Thyme is a bushy herb with trailing green-gray leaves and a powerful aroma and flavor. This herb is indigenous to the western Mediterranean, but it can also be found in drier, sunnier regions in Western Asia and southern Europe.
Thymus vulgaris, or garden thyme, is the most popular culinary species among the more than sixty varieties of thyme.
It's also the sort seen in the majority of historical recipes and treatments, particularly in and around ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
Thyme not only provides flavor to food, but it also has health advantages when taken fresh or dried, or when steeped to prepare tea.
Health Benefits
This fragrant herb adds more to your favorite dishes than just flavor. Thyme essential oil has even been used to preserve food because of its ability to resist bacteria and fungus.
Thyme is also high in minerals and vitamins, which are beneficial for better health. Thyme is high in vitamin C, potassium, and manganese, which are all important for bone formation and blood clotting.
Other health benefits of eating thyme and drinking thyme tea include:
Reduction of Inflammation
Thymol, one of the main oils in thyme, can suppress the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2, or COX-2, which is responsible for inflammation in the body. Carvacrol, another oil found in thyme, has a similar effect on inflammatory cytokines, or signals that your body uses to induce inflammation. This oil can help in the reduction of it.
Respiratory Help
Thyme is also beneficial to respiratory health, with clinical trials indicating that it can help relieve coughs and chest congestion. Although fresh thyme is ideal, essential thyme oils found in thyme tea may also give some of these benefits.
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Thyme can also be used to treat gastrointestinal problems. Thyme contains antibacterial qualities, which help in the reduction of germs in meals and can help improve gut microorganisms and general intestinal health. This herb can also help you eat more, maintain a healthy liver, and boost the protective gastric mucus layers in your stomach, which protect the stomach lining from acid.
Nutrition
Thyme has a pleasant aroma and is high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin B. A 100-gram serving of fresh thyme leaves provides 160 milligrams of vitamin C and 1.28 milligrams of vitamin C are found in a 1-teaspoon serving.
How to Prepare Thyme Tea:
Thyme can be readily prepared as tea to reap its health advantages. You can use fresh thyme leaves or ground thyme powder to prepare your tea. You can also use dried thyme, but sift off the leaves to eliminate any unpleasant textures in the drink.
For fresh leaves, soak several sprigs of thyme in a cup of boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes. Before drinking, sift any leaves that fall off the sprigs and into the water.
Add about 1 teaspoon of powdered thyme to a cup of hot water and whisk to mix. Because ground thyme has a texture similar to matcha green tea powder, you may need to stir many times to achieve complete blending.
