Thyme Essential Oil

My step-dad is an organic grower, and I am an organic foodie, so we love talking about organic gardening, recipes, and food preparation. Whenever he visits, we can kill an entire afternoon drinking glasses of fresh-made veggie juice (usually made from the stuff from his garden), and talking about nothing but organic food.

The other day, he brought over a bag of fresh produce, including a small bunch of Thyme. The little sprigs smelled fantastic and looked so lovely that I stuck them in a vase where I can easily pull off a few bits whenever I need them for cooking. That vase is sitting before me as I type this.
On the same day that I got the Thyme, I discovered that one of Young Living's promo items for this month (March 2015) is—you guessed it-- Thyme essential oil. As someone who believes that there are no coincidences, I took this to be a happy sign that I am supposed to be writing an article on Thyme oil for this month's blog post.

I set out to catch up on some of the scientific research being done on Thyme essential oil. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) contains two powerful compounds, carvacrol and thymol, which are of great interest to researchers for their anti-oxidant and anti-microbial qualities. As I scrolled through study after study, I began to see the little sprigs of Thyme sitting before me with a different eye. It was a great surprise to learn that this humble little common herb appears to be revolutionizing the traditional food industry, providing a natural and healthy alternative to current practices and procedures. From fruit orchards to vegetable crops; fish farms to meat packing plants, Thyme oil may end up playing a big role in the future way that we grow, produce and process our food. Check it out:

  


Food Preservation 
 
Do you sometimes wish that there was a supermarket where all the foods were free of harmful chemical preservatives? Thyme essential oil might grant your wish soon. A large number of studies show that Thyme oil helps keep food fresh and prevents spoilage. For example, one study found that Thyme oil improves both the sensory and chemical stability of fresh sunflower seeds.[i] Another study found that micro-encapsulated Thyme oil helps preserve the shelf life of button mushrooms.[ii] Furthermore, carvacrol (a compound found in Thyme) significantly reduces Salmonella strains in turkey breast cutlets.[iii] As a result, scientists are hoping to develop new forms of smart packaging that use Thyme oil for preventing spoilage.[iv] Good-bye harmful preservatives—hello Thyme essential oil!

Fixing Fish Farms

Captive-reared fish (such as those in fish farms) are prone to bacterial diseases that require large amounts of antibiotics to control. This contributes to the global problem of the overuse of antibiotics, the development of antibiotic resistance and the spread of antibiotics into the natural environment. However, studies show that Thyme oil helps to reduce pathogens that plague fish such as Aeromonas spp. As a result, Thyme oil could help lower the load of antibiotics being used on fish.[v] This is good news for both fish farmers and environmentalists alike. Personally, I am not a fan of fish farming but I am in favor of the reduction of antibiotic use so this news makes me happy.


Reducing Commercial Fungicide Use

Drive by a fruit orchard and what do you see? A beautiful, natural, lush green place that conjures up visions of idyllic country living, right? Wrong! It is a little-known fact that traditional orchards are some of the most poisonous places on earth. The fruit trees and the ground beneath them are constantly dredged with cancer-causing chemicals in order to eliminate pests and weeds. Furthermore, the fungicides used in orchards to protect fruit from rot and fungal diseases are often more toxic than the pesticides. I used to live across from a huge apple, cherry, and peach orchard and would find dead birds on the road after the orchardist had sprayed. If the sprays were doing this to the birds, I thought, what on earth were they doing to my body?

So it is great news to hear that Thyme oil could help reduce the use of some of these harmful chemicals. Studies have found that Thyme oil's action is as potent as that of commercial fungicides. One recent study on Alternaria brown spot disease (which infects citrus orchards) suggests that Thyme essential oil could have potential use in the development of new phenolic structures and analogues to control the Alternaria alternata fungus.[vi]


Keeping Food-Processing Plants Clean

Food processing plants wage a constant battle with bacteria such as Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, both of which are serious threats to human health. Researchers have found that Thyme oil helps reduce the biofilm development of both of these strains which routinely forms on polystyrene and stainless steel equipment. [vii] [viii] As a result, Thyme oil may play a future role in helping to keep facilities free from harmful bacteria that contaminate food.

Clearly, Thyme essential oil is making some waves in research labs worldwide. This is great news for folks who are interested in living a more healthy lifestyle. So stay tuned—there are likely to be more exciting developments coming out regarding Thyme essential oil and the traditional food industry soon.

Thyme oil has been traditionally used in folk medicine for treating a variety of conditions including gout; rheumatism; asthma; colds, coughs and flu; laryngitis, bad breath; athlete's foot and other skin conditions; hypertension; and menstrual problems.


Thyme Essential Oil is:

✔ For occasional use only. A loose rule of thumb: take a couple of days off after 7 days of consecutive use.

✔ Okay for topical use (but dilute well because it is a “hot” oil)

✔ Okay to diffuse

✔ Okay as a dietary supplement (but not for kids under the age of 6)

✔ Okay to use to flavor cooking (add only a toothpick tip dipped in the oil—it's strong!)

✗ Not for oral ingestion for kids under the age of 6.

✗ Not for pregnant or nursing moms

✗ Not for persons with liver disease.


Note that Thyme oil can intensify the effects of blood thinning medications and antibiotics. If you have a medical condition, consult a physician who is familiar with the effects of essential oils before using Thyme oil.


This article is part of our "Living the Essential Life" series by Danielle McElroy.  Danielle is an oil enthusiast who enjoys living the natural life with her cat in a cozy cottage in the Boonies.  We are very fortunate to have Danielle as a part of our team applying her excellent research skills to the field of aromatherapy and essential oils.  She shares more research and essential oil tips on her Facebook page. 



For full abstracts of the scientific studies cited here, please see our Research Page.
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[i]Riveros CG, Nepote V, and Grosso NR. Thyme and basil essential oils included in edible coatings as a natural preserving method of oilseed kernels. J Sci Food Agric. 2015 Jan 13. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7080. [Epub ahead of print]

[ii]Alikhani-Koupaei M, Mazlumzadeh M, Sharifani M et al. Enhancing stability of essential oils by microencapsulation for preservation of button mushroom during postharvest. Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Sep;2(5):526-33. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.129. Epub 2014 Jun 1.

[iii]Nair D, Nannapaneni R, KiessA, et al. Reduction of Salmonella on turkey breast cutlets by plant-derived compounds. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2014 Dec;11(12):981-7. doi: 10.1089/fpd.2014.1803.

[iv]Tongnuanchan, P and Benjakul S. Essential Oils: Extraction, Bioactivities, and Their Uses for Food Preservation Journal of Food Science Volume 79, Issue 7, Article first published online: 2 JUN 2014.

[v]Starliper CE, Ketola HG, Noyes AD, et al. An investigation of the bactericidal activity of selected essential oils to Aeromonas spp. J Adv Res. 2015 Jan;6(1):89-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2013.12.007. Epub 2014 Jan 3.

[vi]Perina FJ, Amaral DC, Fernandes RS, et al.T hymus vulgaris essential oil and thymol against Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler: effects on growth, viability, early infection and cellular mode of action. Pest Manag Sci. 2014 Oct 30. doi: 10.1002/ps.3933. [Epub ahead of print]

[vii]Vasquez-Sanchez D, Cabo ML, and Rodriguez-Herrera JJ. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. Food Sci Technol Int. 2014 Oct 3. pii: 1082013214553996. [Epub ahead of print]

[viii]Soni KA, Oladunjoye A, Nannapaneni R et al. Inhibition and inactivation of Salmonella typhimurium biofilms from polystyrene and stainless steel surfaces by essential oils and phenolic constituent carvacrol. J Food Prot. 2013 Feb;76(2):205-12. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-196.