Thyme
Thyme
Thyme
Article history: Thymus vulgaris L. (T. vulgaris) a significant aromatic plant with around 100 species in the world is widely used
Received on: 03/09/2016 for medicinal purposes as well as in culinary dishes. The genus Thymus are important medicinal plants, highly
Accepted on: 06/12/2016 recommended due to a variety of therapeutic properties of their essential oils, normally known as Thyme oil.
Available online: 20/03/2017 Thymus species are considered as medicinal plants due to their pharmacological and biological properties. Its
properties are due to its main components, thymol and carvacrol. Fresh Thyme has the highest level of
Key words: antioxidants among all herbs. Thymus vulgaris L. is widely used in folk medicine in the treatments of variety of
Thymus vulgaris L., diseases such as gastroenteric and bronchopulmonary disorders. The essential oil of thyme and the compound
thymol, carvacrol, thymol have antimicrobial activity in vitro against E. coli strains. The essential oil of thyme has been found to
antioxidants, antimicrobial. possess the strongest antimicrobial properties. Thus the highlight of this paper was to review the medicinal and
functional values of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) herb.
1. INTRODUCTION The herb is also a rich source of many important vitamins such as
B-complex, folic acid, beta carotene, vitamin A, K, E and C.
Nowadays, there are increasing consumer demands for Thyme provides 0.35 mg of vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine;
foods which contain ingredients that may impart health benefits furnishing about 27% of daily recommended intake. Pyridoxine
beyond basic nutrition, including herbal. They represent not only a keeps up gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (beneficial
suitable medium for the dissolution of functional components, but neurotransmitter in the brain) levels in the brain, which has stress
also a convenient method of consumption [1]. Thyme essential oil buster function [4].
constitutes raw material in perfumery and cosmetics due to a Vitamin C helps body develop resistance against
special and characteristic aroma [2]. The potential source of infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free
natural antioxidants is plants, fruits and vegetables [3]. Thyme radicals. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and antioxidant that is
contains many flavonoids, phenolic antioxidants like zeaxanthin, required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is
lutein, pigenin, naringenin, luteolin and thymonin. Fresh Thyme also essential for vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in
herb has one of the highest antioxidant levels among herbs. It is flavonoids like vitamin A and beta-carotene helps protect from
packed with minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimum lung and oral cavity cancers [4, 6].
health. Its leaves are one of the richest sources of potassium, iron, Thyme is herbaceous plant of the platoon species, grows
calcium, manganese, magnesium and selenium [4]. Thymol are the in mountainous areas, used as a beverage instead of or with tea,
main phenolic components that are primarily responsible for its added to some food to give it an acceptable flavour, the plant is
antioxidative activity [5]. The herb Thymus vulgare Linn, used in folk medicine frequently where it is prescribed to treat
Labiatae is pungent in taste and contains moisture, protein, fat, mouth infections, stomach, intestine and airways, coughing and
crude fibre, Ca, K, Na, Fe, P, vitamin A, B and vitamin C. The gastroenteritis and expel intestinal worms, as well as to
main constituent of the oil extracted from Thyme is thymol [4, 6].
.
strengthen the heart [3]. Extracts from Thyme have been used in
traditional medicine for the treatment of several respiratory
diseases like asthma and bronchitis and for the treatment of other
* Corresponding Author
Eqbal M. A. Dauqan, School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology pathologies thanks to several properties such as antiseptic,
Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, antispasmodic, antitussive antimicrobial, antifungal,
43600 Bangi Selangor, Malaysia. E-mail: edouqan @ gmail.com antioxidative, and antiviral [7].
© 2017 Eqbal M. A. Dauqan and Aminah Abdullah. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License -
NonCommercial-ShareAlike Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/).
018 Dauqan and Abdullah / Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 5 (02); 2017: 017-022
Fig. 1: Thymus vulgaris L [11]. Table 1: Chemical compostopn of thyme essentioal oil.
Component Formula Relative concentration (%)
3-Hxenol C6H12O 0.10
Thyme grows well in a temperate to heat, dry, sunny α-Tujene C10H16 1.52
α-Pinene C10H16 1.31
climate, and wherever the plants don’t seem to be shaded. The Camphene C10H16 0.75
dried product should be processed to get rid of the leaves from the Sabinene C10H16 0.84
3-Otenol C8H16O 0.36
stems, and so sieved to get rid of dirt and to provide a consistent 3-Otanone C8H16O 0.20
product [12]. Many strategies exist from sun to classy driers. The β-Myrcene C10H1 6 0.67
employment of sun-drying strategies leads to poor quality of the 3-Otanol C8H18O 0.21
α-Pellandrene C10H16 0.10
volatile oil. Artificial drying strategies permit higher management δ-3-Carene C10H16 0.11
of product quality. Thyme should to be dried at temperatures not α-Terpinene C10H16 2.36
more than 40°C to cut back loss of flavor through volatilisation of ρ-Cymene C10H14 7.61
Sylvestrene C10H16 0.34
volatile oil, and to keep up a decent inexperienced color [12] . 1,8-Cineol C10H18O 0.57
cis-Oimene C10H16 0.22
β-Oimene C10H16 0.20
2.1 Classification γ-Terpinene C10H16 9.50
(Directorate Agricultural Information Services 2009). cis-Sabinene C10H8O 0.10
Dauqan and Abdullah / Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 5 (02); 2017: 017-022 019
heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is a co-factor for the the form of tea, ointment, tincture, syrup or by steam inhalation
antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Iron is involved in red [18]. It is also used to prevent hardening of the arteries, treatment
blood cell formation [4, 19]. of toothache, urinary tract infection and dyspepsia [18, 28]. It also
expels fungus from stomach and intestine and it has the ability to
5.3 Volatile Oils increase appetite because of its important component thymol,
Thymol is one of the most important essential oils found which has the ability to kill bacteria and parasites. Different
in Thyme and known for its antiseptic and antifungal properties. It studies were carried out in the last decades to reveal reported
also contains other volatile oils such as carvacolo, geraneol and pharmacological activities of Thymus vulgaris both of plant
borneol [19, 21]. extracts and essential oil. In mice analgesic and antipyretic
properties were reported for Thyme extracts. Thyme has changed
5.3 Antioxidants from a traditional herb to a serious drug rational phytotherapy. It is
Thyme is a rich source of flavonoid phenolic an incredible source of iron, calcium, manganese, vitamin K and
antioxidants such as zea-xanthin, pigenin, lutein, luteolin and likewise upgrades blood flow and pushes an invigorating impact
thymonin [22]. Fresh Thyme boasts of a total ORAC (Oxygen for the entire system [18, 29] .
Radical Absorbance Capacity) of 27426-µmol TE/100 grams [19]. This herb invigorated activity on anxious framework
made it as a cure for physical and mental weakness and
6. ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES additionally for diminishing insomnia. The remedial potential of
Thymus vulgaris is due to the presence of flavonoids, thymol,
An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of
carvacrol, eugenol and phenols. Its controls numerous valuable
different molecules. Oxidation is a chemical process that transfers
effects, such as, antispasmodic, bactericides, antiseptics,
electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent.
antioxidants, anthelmintic properties and has lately been
Oxidation reactions will produce free radicals [23, 24]. In turn,
recommended as substitute for cancer prevention agent [18, 30].
these radicals will begin chain reactions. Once the chain reaction
Among different Thymus species, T. vulgaris is cultivated in many
happens in a cell, it will cause damage or death to the cell.
countries by most people especially in rural areas who depend on
Antioxidants stop these chain reactions by removing free radical
herbal medicines to treat many diseases including inflammation-
intermediates, and inhibit different oxidation reactions [24, 25].
related ailments such as rheumatism, muscle swelling, insect bites
The leafy parts of Thyme and its oil are utilized in foods for the
and pains [10, 31].
flavor, aroma and preservation and additionally in folk medicines
T. vulgaris is used more in pharmaceutical dosage forms
[10, 12]. El-Nekeety et al. (2011) conducted an experiment to
because it contains more essential oil than other species with high
work out the elements of Thymus vulgaris L. oil and to evaluate
amount of thymol which exhibits considerable antitussive and
the protecting effects of this oil against aflatoxininduce oxidative
expectorant effects [10, 32]. Considering the fact that Thymus
stress in rats. The results indicated that the oil contains c arvarcrol
vulgaris is more expensive, some herbal industries tend to use
(45 mg/g), Thymol (24.7 mg/g), β-Phellandrene (9.7 mg/g),
other species of Thymus with different components [10].
essential oil (4.1 mg/g), Humuline (3.1 mg/g), α-Phellandrene (2.3
mg/g) and Myrcene (2.1 mg/g) [26]. However, α and β-pinene,
8. MEDICINAL APPLICATION
Myrcene, α-thyjone, Tricyclene, 1, 8-cineole, and β-sabinene were
found in very lower concentrations. Treatment with aflatoxins The main component of the essential oil of Thyme,
alone disturbs lipid profile in blood serum, decreases total thymol, is active against Salmonella and Staphylococcus bacteria.
antioxidant capability, increase creatinine, uric acid and nitric The antiseptic and tonic properties of Thyme make it a useful tonic
oxide in blood serum and lipid peroxidation in liver and excretory for the immune system in chronic, especially fungal, infections as
organ attended with a sever histological changes within the liver well as an effective remedy for chest infections such as bronchitis,
tissues [26]. The oil alone at the two tested doses didn’t induce any whooping cough, and pleurisy [33]. Thyme and Thyme oil have
important changes within the biochemical parameters or the been used as fumigants, antiseptics, disinfectants, and mouth
histological image. The combined treatment showed important washes. The pleasant-tasting infusion can be taken for minor throat
enhancements of tested parameters and histological footage within and chest infections, and the fresh leaves may be chewed to relieve
the liver tissues. Moreover, this improvement was more sore throats. Thyme is prescribed with other herbs for asthma,
pronounced within the cluster that received the high dose of the oil hayfever, and is often used to treat worms in children [14].
[27]. Thyme has been thought to be antiseptic, antimicrobial,
astringent, anithelmintic, carminative,disinfectant, medicinal drug
7. PHARMACEUTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THYME and tonic [12]. Thyme is incredibly useful in cases of assorted
VULGARUS intestinal infections and infestations, like hookworms,ascarids,
Thyme has long history of being used in traditional gram-positive and gram negative bacteria, fungi and yeasts such as
medicine for treatment of various diseases for instance to treat Candida albicans. Its active constituent, thymol, is active against
respiratory diseases (whooping cough, bronchitis and asthma), in enterobacteria and coccid bacteria. Thyme may also improve liver
Dauqan and Abdullah / Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 5 (02); 2017: 017-022 021
function and act as an appetite stimulant. It will be used in different amounts, expressed as a mean inhibition zone for each of
treatment of cartilaginous tube, bronchial and urinary infections the nine repeated measurements [37] .
[10, 34].
Thyme is helpful in treatment of laryngitis and
inflammation. The main component of the volatile oil of Thyme,
thymol,is active against enterobacteria [10]. It is used for skin
issues like oily skin, sciatica, acne, dermatitis and bug bites. A
corrected product, ‘white Thyme oil’ is also used and it’s milder
on the skin. Applied to the skin, thyme relieves bites and stings
and relieves neuralgia and rheumatic aches and pains [12, 35].
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