Witnessed by: Western · Unani
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), of the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. Low woody aromatic subshrub with tiny grey-green leaves and lilac flowers; native range: dry stony hillsides of the western Mediterranean, long cultivated in gardens. Globally recognized as hasha · za'atar in Arabic, satar farsi in Persian, and garden thyme · common thyme in English. The part used is leaf and flowering top; essential oil. Small resinous leaves loaded with a warm, sharp, thymol-camphor pungency that stings the nose and warms the throat.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
THYME
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Thyme
- Scientific name
- Thymus vulgaris L.
- Family
- Lamiaceae (Labiatae)
Form
- Part used
- leaf and flowering top; essential oil
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- pungent · aromatic
- Unani
- pungent · aromatic
Temperature
Western: hot & dry
Unani: hot & dry (3rd degree)
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses read it hot and dry — a warming, drying aromatic
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- lungs · stomach · digestion
- Unani
- lungs · stomach · uterus
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- antiseptic, antispasmodic, expectorant, carminative, and anthelmintic
- Unani
- kasir-e-riyah (carminative), muhallil (resolvent), mudirr-e-haiz (emmenagogue), and jali (detergent)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy in medicinal or oil doses; the undiluted oil on skin or mucosa
- Toxicity
- the concentrated oil is a mucous-membrane irritant and toxic in quantity; the herb itself is safe as a food and tea
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