Thymus vulgaris L. (T. vulgaris) a significant aromatic plant with around 100 species in the world is widely used for medicinal purposes as well as in culinary dishes. The genus Thymus are important medicinal plants, highly recommended due to a variety of therapeutic properties of their essential oils, normally known as Thyme oil. Thymus species are considered as medicinal plants due to their pharmacological and biological properties. Its properties are due to its main components, thymol and carvacrol. Fresh Thyme has the highest level of antioxidants among all herbs. Thymus vulgaris L. is widely used in folk medicine in the treatments of variety of diseases such as gastroenteric and bronchopulmonary disorders. The essential oil of thyme and the compound thymol have antimicrobial activity in vitro against E. coli strains. The essential oil of thyme has been found to possess the strongest antimicrobial properties. Thus the highlight of this paper was to review the medicinal and functional values of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) herb.
Key words: Thymus vulgaris L., thymol, carvacrol, antioxidants, antimicrobial
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