Thyme: Thymus vulgaris, Organic dried leaf

Latin name: Thymus vulgaris

After researching Thyme and learning of its heroic properties I now use it for cough teas but also routinely in large quantities' in cooking. It tastes great and suits long cooking times, releasing its flavour like in a bolognese with oregano or in the making of something like za'atar.  

Anti-infective agent.

Thyme has marked antimicrobial activity in the respiratory system such as the sinuses, lungs and associated structures. Thyme also has some activity on the urinary and digestive tissues.

Expectorant.

The capacity to expel mucus out of the alveoli and, via the bronchioles and the bronchi, into the throat or stomach is a vital and vitalistic (having vitality) function. The mucus itself is produced by goblet cells within the mucous membranes of the lungs. The mucus should be both sticky enough to trap pathogens and cellular debris, and fluid enough to be drawn upwards by the cilia, carrying away these products of inflammation and infection.

Western herbal medicine recognizes a number of pulmonary expectorants, with Thymus vulgaris being stimulating in temperament.

Antioxidant.

Thyme is not simply an anti-infective expectorant, but a powerful anti-oxidant reducing oxidative stress on vulnerable cells. As such it makes for a superior medicine for use with infection and inflammation whether acute or chronic, and in preventing the acute becoming chronic!