Thyme Essential Oil
Thymus vulgaris
Thyme oil blends nicely with Lemon, Pine, Bergamot, Lavender, Grapefruit, and Rosemary. This oil must be diluted with a carrier oil for topical use.
Known Uses
Thyme oil strengthens the nerves, aids memory and concentration, can alleviate the feeling of exhaustion and combats depression. This stimulating essential oil is a great pick-me-up that can increase your alertness if you are feeling groggy. It augments the immune system and can help fight respiratory ailments like coughs (includingwhooping cough), colds, flu and asthma. It also helps fight sinus issues like sinusitis and sore throats. It is effective at combattinglaryngitis,tonsillitis, catarrh and chills. It can fight infectious diseases and is used as a urinary antiseptic being very helpful for cystitis and urethritis. It inhibits bacterial growth within and outside of the body, healing bacterial infections including B-Colitis, respiratory system bacterial infections, renal colic, intestinal bacterial infections, as well as bacterial infections in the urethra and genitals. This essential oil destroys intestinal worms like tape worms and round worms. It kills maggots, which can live in open sores. It eliminates hook worms too. What a helpful oil for getting rid of worms!
Thyme oil is a great insect repellent in general. You can put it around the house to keep away pesky bugs. You can also use it diluted with a carrier oil on yourself (in a few spots like your neck and wrists) when outside and bothered by mosquitos or to keep ticks far away.
Thyme essential oil is an effective cleanser due to its chemical properties. You can use it around the home or make your own deodorant or skin cleanser with thyme in it.
Because thyme oil has a distinct flavor and is great for the immune system, many people like to add it to foods while cooking. A few drops will go a long way!
Thyme essential oil is very beneficial for the heart. As it is an anti-spasmodic, it manages the heart valves keeping them working properly. It helps decrease blood pressure and lessens strees that can be put on the heart from tight and constricted veins and arteries by relaxing them. It bolters the strength of cardiac (heart) muscles and in general, shapes up and improves the condition of the heart, because it is a tonic. Thyme oil acts as a diuretic, helping to reduce weight, lower blood pressure, reduce fats and improve digestion as well.
The warming effect of thyme essential oil can help in cases of poor circulation, rheumatism and arthritis, muscle aches and pains, gout, sprains and other sport injuries. It is also beneficial for anorexia, edema, cellulite, and obesity. It helps in cases of sparse and light periods and leucorrhoea, and is used to accelerate the birthing process and to discharge afterbirth. Thyme is one of the best essential oils to alleviate snoring. Because blood circulation is stimulated by thyme, rubbing a thyme oil mixture into your scalp helps to promote the delivery of nutrients to the scalp and supports hair growth. It can erase scars including surgical scars. It gets rid of blemishes left by acne, measles, poxes (like chicken pox), and other skin sores or injuries.
Thyme essential oil has been shown to be effective against some cancers. It was able to kill 98% of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) with a concentration of only 0.05% in as little as 72 hours of in vitro breast cancer treatment. In some other studies, thyme oil has been comfirmed to be effective in treating ovarian cancer and oral cancer. One study determined that Mastic Thyme (Thymus mastichina L.) extracts may protect from colon cancers.
Studies have shown that thyme concoctions can work better than prescription acne creams for some people. The researchers reported that the thyme preparation killed around 100,000 bacteria per ml – or half a million per teaspoonful within five minutes of exposure. Thyme was the most effective of the preparations tested.
History
It is an ancient herb used in medicine by the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Romans. The name thyme comes from the Greek word 'thymos', and it means 'perfume' and was used as in Greek places of worship and temples as an incense. The Egypt it was used in mummification for embalming. During the Middle Ages thyme was given to knights before a joust to make them courageous. A twig of thyme was also brought into courtrooms to hold off diseases.
Warning
Thyme essential oil has a high percentage of thymol, a phenol and a powerful antiseptic, immune booster, and nervous system stimulant. This makes thyme a strong, hot oil and must be used with carrier oils. All thymes need to be used with care because of toxic phenols, carvacrol, and thymol.
Don't use thyme oil if you are pregnant or if you struggle with high blood pressure. Because of the phenols, which can inflame mucus membranes and cause soreness to the skin, don't use it in cosmetics or products for taking care of your skin, and in general make sure you dilute it so that it is not concentrated. If you want to use it during a massage, make sure to do a skin patch test to determine if you or the person receiving the massage is sensitive to it.