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Thymus vulgaris Linn.

Botanical Name

Thymus vulgaris Linn.

English Name

Thyme or Garden Thyme

Family

Lamiaceae

General Info

Description

A low, perennial undershrub, 20-30 cm high. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 10 mm x3 mm., with orange-brown, glandular dots; coriaceous; flowers small, purplish or bluish to almost white, in pubescent verticillasters; nutlets brown.

Herb Effects

Expectorant, dissolves mucous, diuretic, antibiotic, sedative and anthelmintic (flower and leaf); antiseptic, stimulant and alleviates spasms (especially to the bronchial tubes and digestive organs) (essential oil); antibacterial (leaf and stem); antiseptic, anthelmintic, expectorant, carminative, diuretic, emmenagogue and sediative (plant); anthelmintic, strongly antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, deodorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, expectorant, sedative and tonic (flowering tops)

Links

Thyme
Floridata
Australian Naturopathic Network
Botanical.com
Plants for a Future

Chemistry

Active Ingredients

4-terpineol, alpha-linolenic acid, alpha-phellandrene, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, alpha-terpineol, apigenin, beta-carotene, beta-pinene, beta-terpineol, camphene, camphor, capric acid, caprylic acid, carvacrol, carvone, chlorogenic acid, chrysoeriol, cinnamic acid, citral, delta-3-carene, diosmetin, eriodictyol, eugenol, ferulic acid, gallic acid, gamma-terpinene, geraniol, glycine, isoeugenol, kaempferol, limonene, linalyl-acetate, linoleic acid, luteolin, menthone, methionine, myrcene, naringenin, nerolidol, niacin, oleanolic acid, oleic acid, p-coumaric acid, p-cymene, p-hydroxy benzoic acid, palmitic acid, phenylalanine, riboflavin, rosmarinic acid, tannin, thiamin, thymol, tryptophan, tyrosine, ursolic acid, vanillic acid (plant); anethole, delta-cadinene, isoborneol (essential oil); cineol, linalool, myrcenol (plant oil); ascorbic acid, borneol, bornyl-acetate, caffeic acid, cirsilineol (leaf).

Chemistry of Active Ingredients

Name

CAS#

IUPAC Name

Formula

Structure

Thymol

89-83-8

5-methyl-2-propan-2-
yl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₄O

Carvacrol

499-75-2

2-methyl-5-propan-2-
yl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₄O

Cineol

470-82-6

1,8,8-trimethyl-7-ox
abicyclo[2.2.2]octan
e

C₁₀H₁₈O

Linalool

78-70-6

3,7-dimethylocta-1,6
-dien-3-ol

C₁₀H₁₈O

Limonene

9003-73-0

1-methyl-4-prop-1-en
-2-yl-cyclohexene

C₁₀H₁₆

Myrcenol

543-39-5

2-methyl-6-methylide
ne-oct-7-en-2-ol

C₁₀H₁₈O

Ursolic acid

77-52-1

10-hydroxy-1,2,6a,6b
,9,9,12a-heptamethyl
-2,3,4,5,6,6a,7,8,8a
,10,11,12, 13,14b-t
etradecahydro-1H-pic
ene-4a-carboxylic
acid

C₃₀H₄₈O₃

Caffeic acid

Not Available

3-(3,4-dihydroxyphen
yl)prop-2-enoic acid

C₉H₈O₄

4-Terpineol

562-74-3

4-methyl-1-propan-2-
yl-cyclohex-3-en-1-o
l

C₁₀H₁₈O

alpha-Linolenic acid

94138-91-7

octadeca-9,12,15-tri
enoic acid

C₁₈H₃₀O₂

alpha-Phellandrene

2243-33-6

2-methyl-5-propan-2-
yl-cyclohexa-1,3-die
ne

C₁₀H₁₆

alpha-Pinene

80-56-8

2,7,7-trimethylbicyc
lo[3.1.1]hept-2-ene

C₁₀H₁₆

alpha-Terpinene

99-86-5

1-methyl-4-propan-2-
yl-cyclohexa-1,3-die
ne

C₁₀H₁₆

alpha-Terpineol

10482-56-1

2-(4-methyl-1-cycloh
ex-3-enyl)propan-2-o
l

C₁₀H₁₈O

Apigenin

520-36-5

4,5-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-chrome
n-7-one

C₁₅H₁₀O₅

beta-Carotene

Not Available

3,7,12,16-tetramethy
l-1,18-bis(2,6,6-tri
methyl-1-cyclohexeny
l)-octadec a-1,3,5,
7,9,11,13,15,17-nona
ene

C₄₀H₅₆

Beta-pinene

23089-32-9

6,6-dimethyl-2-methy
lidene-norpinane

C₁₀H₁₆

beta-Terpineol

118-34-3

2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-
[4-(3-hydroxyprop-1-
enyl)-2,6-dimethoxy-
phenoxy]-o xane-3,4
,5-triol

C₁₇H₂₄O₉

Camphene

5794-04-7

2,2-dimethyl-3-methy
lidene-norbornane

C₁₀H₁₆

Camphor

8022-77-3

1,7,7-trimethylnorbo
rnan-2-one

C₁₀H₁₆O

Capric acid

334-48-5

Decanoic acid

C₁₀H₂₀O₂

Caprylic acid

764-71-6

octanoic acid

C₈H₁₆O₂

Carvone

53763-73-8

2-methyl-5-prop-1-en
-2-yl-cyclohex-2-en-
1-one

C₁₀H₁₄O

Chlorogenic acid

327-97-9

3-[3-(3,4-dihydroxyp
henyl)prop-2-enoylox
y]-1,4,5-trihydroxy-
cyclohexan e-1-carb
oxylic acid

C₁₆H₁₈O₉

Chrysoeriol

491-71-4

4,5-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxy-3-methoxy-phe
nyl)-chromen-7-one

C₁₆H₁₂O₆

Cinnamic acid

63938-16-9

3-phenylprop-2-enoic
acid

C₉H₈O₂

Citral

96680-15-8

3,7-dimethylocta-2,6
-dienal

C₁₀H₁₆O

delta-Cadinene

Not Available

1,6-dimethyl-4-propa
n-2-yl-2,3,4,4a,7,8-
hexahydronaphthalene

C₁₅H₂₄

Diosmetin

520-34-3

4,5-dihydroxy-2-(3-h
ydroxy-4-methoxy-phe
nyl)-chromen-7-one

C₁₆H₁₂O₆

Eriodictyol

4049-38-1

(2R)-2-(3,4-dihydrox
yphenyl)-5,7-dihydro
xy-chroman-4-one

C₁₅H₁₂O₆

Eugenol

97-53-0

2-methoxy-4-prop-2-e
nyl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₂O₂

Ferulic acid

24276-84-4

3-(4-hydroxy-3-metho
xy-phenyl)prop-2-eno
ic acid

C₁₀H₁₀O₄

Gallic acid

149-91-7

3,4,5-trihydroxybenz
oic acid

C₇H₆O₅

gamma-Terpinene

99-85-4

1-methyl-4-propan-2-
yl-cyclohexa-1,4-die
ne

C₁₀H₁₆

Geraniol

8007-13-4

3,7-dimethylocta-2,6
-dien-1-ol

C₁₀H₁₈O

Glycine

87867-94-5

2-aminoacetic acid

C₂H₅NO₂

Isoeugenol

97-54-1

2-methoxy-4-prop-1-e
nyl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₂O₂

Kaempferol

80714-53-0

3-[3-[4,5-dihydroxy-
6-(hydroxymethyl)-3-
[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-
(hydroxyme thyl)oxa
n-2-yl]oxy-oxan-2-yl
]oxy-4,5-dihydroxy-6
-(hydroxymethyl)oxan
-2 -yl]oxy-4,5-dihy
droxy-2-(4-hydroxyph
enyl)-chromen-7-one

C₃₃H₄₀O₂₁

Linalyl acetate

8022-85-3

3,7-dimethylocta-1,6
-dien-3-yl acetate

C₁₂H₂₀O₂

Linoleic acid

8024-22-4

Octadeca-9,12-dienoi
c acid

C₁₈H₃₂O₂

Luteolin

Not Available

2-(3,4-dihydroxyphen
yl)-4,5-dihydroxy-ch
romen-7-one

C₁₅H₁₀O₆

Menthone

89-80-5

5-methyl-2-propan-2-
yl-cyclohexan-1-one

C₁₀H₁₈O

Methionine

348-67-4

2-amino-4-methylsulf
anyl-butanoic acid

C₅H₁₁NO₂S

Myrcene

2153-31-3

7-methyl-3-methylide
ne-octa-1,6-diene

C₁₀H₁₆

Naringenin

Not Available

5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-chroma
n-4-one

C₁₅H₁₂O₅

Nerolidol

14528-94-0

3,7,11-trimethyldode
ca-1,6,10-trien-3-ol

C₁₅H₂₆O

Niacin

99148-57-9

Pyridine-3-carboxyli
c acid

C₆H₅NO₂

Oleanolic acid

508-02-1

10-hydroxy-2,2,6a,6b
,9,9,12a-heptamethyl
-1,3,4,5,6,6a,7,8,8a
,10,11,12,
13,14b-tetradecahydr
opicene-4a-carboxyli
c acid

C₃₀H₄₈O₃

Oleic acid

8046-01-3

octadec-9-enoic acid

C₁₈H₃₄O₂

P-coumaric acid

501-98-4

3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)p
rop-2-enoic acid

C₉H₈O₃

p-Cymene

Not Available

Dichlororuthenium;
1-methyl-5,6-dihydro
-4H-pyrimidine;
p-cymene

C₁₅H₂₄C_l2N₂Ru

p-Hydroxybenzoic acid

99-96-7

4-hydroxybenzoic
acid

C₇H₆O₃

Palmitic acid

66321-94-6

Hexadecanoic acid

C₁₆H₃₂O₂

Phenylalanine

3617-44-5

2-amino-3-phenyl-pro
panoic acid

C₉H₁₁NO₂

Riboflavin

Not Available

C₁₇H₂₁N₄O₉P

Rosmarinic acid

537-15-5

3-(3,4-dihydroxyphen
yl)-2-[3-(3,4-dihydr
oxyphenyl)prop-2-eno
yloxy]prop anoic
acid

C₁₈H₁₆O₈

Tannin

1401-55-4

Not Available

C₂₇H₂₂O₁₈

Thiamin

59-43-8

2-[3-[(4-amino-2-met
hyl-pyrimidin-5-yl)m
ethyl]-4-methyl-1-th
ia-3-azoni acyclope
nta-2,4-dien-5-yl]et
hanol

C₁₂H₁₇N₄OS+

Thymol

89-83-8

5-methyl-2-propan-2-
yl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₄O

Tryptophan

80206-30-0

2-amino-3-(1H-indol-
3-yl)propanoic acid

C₁₁H₁₂N₂O₂

Tyrosine

556-02-5

2-amino-3-(4-hydroxy
phenyl)-propanoic
acid

C₉H₁₁NO₃

Vanillic acid

Not Available

4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-
benzoic acid

C₈H₈O₄

Anethole

8022-08-0

1-methoxy-4-prop-1-e
nyl-benzene

C₁₀H₁₂O

Isoborneol

124-76-5

(1S,2S,4R)-1,7,7-tri
methylnorbornan-2-ol

C₁₀H₁₈O

Ascorbic Acid

Not Available

2-(1,2-dihydroxyethy
l)-4,5-dihydroxy-fur
an-3-one

C₆H₈O₆

Borneol

10385-78-1

1,7,7-trimethylnorbo
rnan-2-ol

C₁₀H₁₈O

Bornyl acetate

20347-65-3

(1,7,7-trimethylnorb
ornan-2-yl) acetate

C₁₂H₂₀O₂

Cirsilineol

Not Available

5-hydroxy-2-(4-hydro
xy-3-methoxy-phenyl)
-6,7-dimethoxy-chrom
en-4-one

C₁₈H₁₆O₇

Pharmacology

Medicinal Use

The plant is used internally in the treatment of dry coughs, whooping cough, bronchitis, bronchial catarrh, cold, asthma, laryngitis, indigestion, gastritis and diarrhoea and enuresis in children. Externally, it is used in the treatment of tonsillitis, gum diseases, rheumatism, arthritis and fungal infections (Athlete's foot).The whole herb is used in the treatment of digestive disorders, sore throats, fevers etc.

Contraindication

Do not use when pregnant or having high blood pressure. Overuse of it can stimulate the thyroid gland and lymphatic system.

Reference

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.

Bentley and Trimen, Medicinal Plants.

Stary, The Natural Guide to Medicinal Herbs and Plants.

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