Beneficial Uses for the Thyme Leaf
The thyme leaf has been known to be used for many purposes by humans for thousands of years. It has many properties that can be useful for a variety of functions including gardening, culinary, folk medicinal, aromatherapy and even manufacturing uses. It is an easy and attractive plant to grow and keep. Overall the thyme plant is extremely popular because of these properties.
Due to the relatively easy process of hybridizing the thyme plant during cultivation, there are now about 350 different species available. Finding thyme plant hybrids is easy to do. Many types are easily purchased from garden centers or from online dealers. Thyme is a very popular gardening plant. This is because it is not only easy to care for, but it also has fragrant, attractive and very numerous little flowers. They use these fragrant flowers to attract welcome garden visitors like bees. In fact, thyme plant nectar is often used to make flavored honey. Thyme plants are found in the mint family and are perennial plants. Growing them in your garden can add lots of interesting character as these plants can be grown as bushy tall plants or as a creeping variety and the flowers can be a wide array of colors. These plants grow well in a variety of soil types as long as they receive enough sunlight. They also have many pest controlling properties. Thyme plants require only moderate watering and light maintenance involving deadheading the flowers.
Sprigs of the thyme leaf and flowers can be picked often and may be dried or used fresh for a variety of culinary applications. Most people prefer to use the common thyme and lemon thyme species in their kitchen as these produce the best results. Thyme makes a wonderful addition to cooking dishes and is used to add flavor and spice. This flavor is often described as tangy and is especially useful in slow cooked dishes because it will retain its flavor for a long time. Dried leaves and springs can also be stored over long periods of time and will retain their aroma and flavor as long as they are kept in an airtight container.
Dried springs and leaves from the thyme plant can also be used in homemade potpourris and burned as flavored incense. The plant gives off a wonderful and warm smell that is not overpowering. A thyme leaf contains essential oils that are often used in the alternative medicinal approach referred to as aromatherapy. This technique involves burning or releasing the essential oils in plants like thyme for therapeutic and stress relieving purposes. Aromatherapy is also used to alleviate pain and alter the patient’s mood levels. These essential oils are also added to manufactured products such as flavored soaps, perfumes, cosmetics and toothpastes. Different species of hybridized thyme plants have different compositions of a chemical called terpenoids found in the essential oils, which results in many different aromas that can be given off by different varieties of plants.
Thyme plants are also known to have antiseptic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties have been the basis for the use of thyme plants for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. The most common species of thyme plants that have been known to be used in folk medicine are the creeping thyme and Spanish thyme. Some of the alternative medicinal uses of thyme include treating inflammations of the respiratory tract, creating an expectorant for the buildup of mucus in the throat, and to treat bronchitis. The terpenoids found in thyme may also have cancer prevention properties. Herbal treatments for these conditions and often many other types of conditions as well can be made into teas or healing baths. Thyme is considered to be a very safe alternative medicinal tool with no side effects. Based on its wide array of uses in gardening, cooking and medicinal use, it is no surprise how popular the thyme plant is today.