Anti-inflammatory:
Antioxidant activity is at the root of anti-inflammatory action, and Thyme oil is one of the most potent antioxidants among essential oils (see antioxidant). Thymol inhibits prostaglandin synthesis. It has anti-inflammatory action, it is a COX-1 inhibitor, and also can reduce swelling. Phenolic compounds, such as thymol, carvacrol and eugenol, are more responsible for antioxidant activity than the monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.
Adorjan, B. and Buchbauer, G. (2010) Biological properties of essential oils: an updated review. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 25, 407-426.
- Azizi, Z., Ebrahimi, S., Saadatfar, E., Kamalinejad, M. and Majlessi, N. (2012) Cognitive-enhancing activity of thymol and carvacrol in two rat models of dementia. Behavioural Pharmacology 23, 3, 241-249.
Antiviral:
Thymol is known to have an antiviral effect
- Astani A, Reichling J, Schnitzler P (2010) Comparative study on the antiviral activity of selected monoterpenes derived from essential oils. Phytotherapy Research 24(5):673-679
Antifungal:
Thyme ct. thymol is highly effective against Candida albicans.
- Begrow, F., Engelbertz, J., Feistel, B., Lehnfeld, R., Bauer, K. and Verspohl, E.J. (2010) Impact of thymol in thyme extracts on their antisapasmodic action and ciliary clearance. Planta Medica 76, 4, 311-318.
- Giordani, R., Regli, P., Kaloustian, J., Mikail, C., Abou, L. and Portugal, H. (2004) Antifungal effect of various essential oils against Candida albicans. Potentiation of antifungal action of amphotericin B by essential oil from Thymus vulgaris. Phytotherapy Research 18, 990-995. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ptr.1594
Analgesic:
Thymol has good antinociceptive activity, possibly acting via ion channels, receptors and prostaglandin synthesis.
- Guimarães, A.G., Quintans, J.S.S. and Quintans-Júnior, L.J. (2013) Monoterpenes with analgesic activity – a systematic review. Phytotherapy Research 27, 1-15.
- Lang, G. and Buchbauer, G. (2012) A review on recent research results (2008-2010) on essential oils as antimicrobials and antifungals. A review. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 27, 13-39.
Antioxidant:
Thyme ct. thymol essential oil is a very good antioxidant.
- Mastelic, J., Jerkovic, I., Blazevic, I., Poljak-Blaži, M. , Borović, S., Ivančić-Baće, I., Smrečki, V., Žarković, N., Brčić-Kostic, K., Vikić-Topić, D.and Müller, N. (2008) Comparative study on the antioxidant and biological activities of carvacrol, thymol, and eugenol derivatives. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56, 11, 3989-3996.
- Shaaban, H.A.E., El-Ghorab, A.H. and Shibamoto, T. (2012) Bioactivity of essential oils and their volatile aroma components: review. Journal of Essential Oil Research 24, 2, 203-212.
- Wei, A. and Shibamoto, T. (2010) Antioxidant/lipoxygenase inhibitory activities and chemical compositions of selected essential oils. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57, 1655-7225.
Antispasmodic:
Thyme essential oil has antispasmodic activity on gastrointestinal tract tissues (in vitro).
- Meister, A., Bernhardt, G., Christoffel, V. and Buschauer, A. (1999) Antispasmodic activity of Thymus vulgaris extract on the isolated guinea-pig trachea: discrimination between drug and ethanol effects. Planta Medica 65, 512-516.
Antibacterial:
The antimicrobial activity in Thyme oils is associated with the thymol and carvacrol chemotypes.
- Rota, M.C., Herrera, A., Martinez, R.M., Sotomayor, J.A. and Jordán, M.J. (2008) Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of Thymus vulgaris, Thymus zygis and Thymus hyemalis essential oils. Food Control 19, 681-687.
- Saad, N.Y., Muller, C.D. and Lobstein, A. (2013) Major bioactivities and mechanism of action of essential oils and their components. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 28, 269-279.
Bronchitis:
Considering the strong inhibitory activity of Thymus vulgaris oil against S pyogenes as presented in our study and others,10,28–30 it seems reasonable to use this essential oil in aromatherapy, particularly among patients with respiratory tract infections caused by S pyogenes such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, and bronchitis.
- Fani, M., & Kohanteb, J. (2017). In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Thymus vulgaris Essential Oil Against Major Oral Pathogens. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 22(4), 660-666.
