Thyme leaf infusion

Common thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is an aromatic, perennial herb. Perennial simply means that it continues to grow for more than two years. In comparison, an annual plant has a one-year life cycle and biennials have a two-year life cycle.

Thymus vulgaris has small, dark-green, oval leaves and a slightly woody stem. In late spring, small light pink flowers appear. Thyme can be found in the wild or grown in the garden or in a pot on the window sill. It requires little watering and should be placed in direct sunlight.

Some people believe that the name Thymus comes from the Greek word, thymon, meaning "courage". Indeed, Scottish highlanders are said to have drunk wild thyme for strength and courage. The English Herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper (1616-1654) called it a "notable strengthener of the lungs"[1] and in France thyme infusion is a popular autumn drink due to its anti-infectious and antiseptic properties [2].

All herbal teas aim to extract water-soluble chemical molecules from the plant. To be precise, when you make an infusion, the leaves, flowers and aerial parts of the plants are steeped in hot water. The cell walls of these parts are "softer" and rupture easily to allow water to access the chemical components. In contrast the "harder" parts of the plant, such as the roots, barks, seeds,and berries require a period of simmering in order to break down the cell walls. This is known as decoction. A third method, cold infusion, is sometimes the most appropriate depending on which components you wish to extract. In the case of thyme an infusion of dried or fresh leaves is sufficient. As a rule, a larger quantity of fresh leaves are necessary. If you buy dried thyme, make sure that it comes from a reliable source: the leaves should have a vibrant colour, distinct aroma and taste flavoursome. Between 15 and 25 grams of leaves can be used per litre of water. Heating the water just below boiling point and using a cover will prevent the volatile essential oils from evaporating. This infusion can be drunk with lemon and honey. In addition to antibacterial and antioxidant properties, the thymol and carvacrol present in the plant also have anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic actions [2]..

Make yourself comfortable and enjoy this reviving drink!

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[1] N. Culpepper, Complete Herbal, (Arcturus Publishing Limited), Sept. 2009

[2] Shashank M. Patil, Ramith Ramu, Pirthvi S. Shirahatti, Chandan Shimivamallu, Raghavendra G. Amachawadi, A Systematic Review on Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and Pharmacological aspects of Thymus vulgaris Linn., Heliyon, Vol. 7, Issue 5, 2021