Description:
Thyme is a woody based dwarf shrub with super aromatic leaves and colorful flowers. The leaves contain up to 3 percent volatile oils which is like, a lot. There’s a shit load of different cultivars and hybrids of Thymus all of which have their own unique flavor. Some of these include Lemon Scented Thyme (Thymus x citriodorus), which they SAY smells like lemons but their full of shit; Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox), which is a creeping son of a bitch and Large Thyme (Thymus pulegioides) which actually isn’t that big. And there’s god knows how many more. English Thyme (Thymus Britannicus) has the strongest medicinal properties, but you can use any variety that you got on hand.
Many ancient cultures associated the plant with death. That might have something to do with how the Egyptians and Etruscans used the plant to embalm their dead. Personally, I hardly ever have to deal with dead people (for more info visit www.chaddidntkillthathorse.edu) but I’m sure this worked pretty well seeing that the volatile oils help prevent the spread of mildew. The ancient Greeks also used it for a lot of death-rites and shit but they also used it to instill courage and during medieval times it was even put in pillows to stave off bad dreams… So is it Death or Courage? Come on Ancient Greeks, get it together. Now, personally I have tried the Dream Pillow shit but I still kept having those nightmares where Edward James Olmos scrapes off my Zits.
Growing Habits:
Thyme originates from dry, rocky soils in southern Europe but was spread to England by the romans as early as 55 BC and eventually Made its way to the Americas around the dawn of the 19th century if not earlier. Thyme is propagated by seeds, cutting or division of the root or rhizome. All varieties of Thyme like to spread, so you should give them at least a 1 foot spacing. Being an Evergreen perennial, thyme is very hardy and will survive most cold climates.
Therapeutic uses:
An Infusion of thyme sweetened with honey is commonly used for colds, coughs and sore throats. Thyme has powerful antiseptic, antibacterial and astringent properties and its essential oil can be used as an anti-septic air spray for freshening up a room (works good for after a night of going hard on COD with some cold ones and the boys).
In relation to coughs, the volatile oils in Thyme, such as Thymol and Carvacol; act as both an antispasmodic and expectorant, calming one’s cough while also helping to clear bronchial mucus. These oils also inhibit many types of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Carvacrol is also found in abundance in Oregano (Origanum Vulgare).
Chad’s Personal Recipes:
Here’s a nice savory Infusion that I would always make at Kappa Zeta when some asshole would bring someone over who was obviously sick.
Ingredients: 1 tsp crushed dried Thyme leaf, 1 tsp crushed dried sage leaf, ½ tbs chopped fresh rosemary leaf (dried works too but I would always just grab it fresh from the garden, that is unless Ponko got wasted and hurled on it the night before, which happened a lot) and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar.
Pour the vinegar into a mug and put all the herbs into one of those metal tea-balls. Pour boiling water over all the ingredients and let it steep until it’s cooled down enough for you to drink. It’s gonna be a little sour because of the vinegar, but this infusion is particularly good for when you’re starting to feel a cold coming on or if you’re already in the middle of hacking up a lung. Take caution with the vinegar (use less of it) if you have a particularly sore throat because although vinegar has a lot of antiseptic properties, the high acidity of it can damage your esophagus if you drink it straight for a long time. Always dilute any vinegar-based solution with water before consumption.