatures not more than 40 °C.
Thyme Components
Its properties are attributed to two main components: Thymol and Carvacrol.
Thymol is a derivative of a phenolic compound (monoterpene) and an isomer of carvacrol. And is a major constituent of thyme oil. Thymine vulgaris contained 27 compounds in thymine oil, including thymol, parasmene, gammatripinien, carvacrol methyl ether, cineol, and boraneol. The major constituents are thymol, gamma-tropinone, carvacrol, and beta-caryophyllene.
Nutritional Values
Thyme contains nutrients that prevent disease and promote health. This aromatic herb is high in phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins, all of which are beneficial to human health. Thymus vulgaris’ fresh leaves are high in nutritional value. Niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamins A and C, and sodium and potassium are present as electrolytes. Thyme is packed with minerals that are essential for optimal health. Calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc are the minerals found here. One of the phytonutrients is beta-carotene. Potassium is an essential component of cells and bodily fluids, and it regulates heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is a cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Iron aids in the formation of red blood cells.
Thyme Has The Following Properties
Thymol is one of thyme’s most important essential oils, with antispasmodic, anti-flatulence, disinfectant, anti-corrosive, antiseptic, and antifungal properties.
Gastrointestinal Health
In the stomach, thyme acts as an analgesic or a pain reliever. It has the ability to prevent excess mucus production, bile products, and stomach acids. A few rat experiments have shown that thyme oil helps protect the epithelial layers of the stomach against ulcers.
In coughs and colds and other respiratory disorders like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma, thyme plays an excellent role with its bioactive substituents. Although in homes, the traditional use of thyme includes tea and aromatherapy.
In a study in 2013, a scientist made a nasal spray with the use of a thyme-based extract called as-thymol. This spray was first tried on healthy people with usual lung function. They used the nasal spray before and after inhaling a small dose of capsaicin, which would normally cause them to cough. With the use of this spray, they coughed less.
Thymol and Carvacrol are the main bioactive compounds found in thyme. This may help relieve the blocked chest.
Antioxidants
Thyme contains numerous flavonoids and phenolic antioxidants, including zeaxanthin, pigenin, and thymonin. Thyme’s leafy parts and oils are used for flavor, aroma, and preservation in foods, as well as in folk medicine. Several experiments in rats were carried out during the study to demonstrate the components of Thymus vulgaris oil and to assess its protective effects against aflatoxin-induced oxidative stress. Some studies have shown that phenolic content is strongly related to antioxidant activity; a high level of phenolic compounds indicates that thyme has an elevated antioxidant capacity. The DPPH assay, which is a free-radical scavenging assay, can be used to examine antioxidant concentrations.
Antimicrobial Properties
The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of carvacrol and thymol was used to demonstrate that the common herb thyme contains caffeic acid, which is effective against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Carvacrol kills pathogenic microorganisms by disintegrating their cytoplasms and preventing an increase in plasma triglycerides and cholesterol levels.
Another recent study discovered that thyme essential oil (TEO) contains linalool and geraniol, which reduce neuroinflammation in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 microglial cells. Three pentacyclic terpenes isolated from T. vulgaris have glutaminase inhibitory activities: ursolic acid, betulinic acid, and oleanolic acid. Glutaminase inhibitors have been identified as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of NDs.
Another recent study found that linalool and geraniol in thyme essential oil (TEO) reduced neuroinflammation in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 microglial cells. This study began by looking into the effects of TEO on inflammation in different parts of the brain (hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex). Telomere protection, combined with reduced brain inflammation from dietary TEO supplementation, is expected to promote healthy aging and increase global healthy life expectancy.
The Ayurvedic Applications Of Thyme Include
This dynamic herb contains phenols, thymol, and carvacrol. They have functional antimicrobial agents that settle down and heal respiratory tract infections by lessening mucus and fighting against bacteria. In the pharmaceutical industry, many new products are supplied. One of the thyme products is used in mouth-related cases like bad breath, ulcers, sore throats, etc.
To treat respiratory infections, use thyme as a tea tincture, salve, syrup, or steam inhalation. To treat sore throat inflammation, cooled thyme tea is gargled. “Thyme tea” is taken warm and can be used to relieve menstrual pain and diarrhoea, as well as migraine headaches. Thymol, a crystalline phenol, is a powerful and effective antibiotic and antiseptic that boosts the immune system and fights infection. It is the primary active ingredient in Lysterine mouthwash. Thyme oil was used to medicate bandages before modern antibiotics were invented. It has also been shown to be effective against fungi that commonly infect toe nails and cause athlete’s foot.
External use of essential oils is thought to be beneficial for tooth and gum maintenance as well as toothache relief. Oil is also used as a massage to treat rheumatism and gout, as well as a chest rub to reduce inflammation of the upper respiratory tract’s mucous membranes.
Thyme tea has been used to help prevent gastric fermentation. Honey can be taken to soothe a sore throat. Furthermore, it’s diaphoretic properties make it useful for sweating out a fever.
Tea Made With Thyme
Thymol, the main component of thyme essential oil, has antibacterial properties against bacterial infections such as Salmonella and Staphylococcus. Thyme’s antiseptic and tonic properties make it an effective immune tonic for chronic infections, particularly fungi and yeasts like Candida albicans. It is also effective against enterobacter.
Conclusion
Thyme is an important medicinal plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It has been used for centuries as a home remedy, a spice, a drug, a perfume, and an insecticide. Thymus vulgaris essential oil is a popular preservative and antioxidant in the food industry as well as cosmetics. This oil exhibited the highest antifungal efficacy. The current state of knowledge about thyme shows a vast excess of nutritional and therapeutic benefits and makes strong recommendations for future research directions. Its nutritional and chemical components have also demonstrated significant human health benefits. However, many substitutes for thyme exist, including oregano, rosemary, parsley, and basil. These are all from the same family. Thyme is used in Ayurvedic medicine to prevent doshas and can be consumed as tea or a drink. The future generation will undoubtedly prefer Ayurvedic treatments.
