Thyme
Useful properties and uses of thyme herb
Botanical characteristics of thyme
The flowering period of thyme is June-July. The fruits ripen in August-September. This herb grows in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Western Siberia, Transbaikalia, Ukraine.
Thyme can be found on the slopes of ravines or ravines, in forests; it loves sandy soil. On the plowed land it grows strongly, creeping over bumps. In the spacious meadows, you can find large thickets of thyme of a very beautiful pinkish or purple color.
Useful properties of thyme
The medicinal properties of thyme have been known since ancient times. This plant contains many useful elements, such as bitter and tannins, resins, gums, fats, ursolic and oleic acids, vitamins B and C. Its beneficial properties are manifested in antiseptic, wound healing and disinfecting effects on the human body. The herb has found its application in cosmetology, medicine, and the food industry.
It is best to harvest thyme at the beginning of summer, because it is at this time that it is the most fragrant and contains a lot of essential oils. The collected raw materials are dried in small bunches, hanging heads down in a ventilated place, protected from direct sunlight.
The use of thyme
Thyme is used not only in folk but also in official medicine. It is part of a baby cough medicine called Pertusin. With bee stings, thyme lotions relieve swelling and pain. Decoctions and extracts from the plant are prescribed for asthma and tuberculosis. It is an excellent sedative for depression, fatigue, neurasthenia. A decoction of thyme is good for bad breath. Essential oil is used as an air disinfectant.
Thyme is also successfully used for coughs, bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, whooping cough, atony and intestinal spasms, and abdominal distention. It effectively fights diseases such as articular and muscular rheumatism, copes well with the consequences of bruises and rashes on the body of a non-infectious nature. The plant is included in the composition of herbal preparations designed to relieve chronic fatigue syndrome.
Thyme preparations are indispensable for men's health. They prevent the development of prostatitis, eliminate sexual impotence and prevent premature ejaculation. In cooking, thyme is added to all products (potatoes, legumes, sausages, fatty meats) when it is necessary to facilitate the assimilation of difficult-to-digest foods.
Thyme tea
Thyme can be combined with other herbs to treat colds. In addition, the thyme tea itself is delicious and has a wonderful aroma.
Recipe 1. In a quarter of a glass of water, pour 1 teaspoon of thyme, bring to a boil and let it brew for 10 minutes. You can pour boiling water immediately. After infusion, the tea should be filtered.
Recipe 2. Three tablespoons of black tea and two tablespoons of thyme should be put in a kettle, pour boiling water over and leave for 2 minutes.
Recipe 3. Pour a glass of boiling water over a mixture of lingonberries, St. John's wort and thyme (ratio 1: 1: 1) and let it brew for 15 minutes.
Cough thyme
Infusions and decoctions of thyme have a disinfecting and expectorant effect. They are prescribed for respiratory diseases, colds, asthma and sore throat.
Recipe 1. Pour one tablespoon of dry thyme into one glass of hot water, let it brew for one hour, then strain. The medicine should be taken 1-2 tablespoons three times a day.
Recipe 2. Mix fresh aloe juice with honey with 1 tablespoon of thyme infusion in a 1: 1 ratio. Drink the received medicine.
Recipe 3. 3-4 tablespoons of thyme must be mixed with oregano and mint, 1 tablespoon each, pour boiling water over, leave overnight. They drink the remedy like tea.
Recipe 4. The broth or infusion should be left in a container immediately after preparation, without straining, and a towel should be thrown over the head. It is necessary to breathe over the steam for about 15 minutes, then cover your neck with a warm handkerchief or scarf; it is not recommended to go outside immediately after the procedure.
Thyme for children
Nowadays, many parents prefer to use preparations from natural plants in the treatment of their young children, since synthetic drugs have a lot of side effects and contraindications. One of these beneficial herbs is thyme. It has a calming, disinfecting and antiseptic effect. If the child does not sleep well, then it is enough to make a warm bath with thyme - and the baby's sleep will be healthy and calm. Also, baths are good for rickets and rheumatism.
But when treating with herbs, be sure to follow the recommendations of homeopaths. The correct use of natural medicines gives the best healing effect.
Thyme during pregnancy
Attention: pregnant women should use any thyme medications only after consulting a doctor!
Thyme oil
Thyme oil contains tannins, resins, malic and acetic acids, and mineral salts. The oil is obtained from the herb of thyme. The oil also contains thymol, which has antiseptic and antihelminthic properties. Oil is used for various ailments. It is effective for skin diseases, helps with headaches, stomach pains, joint diseases. The oil has a good effect on respiratory diseases, up to tuberculosis and asthma.
Thyme oil is almost irreplaceable if insomnia, headaches and depression are plagued by. It helps with hair loss, in addition, improves memory and increases attention.
Thyme from alcoholism
Unfortunately, alcoholism is a terrible disease of our people. But it can be cured with thyme. The decoction of the plant contains thymol, which causes vomiting in case of an overdose. This is the basis of the action of the decoction of thyme.
Recipe. 15 g of thyme is poured into 250 ml of boiling water, left in a water bath for 10-15 minutes, after which the first infusion is drained and the same amount of water is added again. Take a decoction of 50–70 ml several times a day, after which the patient should be given about 25 g of vodka to drink. Before you drink vodka, you need to smell it for 5 minutes. 10-30 minutes after the vodka is drunk, a reaction occurs: the patient develops nausea or even vomiting.
Treatment usually lasts 1–2 weeks, and as a result, the patient develops a persistent aversion to alcohol. Be sure to use only fresh broth.
Thyme essential oil
The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of thyme flowers. Thanks to its expectorant, warming and anti-inflammatory properties, thyme oil has a beneficial effect on respiratory diseases. It is an excellent remedy for the treatment of urinary infections and inflammations.
With its help, you can easily cope with such female diseases as pain and menstrual irregularities. The essential oil stimulates contractions, and the baby is born faster. Thyme is subject to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, and in addition, it improves appetite, improves mood, relieves fatigue, increases alertness and tones the nervous system.
Thyme syrup
Thyme cough syrup is a remedy no worse, and maybe even better than the synthetic drugs that we are all used to using, because the syrup is prepared from natural ingredients.
Recipe 1. A small bunch of still flowering thyme should be well washed, finely chopped and allowed to dry. Then the raw material needs to be poured with about 450 ml of water and cooked over low heat, the water should boil by half. The broth should be allowed to cool, then strain it, add about 50 g of garlic (squeeze the juice) and 300 g of natural honey. Mix everything and store in a tightly sealed container. It is necessary to drink the medicine after meals, 1 teaspoon per day. This syrup can be stored for a very long time.
Recipe 2. Finely chop 20 g of dry thyme, pour about 200 ml of hot water, cook over low heat in a closed saucepan until the water boils down by half. Dissolve 200 g of honey in a water bath and add it to the broth. The syrup is very tasty. Children can be given this medicine after a meal, 1 teaspoonful.
Recipe 3. Blooming thyme needs to be cut and folded in a glass jar in layers, alternating thyme with sugar, press down and leave in a dark place for two weeks. Then the syrup is poured into another jar and tightly covered with a lid. Add the agent to tea if you have stomach problems.
Thyme recipes
Recipe 1. Pour chopped thyme with boiling water, boil in a water bath for 20-30 minutes. Then refrigerate and strain. The ratio of thyme and water is 1:10. This decoction of thyme is recommended for stomach cancer.
Recipe 2. One tablespoon of thyme should be poured into 400 ml of water, brought to a boil, cooled and filtered. The product should be drunk half a glass three times a day. This broth is used for dysbiosis, headaches, loss of sleep and overexertion.
Recipe 3. Infusion for dandruff and hair loss. Pour 250 ml of boiling water over one tablespoon of dry chopped thyme, let it brew for 1 hour and drink 70 g three times a day.
Recipe 4. Infusion for baths. In five liters of boiling water, you need to pour 100 g of thyme, insist for 30 minutes, pour into the bath. Bathing should be repeated twice a week.
Recipe 5. Tincture as prevention of influenza. For 50 g of dry thyme, take 220 ml of 70% alcohol, insist for 10 days in a dark cool room in a glass container at a temperature of 20-25 ° C, shaking every two days. The maximum shelf life of the tincture is five years.
Recipe 6. Prevention of influenza. 20 g of thyme herb, mint leaves and fragrant violet flowers should be poured with 500 ml of vodka, infused for 3-4 days, shaking every day at least twice. Then strain the medicine.
Thyme from pressure
Thyme is often used in herbal preparations for hypertension, so it is useful for people suffering from high blood pressure to drink thyme tea. It dilates blood vessels.
Recipe. Pour one tablespoon of the herbal collection into a glass of boiling water, let it brew for several hours and drink before meals three to four times a day. After you have drunk, you have to lie down and put a warm heating pad on your feet.
Contraindications to the use of thyme
Despite the many useful properties of this medicinal plant, it has contraindications for use. People suffering from gastritis, diabetes, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer - it is undesirable to take preparations based on thyme.
It should be remembered that although thyme is useful for tuberculosis, asthma and pneumonia, as an expectorant, this same effect (expectorant) can provoke complications of these diseases, if the dosage is not taken into account.
Pregnant women need to use the plant in a very metered dose - there may be a threat of miscarriage. Thyme preparations should be treated only after consulting a doctor.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
