Thymus vulgaris
(Thyme)

Therapeutic Actions:

• Antibacterial
• Antifungal
• Anthelmintic, especially hookworms and ascarids
• Antithyrotropic effect (in animal studies)
• Expectorant
• Larvicidal, kills mosquito larvae
• Spasmolytic
• Urinary tract antiseptic

Clinical Indications:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Candidiasis
• Ascarids
• Bed wetting
• Coughs
• Dyspepsia
• Flatulence
• Hookworm
• Influenza
• Laryngitis
• Tonsillitis
• Whooping couh

Contraindications:

• Pregnancy

Drug/Nutrient Interaction:

• Limited data

Chemical Constituents:

• Caffeic acid
• Flavonoids:
  
  Apigenin
  Luteolin
  Naringenin
  Thymonin
• Iron
• Labiatic acid
• Tannins
• Volatile oil:
  
  1,8-cineole
  a-pinene
  Borneol
  Bornyl and linalyl acetate
  Carvacrol
  Geraniol
  Linalool
  Thymol
  Thymol methyl ether

Toxicity:

• Toxic dose: Oil- .2-1 ml; thymol 1-5 grams
• External symptoms:
  
  Derrmatitis
• Internal symptoms:
  
  Diarrhea
  Nephritis
  Profuse sweating
  Reduced temperature
  Warmth in stomach
• Treatment:
  
  Activated charcoal
  Dilute with water or milk immediately
  Emesis if less than 5% solution
  Gastric lavage if greater than 5% solution ingested
  Obtain baseline liver and renal measurements
  Monitor acid/base balance
  Seizures: IV diazepam

Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).