Do you feel:

• Pain, tenderness, soreness on the left side?
• Stomach pains, burning, or aching, 1-4 hours after eating?
• Digestive problems subside with rest and relaxation?
• Unpredictable abdominal swelling?
• An overall sense of bloating?

If you are experiencing any of these situations, then something might be wrong in your body, especially in the gut. Why not try to add some thyme into your food.

Thyme

In the culinary world, thyme is usually associated with savory dishes that compliment the flavors. This leafy herb can be combined with chicken and can give food dishes like stuffing, sauces, stews and soups a boost in the flavor department. Even though thyme is a culinary herb, surprisingly, there is some history with this leafy herb that not everyone knows about yet. History shows that thyme was used as an embalmment by Ancient Egyptians, while Ancient Greece was using thyme as incense for their temples. History even showed that thyme has a “purifying” aroma that helped people ward off nightmares in the Middle Ages. In today’s world, thyme is well-known for its ability to enhance the flavors in the cooking world. However, it is even better known for its medicinal purifying properties for functional medicine.

Studies have found out that about approximately 1/3 of all deaths in the world are due to infectious diseases. In contrast, an alarming number of microorganisms have now become resistant to antibiotic therapy. Surprisingly though, scientists are trying to find ways to look for alternative antimicrobial therapies with thyme. Since plants have a natural defense mechanism that is built into them since they can protect themselves from harsh environmental factors. So, with thyme being a Mediterranean herb, its health properties are beneficial for the body and can dampen the effect of harmful bacterial pathogens.

Beneficial Properties Thyme Possess

Some of the beneficial properties that thyme has to offer are amazing since it has been used for medicinal usages. Thyme has a naturally occurring class of compounds known as biocides. Studies show that these compounds are known to destroy any harmful organisms like infectious bacteria, while also having powerful antimicrobial properties. In a 2010 research study, it suggested that thyme can reduce bacterial resistance to some of the common drugs, including penicillin. Some other beneficial properties that thyme presents include:

Blood Pressure

Thyme has been found to help reduce high blood pressure in individuals. Researchers in Serbia have found that wild thyme can reduce the individual’s blood pressure through animal studies. It even showed how rodents are similar to people when they are dealing with hypertension in the body. While another study found out that thyme extract can reduce a raised heart rate while also lowering the bad cholesterol. The study even showed that thyme had been used for treating a variety of various diseases that can harm the body in traditional medicine. It is even possible for thyme to be used as a substitute for salt for food.

Prevent Intestinal Infections

Studies have found out thyme can neutralize certain enteric bacteria that have been associated with some intestinal diseases. In a 2017 research study, scientists have discovered that when subjects have been in contact with the Clostridium perfringens, a harmful bacterium that can harm the intestines, can be treated with thyme. The result shows that the subjects had fewer bacterial infections in their intestines while also having fewer lesions and fewer C. perfringens related deaths.

Boost the Immune System

Even though everyone can try to live a healthy lifestyle, sometimes it is hard to get all the vitamins that the body needs to maintain itself both inside and out. Research has shown that thyme can provide the body a healthy dosage of vitamins C and A. Whenever it is the cold or flu season, thyme can be beneficial to anyone who wants to prevent the cold or flu from happening or at least dampen the symptoms. One of the beneficial properties that thyme can also do for the immune system is that it can be a good source of minerals like copper, fiber, iron, and manganese that the body does need in order to function properly.

Antimicrobial and Antifungal Properties

Thyme has antimicrobial and antifungal properties that are beneficial to the body. A Portugal study had found that thyme can provide anti-cancer activity properties to people who have colon cancer. The study even showed that thyme’s chemical constituents could identify the colon cancer cytotoxicity activities and shortening its process to become worst. Another study found in Turkey showed that wild thyme could have a positive effect on breast cancer activity. The study found that wild thyme extract can be used in novel therapeutic drugs for breast cancer treatment.

For antifungal properties, studies have found that thyme can be beneficial to combatting fungal bacteria in the body like yeast infections. Researchers in Italy have found the fungus Candida albicans is common to cause yeast infections in the mouth and vaginal area. Another study found that thyme essential oil can significantly enhance the destruction of C. Albicans in the body and preventing the fungus from spreading. The results showed that the fungal strands had a biofilm production, and only thyme oil was the only one to be the most inhibitory oil to affect biofilm production of the fungal strands.

Conclusion

There are many beneficial properties that thyme can posses to help not only the body but also the immune system and the gut system as well. It is truly amazing that this herb can have purifying effects on the body and even enhance the flavors of food dishes. Since more people are using thyme in their culinary dishes, it is no wonder that thyme is a truly, magical herb that can help the body achieve an overall sense of health and wellness. Some products that can be beneficial to the body, including the immune system, by providing support to the intestines for greater stability, bioavailability, and digestive comfort.

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

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References:

Laboratories, Medical Oncology Research. “Effects of Thymus Serpyllum Extract on Cell Proliferation, Apoptosis and Epigenetic Events in Human Breast Cancer Cells.” Taylor & Francis, 19 Nov. 2012, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01635581.2012.719658#.Ul_MYWTk-z5.

Team, Biotics Education. “Thyme for Gut Health.” Biotics Research Blog, 2017, blog.bioticsresearch.com/thyme-for-gut-health.

Alamgeer, et al. “Pharmacological Evaluation of Antihypertensive Effect of Aerial Parts of Thymus Linearis Benth.” Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25272894.

Fanous, Summer. “9 Health Benefits of Thyme.” Healthline, 5 May, 2016, www.healthline.com/health/health-benefits-of-thyme.

Felman, Adam. “What Are the Benefits of Thyme?” MedicalNewsToday, 23 Aug. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266016.

Gordo, Joana, et al. “Thymus Mastichina: Chemical Constituents and Their Anti-Cancer Activity.” Natural Product Communications, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23285814.

Khan, Mohd S A, et al. “Sub-MICs of Carum Copticum and Thymus Vulgaris Influence Virulence Factors and Biofilm Formation in Candida Spp.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, BioMed Central, 15 Sept. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25220750.

Kim, Gil-Hah, et al. “Chemical Composition, Larvicidal Action, and Adult Repellency of Thymus Magnus Against Aedes Albopictus.” Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, The American Mosquito Control Association, 1 Sept. 2012, www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2987/12-6250R.1.

Palaniappan, Kavitha, and Richard A. Holley. “Use of Natural Antimicrobials to Increase Antibiotic Susceptibility of Drug Resistant Bacteria.” International Journal of Food Microbiology, Elsevier, 13 Apr. 2010, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160510001868.

Team, WHO. “The Top 10 Causes of Death.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 24 May 2018, www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/.

Wong, Cathy. “The Use of Thyme in Alternative Medicine.” Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 28 Apr. 2020, www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-thymus-vulgaris-88803.

Yin, D., Du, E., Yuan, J. et al. Supplemental thymol and carvacrol increases ileum Lactobacillus population and reduces effect of necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringes in chickens. Sci Rep 7, 7334 (2017). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07420-4

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The University offers a wide variety of medical professions for functional and integrative medicine. Their goal is to inform individuals who want to make a difference in the functional medical fields with knowledgeable information that they can provide.