Thyme has been used in kitchens throughout the world for centuries and more to flavour stews and mix with roast potatoes. It is a widely used and popular herb found in nearly every kitchen cabinet. It is easy to obtain and relatively inexpensive to purchase fresh or dried. This wonderfully fragrant herb has many uses in the kitchen, but the ones that I wish to discuss here are the ones that most people overlook or never knew of in the first place.

Thyme is derived from a Greek word meaning courage. The roman soldiers of long ago would bathe in it to invigorate themselves for battle, and the ladies of yore would sew sprigs of the herb into the vests of their errant knights as a token of good luck. The Egyptians used it in their infamous ceremonies as an ingredient in their embalming fluids; it is known to be both a preservative and an antifungal agent.

Thyme is “zaatar” in Arabic. Thyme is most popularly used as one of the main ingredients in the spice mix named after it – Zaatar. This mixed zaatar is actually a mix of sumac berries and zataar, however, plain zaatar is also readily available in the Middle East and has many uses that you may not have thought about.

Thyme is a vermifuge and daily consumption of it helps keep worms and other parasites from dwelling in your body. You can eat or drink the tea for this purpose.  Eating “mixed zaatar” on a daily basis may not be a bad idea! Especially if you live in a place where you are unsure of water quality or cleanliness. Eating Zaatar on bread helps you digest the heaviness of the bread and prevents many digestive and allergic reactions related to bread.

A Hadith related by Ibn al-Juzi states that “They fumigated their houses with thyme and frankincense. “This is because thyme is a fantastic anti-fungal, anti-biotic, anti-septic, and anti-microbial agent. It also repels insects. So if you have any illness in the house or any problem spots in your house or yard – think of thyme. A cleverly placed thyme bush is a good addition to any garden. Drinking the green leafy tea also has many health benefits. A few cups a day will ease menstrual cramps as well as relieve the tenseness and moodiness that often accompanies PMS (or the “MS” itself). Thyme tea is also helpful for stomach problems as well as coughs and fever. Thyme tea is a wonderfully pleasant tea for children’s coughs as they delight in the flavour. It is also said to alleviate whooping cough and nightmares. It helps in the elimination of phlegm, relieves any pain that may accompany the illness and calms a child’s nerves.

 

You can also use it for a mild sore throat (for a severe sore throat spray a couple drops of the essential oil  mixed with water or herbal tea directly on your throat) and post nasal drip. One of the most useful factors of this herb is its antiseptic qualities. Used as a tea bag and warmed it can cure styes, and greatly aid pink eye or conjunctivitis. The combination of the soothing warmth of the tea bags and the drawing qualities of the herb add up to pure relief when used in this manner. If you grow it as a fresh herb in your garden it can be crushed and used to clean cuts and scrapes, giving you an immediate garden antiseptic remedy. These qualities have been proven by laboratory tests and these tests have shown that it does in FACT destroy many forms of fungus and disease causing bacteria. If drank as a tea or eaten raw it can help gastroenteritis greatly, too. Because of its antispasmodic qualities it is also of great relief to women suffering from cramps during their monthly periods.

 

Used as a tea it can relive both hangovers and also most herbalists recommend it as a digestive aid or tonic. Finally, it is a great cough remedy. Many herbalists recommend its usage for whooping cough, cold, and for sore throats. It is a plant that attracts bees easily and the honey produced by these thyme bees can be readily found in most good supermarkets. This honey plus the teas, that I mentioned before, are the best remedies available for these ailments. Thyme is the equal to the trachea, bronchial tubes, and lungs in what it is capable of, that mint is to the stomach and the intestines. I recommend and have used it for myself happily every time I have had any convulsive or chronic cough or sore throat. It is both an antiseptic remember and it is a soothing mixture, too. What more could we ask for than "thyme'.

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Ammarah
Radio Islam
+27118547022
ammarah@radioislam.co.za
www.radioislam.co.za