Photo: Henry Brisse (upload by user:Abalg), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

Edible

A tiny-leaved creeping shrublet of dry ground whose sharp, hot, herbal smell has made it Europe's traditional chest and throat herb.

Educational content, not medical or professional advice. In an emergency call your local emergency number (112 in Europe) first. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom because of a website or photo.

⚠️ Culinary amounts are safe for most people. Strong preparations are a different matter, and thyme essential oil must never be taken internally or applied undiluted.

⚠️ Never put thyme or any essential oil near the nose or face of a baby or small child, and never give essential oils internally to children.

⚠️ Thyme is in the mint family and can trigger reactions in people allergic to oregano or other Lamiaceae, from rash to swelling.

⚠️ Avoid medicinal amounts in pregnancy and breastfeeding; ordinary cooking use is fine. Ask a midwife or doctor if in doubt.

⚠️ It may add to the effect of blood-thinning medication, so ask a pharmacist if you take any.

⚠️ Scalding is a real risk with steam inhalation. Keep children away from the bowl entirely.

⚠️ Persistent or serious symptoms need a doctor, not a plant. In an emergency call your local emergency services, 112 in Portugal and across the EU.

Confused with

Other wild thymes and oregano (Thymus species, Origanum vulgare)

Danger: Not dangerous. All are aromatic kitchen herbs, but their strength varies a great deal.

How to tell: Oregano has much larger leaves, 1 to 4 cm, on taller upright stems and smells sweeter and more peppery. Wild thymes are separated by fine details of leaf hairs and habitat; for household use they are interchangeable, but if you want Thymus vulgaris specifically, grow it.

Small-leaved non-aromatic shrublets such as heathers and rock roses

Danger: Mostly harmless but not herbs, and some Mediterranean shrublets are irritant.

How to tell: Rub the leaves. Thyme releases a strong hot herbal smell. Heathers and rock roses smell of nothing, of resin, or of sticky gum. No smell means it is not thyme.

Leaves

Opposite, very small, 4 to 10 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide, oval to narrow, grey-green, with edges rolled under and fine hairs, dotted with tiny oil glands visible as pinpricks when held to the light.

Flowers

Small two-lipped pale pink to lilac flowers, 4 to 6 mm, crowded into rounded heads at the shoot tips, swarming with bees in early summer.

Stem

Square in the young green growth, wiry, hairy, woody and brown at the base, branching into a dense tangle.

Smell or taste

A sharp, hot, clean herbal scent when the leaves are rubbed, more pungent and less sweet than oregano. Thyme is a confirmed culinary herb and tastes savoury and slightly hot, but never taste to identify a plant.

Habitat

Dry stony hillsides, limestone scrub, thin poor soils, garden edges and paths. Widespread in Portugal and around the Mediterranean; many closely related wild Thymus species grow alongside it.

Edible parts

Leaves and flowering tops, as a culinary herb.

Preparation

Cut the top third of the green shoots just as flowering begins. Hang small loose bundles in a dark airy place for one to two weeks until the leaves rub off easily, then strip and store the leaves whole in a sealed dark jar for up to a year. Infusion: a teaspoon of dried thyme in a cup of hot water, covered for ten minutes, then strained. Traditionally sweetened with honey, which is not for babies under one year. A steam inhalation is the old household form: a handful of thyme in a bowl of hot water, face held well above it with a towel over the head, eyes closed, for a few minutes. Keep a safe distance from the water, never do this with a child leaning over scalding water, and never add essential oil to the bowl for a child. Thyme essential oil is extremely concentrated, corrosive undiluted, and not something to prepare or dose at home.

Traditional use

Tomilho has been the chest and throat herb of Mediterranean households for centuries, traditionally drunk as a hot infusion with honey during a rattling cough or cold, gargled for a rough throat, and used as a steam over a bowl for a blocked head. In the kitchen it flavours grilled fish, beans and chouriço across Portugal, and in the old days it was strewn and burned as a cleansing fumigant. This is recorded custom. A cough lasting more than three weeks, a cough with blood, breathlessness, chest pain or high fever needs a doctor, urgently.

Harvest rule

Clip the soft green tips, never cutting into the old woody base, which does not resprout, and take no more than a quarter of any plant. Never uproot: thyme holds thin hillside soil together and regrows slowly. Several wild Mediterranean Thymus species are locally rare or protected, so identify to species before cutting wild plants, ask the landowner's permission, and check local rules, which vary by country and are strict inside national parks and protected areas.

Tomilho (PT); tomillo (ES)