The extracts from thyme by water and ethanol, thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol were used as antimicrobial agents in this paper. The results show that all antimicrobial agents used have strong inhibition activity against Staphalococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli.
Buy Thyme supplement or subscribe to a Free Newsletter
You can find thyme herb in a delicious herbal mix called Zaatar
Thymol metabolism in humans
Systemic availability and pharmacokinetics of thymol in
humans.
German Central Institute for Pharmaceutical Research, Sinzig.
J Clin Pharmacol. 2002 Jul;42(7):731-7.
Essential oil compounds such as found in thyme extract are established for the
therapy of chronic and acute bronchitis. Various pharmacodynamic activities for
thyme extract and the essential thyme oil, respectively, have been demonstrated
in vitro, but availability of these compounds in the respective target organs
has not been proven. Thus, investigation of absorption, distribution,
metabolism, and excretion are necessary to provide the link between in vitro
effects and in vivo studies. To determine the systemic availability and the
pharmacokinetics of thymol after oral application to humans, a clinical trial
was carried out in 12 healthy volunteers. Each subject received a single dose of
a Bronchipret TP tablet, which is equivalent to 1.08 mg thymol. No thymol could
be detected in plasma or urine. However, the metabolites thymol sulfate and
thymol glucuronide were found in urine and identified by LC-MS/MS. Plasma and
urine samples were analyzed after enzymatic hydrolysis of the metabolites by
headspace solid-phase microextraction prior to GC analysis and flame ionization
detection. Thymol sulfate, but not thymol glucuronide, was detectable in plasma.
Peak plasma concentrations were 93.1+/-24.5 ng ml(-1) and were reached after
2.0+/-0.8 hours. The mean terminal elimination half-life was 10.2 hours. Thymol
sulfate was detectable up to 41 hours after administration. Urinary excretion
could be followed over 24 hours. The amount of both thymol sulfate and
glucuronide excreted in 24-hour urine was 16.2%+/-4.5% of the dose.
Thyme oil is effective against
certain protozoa
Effect of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.)
essential oils on Trypanosoma cruzi (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida) growth and
ultrastructure.
Parasitol Res. 2007 Mar;100(4):783-90.
In the present work, we have investigated the effect of essential oils obtained
from oregano and thyme on growth and ultrastructure of diverse evolutive forms
of Trypanosoma cruzi. Culture epimastigotes and bloodstream trypomastigotes were
incubated for 24 h with different concentrations of oregano or thyme essential
oils and with thymol (the main constituent of thyme), and the inhibitory
concentration was determined by cell counting. Our data indicate that oregano
and thyme essential oils are effective against T. cruzi, with higher activity of
thyme, and that thymol may be the main component responsible for the
trypanocidal activity.
Thyme plant research
Qualitative and quantitative variation in monoterpene
co-occurrence and composition in the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris chemotypes.
J Chem Ecol. 2003 Apr;29(4):859-80.
Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293
Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Thymus vulgaris has a chemical polymorphism with six different chemotypes that
show marked spatial segregation in nature. Although some populations have a
single chemotype in majority, many have two or three chemotypes. In this study
we analyze the quantitative variation among T. vulgaris populations in the
percentage of oil composed of the dominant monoterpene(s) for each chemotype. In
general, phenolic chemotypes (thymol and carvacrol), which occur at the end of
the biosynthetic chain, have a significantly lower proportion of their oil
composed of their dominant monoterpene than nonphenolic chemotypes (geraniol,
alpha-terpineol, and linalool). This is due to the presence of high amounts of
precursors (gamma-terpinene and paracymene) in the oil of phenolic chemotypes.
The essential oil of the nonphenolic thuyanol chemotype has four characteristic
monoterpenes that together make up a lower proportion of the oil than the single
dominant monoterpene of the other nonphenolic chemotypes. For all chemotypes,
the percentage composition of the dominant monoterpene decreased significantly
at sites where the chemotype is not the majority type. This decrease is
correlated with a significant increase in either the proportion of the two
precursors for the thymol chemotype or the monoterpenes characteristic of the
other chemotypes at the site. The latter result suggests that a plant with
dominant genes is responsible for the production of different monoterpenes can
produce several molecules.
Human platelet aggregation inhibitors from thyme (Thymus
vulgaris L.).
Phytother Res. 2002 Jun;16(4):398-9.
Kagawa Prefectural Fermentation and Food Experimental Station, 1351-1 Nouma
Uchinomi-cho, Souzu-gun, Kagawa 761-4421, Japan.
Two antiaggregant compounds, thymol (compound 1) and
3,4,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-5,5'-diisopropyl-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl (compound 2) were
isolated from the leaves of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). The structures were
determined by (1)H-, (13)C-NMR and mass spectra (MS) studies. These compounds
inhibited platelet aggregation induced by collagen, ADP, arachidonic acid (AA)
and thrombin except that compound 2 did not inhibit platelet aggregation induced
by thrombin. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of thyme oil and thymol dietary supplementation on
the antioxidant status and fatty acid composition of the ageing rat brain.
Br J Nutr. 2000 Jan;83(1):87-93.
Aromatic and Medicinal Plant Group, Scottish Agricultural College, Auchincruive,
Ayr, UK.
The present study measured changes in antioxidant enzyme activity in, and the
phospholipid fatty acid composition of the ageing rat brain and tested whether
dietary supplementation with thyme oil or thymol could provide beneficial
effects. There were significant declines in superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1)
and glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) activities and the total antioxidant
status in the untreated rats with age, while thyme-oil- and thymol-fed rats
maintained significantly higher antioxidant enzyme activities and total
antioxidant status. The proportions of 18:2n-6, 20:1n-9, 22:4n-6 and 22:5n-3 in
the brain phospholipids resulting from all three dietary treatments were
significantly higher in 28-month-old rats than in 7-month-old rats. Only 20:1n-9
levels in 28-month-old thyme-oil- and thymol-treated rats were significantly
higher than in the age-matched control. The proportion of 22:6n-3 in brain
phospholipids, which declined with age in control rats, was also significantly
higher in rats given either supplement. This latter finding is particularly
important as optimum levels of 22:6n-3 are required for normal brain function.
These results highlight the potential benefit of thyme oil as a dietary
antioxidant.
Additional page
Alternatives to
Viagra info
Viagra alternative
info
Newsltr
links
Thyme plant
research