![]() ![]() Oil of thyme was used on surgical dressings and in times of war as recently as World War I, to treat battle wounds. The herb was among those burned in sickrooms to help stop the spread of disease. The Egyptians used the herb in formulas for embalming the dead. Thyme has long been recognized for its antiseptic properties. The philosopher-herbalist Pliny the Elder recommended burning the dried herb in the house to "put to flight all venomous creatures." In the kitchen thyme has been used for centuries to season sauces, soups, stuffing, and soups. The strong scent of thyme was employed as a moth repellent, and burned as fumigating incense. They also included thyme in bedding to chase melancholy and to prevent nightmares. The Romans believed that adding thyme to bath water would impart energy. Greek men particularly liked the pungent scent of thyme and would rub the herb on their chests. Greek folk herbalists believed that thyme would impart courage ( thumus in Greek) to those who used the herb, particularly soldiers. The generic name may have been inspired by one of thyme's traditional attributes. Young women wore a corsage of blossoming thyme to signal their availability for romance. Tradition held that an infusion of thyme taken as a tea on midsummer's eve would enable one to see the fairies dancing. ![]() Thyme has been known since ancient times for its magical, culinary, and medicinal virtues. The aromatic herb attracts bees that produce a uniquely flavored honey from the herb. Thyme thrives in sunny locations on dry stony banks and heaths. Flowers are tiny and tubular and grow in terminal clusters up to 6 in (15.2 cm) long. The blossoms may be white to rose-colored or a blue to purple hue, depending on the species and variety. The edges of the stalkless, and slightly hairy leaves are rolled inward. Thyme has tiny narrow gray-green leaves that grow in opposite pairs on the square woody stems. This habit inspired the designation serpyllum referring to the serpent-like growth of the species. Wild thyme produces long, low-lying, sprawling and creeping stems. It was probably introduced to North America by European colonists, and has escaped cultivation. Wild thyme is found growing on heaths, in sheep pastures, and mountainous areas in temperate regions. It is most commonly cultivated for its culinary uses. Garden thyme grows from a woody, fibrous root to produce thin, erect, stems up to 15 in (38 cm) high. Thyme is extensively cultivated, both commercially and in home gardens, as a culinary and medicinal herb. The aromatic thyme is a perennial native of southern Europe and the western Mediterranean. serpyllum, known as creeping thyme, mother of thyme, wild thyme, and mountain thyme, are two similarly beneficial evergreen shrubs of the Lamiaceae or mint family. ![]()
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