History/Origin Thyme is originally native to southern Europe and Mediterranean regions. It was thought that the spread of thyme throughout Europe was thanks to the Romans. Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks and Romans used thyme for many different uses—both culinary and medicinal. Thyme is an essential ingredient in French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Persian cuisines. It is a common component of the bouquet garni. Botanical Thyme (pronounced “time”) is a well-known herb of the mint family. It is a fragrant, small, hardy, evergreen, perennial plant growing about 1 foot in height with tiny gray-green leaves. Small lilac to pink flowers appear at the end of the leaf stems in the summer. There are about 100 species of thyme; all are wonderfully aromatic. Thyme is considered by many herbalist as the very nearly perfect useful herb. Nutrition The essential oil of thyme is made up of 20-54% thymol, which is an antiseptic. It is a main active ingredient in mouthwash and can be found in all-natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizers. Thyme tea is useful in combating fatigue, depression and stress. It also is commonly used to help relieve cough and bronchial problems. Thyme is a good source of iron. Fun Facts Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming in mummification. Thyme is highly attractive to bees. When planted next to vegetables it can help promote pollination. Ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense. They believed it was a source of courage. Thyme retains much of its flavor when dried. When substituting dry for fresh, use one-third as much dried thyme as you would fresh (1 Tbs fresh = 1 tsp dried). .