Thyme is a representative of the clear-cut, it is one of the largest in its family. This is not the only name of the plant. Alternative options are thyme, spawning, chebark, zhadolbnik, Bogorodskaya grass. Thyme has healing properties, is a fragrant seasoning and is used in cosmetology.
He was endowed with divine power by the ancient Romans, Slavs and Greeks. The plant is mentioned in the manuscripts of the philosopher Avicenna, for example, in the work "Canon of Medicine." The warriors of Rome used thyme to give energy and vigor. The Slavs used it for pagan rituals and for the treatment of diseases. They were fumigated with homes, believing that smoke protects from corruption and drives away evil spirits.
The name "Bogorodskaya grass" was given to the thyme by the Slavs. When the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin came, our ancestors decorated the icon of the Mother of God with bouquets of thyme.
Appearance
Thyme is a stunted shrub that reaches 35 centimeters in height. The plant has a ligneous lying or ascending stalk with upright grassy branches and lying shoots. Thyme has a rooted root system. Upright or slightly bent hairs cover the entire stem. The size and shape of the leaves is different. At the ends of the branches flowers grow, which are collected in capitate or elongated inflorescences. The whisk can be lilac, pink or white. Thyme fruit - a box or a nut - ripens from August to September. Flowering fragrant plants lasts from June to August.
Spread
There are many representatives of the genus Thyme, and they are distributed almost throughout the territory of Eurasia, North Africa and Greenland. In Russia, they grow more than 170 species. The places in which the plant is most often found are the Urals, Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Crimea.
Thyme is one of the most picky plants. Some of its representatives live in the steppe, others in a forest glade, and still others prefer pine forests and mountain meadows.
Healing composition
What is the reason for the widespread use of such a plant as thyme? The therapeutic properties and contraindications for use are determined by its chemical composition. It contains essential oil (0.6%), the main components of which are thymol and carvacrol. There are also tannins, vitamins, minerals, resins, bitterness and gums. Thyme incorporates ursolic and oleanolic acids. The first substance has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and the second has an anti-cancer effect.
Thyme. Medicinal properties and contraindications
Since ancient times, thyme has been used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. Due to the presence of thymol in the composition of the plant, it is used as an anthelmintic and disinfectant. Thyme is able to improve the functioning of the digestive tract, lotions in which thyme is present help with insect bites.
The plant brings harm when overused. Uncontrolled use can cause hyperthyroidism. Due to the presence of thymol, the plant is contraindicated in patients with kidney ailments, peptic ulcers, it is used with caution by pregnant women. Thyme is not recommended for chronic constipation, atrial fibrillation, cardiosclerosis and cerebral arteriosclerosis.
Harvesting plants
Mostly leafy branches are used for treatment. They are harvested when the thyme begins to bloom. Leaving the roots in the ground, the grass is cut and dried in the air in the shade. Raw materials must be mixed frequently. Next, dry grass is threshed and sieved. Raw materials are stored for two years in a dry ventilated area.
The use of decoction and tinctures in traditional medicine
Thyme powder and decoctions are successfully used for attacks of radiculitis. Remedies can relieve sciatic nerve inflammation. A broth of thyme with honey promotes expectoration, and also weakens pain. Rinsing the mouth with a fragrant means eliminates the unpleasant odor, saves from stomatitis and tonsillitis. A thyme bath is useful for skin rashes, joint and muscle diseases, and rheumatism. In this form, the plant is useful in the treatment of nervous diseases and chronic fatigue syndrome. A bath with thyme is taken no more than 20 minutes, after having made a decoction of the grass. Dry leaves of the plant, crushed into powder, help get rid of ulcers and wounds.
Thyme tincture is used as an expectorant. It is also used for rubbing sick muscles and joints, treats headaches, fights insomnia and soothes the nervous system. Tincture is sold in pharmacies.
At home, it can be done as follows: pour chopped thyme with vodka or alcohol. Insist for ten days at room temperature. Next, strain the tincture and apply 15 drops orally after meals three times a day.
The use of thyme essential oils
Mixtures with these substances in folk medicine are used as an external rubbing agent.
Thyme oil is used in the treatment of pulmonary diseases, and it also has the ability to stimulate biologically active points. The tool can be bought at a pharmacy or made at home. To do this, fill the grass with olive or vegetable oil and insist a month.
Before taking, the required amount is filtered and rubbed clockwise on the problem points. Thyme essential oils are an excellent anthelmintic, they are used for pediculosis, help to reduce body weight, and also disinfect the air. But that is not all. Oils stabilize the menstrual cycle, increase immunity, reduce swelling and cheer up. The extract is used for eye diseases.
Thyme treatment of respiratory ailments
You can get rid of bronchitis and asthma if you apply thyme. The therapeutic properties and contraindications in use are due to its chemical composition. With these diseases, tincture is used. To make it, you need to pour a small amount of grass with boiling water. The remedy is infused for about two hours. Apply the product after eating a tablespoon three times a day.
For laryngitis, a collection of thyme with chamomile and plantain flowers is used. All plants must be taken in equal proportions. Collection brew a cup of boiling water. Insist for an hour and take three times a day in a tablespoon before meals.
Quickly relieves thyme from coughing. Harvesting thyme with fruits and flowers of hawthorn and black currant helps to cope with the problem. A tablespoon of the mixture is brewed with a glass of boiling water. It is better to insist in a thermos for 6-8 hours. A collection of a third cup 3 times a day is applied.
For the prevention of colds, tea from thyme is used. In addition, he is able to relieve a headache, relieve heartburn. If you take tea on an empty stomach, then the intestinal microflora will be in good shape, and dysbiosis will not manifest itself.
Troubleshooting male issues
The benefits of thyme tea are expressed in the treatment of impotence and prostatitis. In addition to thyme, the collection consists of mint and oregano. The mixture is poured with boiling water. After a night of infusion, you can drink the drink. Apply it every day, adding to tea St. John's wort, dogrose or linden. The grass contains zinc, which favorably affects the sexual function of men. Thyme is able to concentrate such important trace elements as molybdenum and selenium. The first is used in the fight against impotence, and the second is needed for the synthesis of testosterone (used for infertility).
Due to the presence of ursolic acid in thyme, it is used in the fight against baldness. The product is made as follows: three drops of thyme essential oil are mixed with a teaspoon of vodka. The resulting mass is rubbed into the scalp. Rinse off is not necessary. The procedure activates the growth of hair follicles and restores collagen and elastin tissues.
How to apply thyme to children and pregnant women
The benefits and harms of plants for women in position and small patients have long been known to doctors. Official medicine has created a number of medications based on thyme. In folk medicine, grass has always been used in the treatment of the respiratory system of a child. Thyme from coughing will quickly save the baby. Successfully apply baths with this plant. They soothe, disinfect.
Future mothers can only use grass with the permission of a doctor. If it is received, then decoctions are used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, expectorant. Thyme perfectly calms the nervous system, is used for disorders of the digestive tract, stabilizes the metabolism. The plant successfully fights infections of the genitourinary system. Compresses from leaves and flowers will relieve pain in the back and joints. Thyme decoction helps increase lactation.
If a woman expecting a baby suffers from arrhythmia, she has impaired cardiac activity or there is a possibility of atherosclerosis, it is strictly forbidden to use thyme. It can significantly increase blood pressure. Also, the plant has the ability to increase the tone of the uterus, which can lead to miscarriage.
Alcoholism
What is more remarkable thyme? The medicinal properties and contraindications of the plant are associated with the presence of thymol in its composition. To eliminate alcoholism, a fresh broth of thyme is used. The grass is brewed with boiling water and cooked in a water bath for 15 minutes. It is necessary to take 50-70 ml of broth several times a day. After this, the patient is given the chance to smell vodka, and then he drinks it. After a short time, a natural reaction of the interaction of thymol and alcohol occurs - the person is sick.
Treatment is carried out for 1-2 weeks. An excellent doctor is the thyme plant. The benefits and harms of taking this gift of nature are known to both healers and doctors. Adverse reactions will be minimal if you consult a specialist before using herbal medicine.
Effective drug
Consider the medicine "Codelac" with thyme (instructions for use are presented below). Based on thyme, several drugs have been developed that can relieve cough. The children's drug is called Pertusin, and for adults, Codelac Broncho with thyme has been developed. The last medicine has an anti-inflammatory, mucolytic, expectorant effect. Severe diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, are indications for its use.
The elixir is taken orally during meals, washed down with water. Children aged two to six receive 2.5 ml three times a day. Children from 6 to 12 years of age are prescribed 5 ml of the drug. Adults take 10 ml four times a day. The treatment lasts 5 days.
At the first signs of an overdose (vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia), it is necessary to induce artificial vomiting and rinse the stomach. Adverse reactions may occur from the digestive (constipation, nausea), respiratory system (dry mucous membranes), as well as allergic reactions. In these cases, you need to consult a doctor about the possibility of changing the drug. Such data contains instructions.
Thyme is incompatible with certain substances. Based on this, it is impossible to carry out treatment with this drug together with other antitussive agents, as this can lead to difficulty in sputum discharge. "Codelac Broncho" is not used by pregnant and lactating women, as well as children under two years of age.
Finally about thyme
A thyme plant, whose properties and contraindications are due to its unique composition, can be called a cure for all misfortunes, because the spectrum of its therapeutic effect is huge. Thyme has the following properties:
1. Antiseptic.
2. Anti-inflammatory.
3. Painkillers.
4. Antispasmodic.
5. Antimicrobial.
6. Expectorant.
7. Soothing.
8. Anthelmintic.
9. Sleeping pills.
That just does not cure thyme - and dandruff, and alcoholism, and ulcers. Apply decoctions, tinctures, plant oils, drink tea with it, take baths. Due to its wide distribution and ease of preparation, a reliable medicine is always at hand. Thyme is a means of combating many diseases. But we must not forget about consulting with your doctor before using it, especially if you are at risk.