The Ultimate List of Thyme Essential Oil Benefits

Thyme essential oil benefits are profound and bring healing to the body in many ways. It’s a powerful oil from such a humble little herb!

Thyme History & Chemical Properties

A perennial culinary herb that can grow as a bush or creep along a forest floor, thyme is a ground cover, soil nutrient, and “living mulch.” It’s popular in fragrance gardens and herb gardens because fresh thyme is not just an amazing kitchen herb but one of the best medicinal herbs as well.

Named either for its strong, herbaceous fragrance (thymon – to fumigate) or its association with bravery (thumon – courage), thyme’s “roots” reach back to ancient Greece. Really, thyme essential oil benefits have similar therapeutic properties to its botanical presence: it’s always there, sturdy and without much fanfare, but accomplishes important things.

While there are several varieties of thyme you might find as essential oils; wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum), lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus), and more, the most typical Thyme oil is from garden thyme or common thyme (Thymus vulgaris). To obtain the thyme essential oil benefits, the leaf and flower are processed via steam distillation.

What you’ll also see is different chemotypes of T. vulgaris which changes the essential oil composition – most frequently T. vulgaris thymol and T. vulgaris linalool. We’ll explore the differences between the two here.

The therapeutic properties of thymol compounds include gamma-terpinine and cymene. The properties of thymol are most evident and studied for its strong antibacterial properties. In fact, it stands out as thyme’s most notable function, cleansing of microbes, fungal infections, and bacterial danger. Much of the research around the effects of thymol explores its antimicrobial activities, especially in regard to food safety. (1) It is considered a stronger oil and more likely to cause allergic reactions or skin sensitivities than the gentler linalool thyme oil.

Once again, thyme’s presence in the botanical world mirrors that of the essential oil realm. As a plant, it grows along the surface of the ground, preventing moisture loss and protecting the soil and the plants around it. As an essential oil, thyme continues its protective mission, cleansing surfaces and the air around it of detrimental microbes and bringing its antifungal action to work on your behalf.

Linalool thyme essential oil is a gentler option, often preferred for topical applications. In fact, linalool is one of the active compounds in lavender essential oil so you can see why it’s considered the more relaxing thyme oil option for soothing blood pressure, skin irritations, or restlessness.

The plant world is teeming with these amazing medicinal herbs – complete packages of nourishment and health! When we fill our homes and lives with naturally protective substances like thyme plant products in the form of foods, herbs, and essential oils, we add benefits to our whole lives – mind, body, and spirit!

7 Thyme Essential Oil Benefits

Unsurprisingly, the technical details rarely hold interest – we want to get right down to the meat of potential applications. What can we DO with the components? I’d be willing to bet that the chemical names and composite structure of thyme essential oil is probably still not what you’re looking for. For thyme oil, the scientific evidence shows some pretty promising possibilities from anti-inflammatory properties to potential applications for bacterial control and food safety.

1. Immunostimulant

While thyme protects us through antimicrobial compounds used in cleaning and food safety measures, it may also help condition us to respond to microbes we encounter. The International Immunopharmacology journal published a study in 2014 that demonstrated the immune-boosting effects of thymol, the dominant constituent in the thymol chemotype of thyme essential oil. The study suggests a potential role as a white blood cell stimulant and immunity-balancing substance. (2)

We all talk about health from the inside out, but thyme may be single-handedly embodying that philosophy! We’ll explore more of the direct antibacterial activity of oil of thyme below, as well, making this a great choice during flu and cold season. If you mix other immune-boosting essential oils with the combination of thymol-rich thyme oil, you may well empower your body to be healthier, and fight off infection better than ever.

2. Antidepressant

One avenue that thymol appears to take in the body is through neurotransmitters associated with depression. Published in Behavioral Brain Research this year (2015), Chinese researchers followed the effects of thymol on “chronic unpredictable mild stress” in mice, observing anti-inflammatory properties that brought relief to the neurotransmitters that cause depression. The potential therapeutic properties of thyme essential oil being used as a natural antidepressant are exciting and a therapy I’m looking forward to seeing discovered and developed. (3)

3. Anticancer

In our rose essential oil benefits profile, we looked at a study that highlighted the power of rose against acne bacteria. In the same study, however, ten powerful essential oils were tested in vitro against cancer cells to see how they could stand up. Thyme oil was one of them, and it stood out from the crowd as having the strongest cytotoxic activity. It showed powerful antitumoral properties against three human tumor cell lines. (4)

While it can’t be stated enough that these studies are preliminary, I’m filled with hope for a future where the therapeutic properties of naturally occurring products can replace toxic chemicals for cancer treatment and – dare we hope? – have potential applications for cures!

4. Hormone Balancing

As one of the top herbs for estrogen binding, fresh thyme may be able to help the body balance and regulate hormones. (5) Incidentally, this is not the only time we have seen a potential estrogenic herb noted for its anticancer potential, as well.

Because cancer frequently holds receptors for estrogen, thus being fed by anything estrogenic, it is often suggested that you should avoid estrogen if you have or are at high risk for cancer. However, in my opinion, this logic should not cause us to avoid essential oils because of their potential estrogenic properties.

Still, as a note of caution, researchers have put it, “Several aromatic oils have been recommended as phytoestrogens because they include components related to the sex hormones.” (6) What this looks like exactly is not clear. But, from what I can tell, using essential oils like thyme can help create homeostasis in the body, which supports proper hormone balance. Essentially, true healing from the inside out – not using essential oils for hormones like you would a drug.

5. Anti-fungal

In a study released this year, thyme joined lemon, basil, geranium, clove, and cinnamon as having highly effective antifungal activities, even against Candida albicans and the resulting candidiasis. (7) Antifungal properties are important as a cleaning agent, but I’m especially interested in tools to battle systemic Candida struggles.

This specific study examined the effects of thymol in vitro (in lab tests), but we have seen other studies demonstrate effective antifungal action through diffusion of lemongrass, peppermint, and eucalyptus essential oil. This shows that a diffuser is an effective essential oil application against Candida. (8) Diffuse a couple drops each of thyme, cinnamon, and clove to enjoy the therapeutic properties, antifungal activities, and spicy, herbaceous fragrance as it helps ward off Candida.

6. Antibacterial

The oil of thyme plant, known for its antibacterial activity, is an obviously excellent addition to cleaning solutions. This particular study highlights the potent antimicrobial properties:

Polish scientists capitalized on the antibacterial properties to establish microbial control in an environment that might be considered one of the most vulnerable to opportunistic infections – a commercial chicken house. They used an essential oil mist that was a combination of thymol-rich thyme oil mixed with water and a similar peppermint essential oil mixture, tested separately. Each essential oil compound was tested individually over three days, and each exhibited antibacterial properties and strengths against specific bacteria. (9)

Combining antimicrobial activities and antibacterially strong oils helps to facilitate that incredible synergistic effect that feels like magic – with each oil enhancing the abilities of the other. Diffuse thyme, peppermint, and lemon for an energizing and disinfecting effect that capitalizes on the sanitizing properties of thymol. Add to a spritz bottle of 190-proof grain alcohol for topical disinfecting, particularly in the kitchen after handling raw meats and other risky situations that can require a need for extra antibacterial activity.

7. Food Safety

Thyme is especially well utilized when we take advantage of its antimicrobial properties and improve food safety. Commercial applications are intriguing, with the potential for preservation and packaging to occur with natural substances like thyme oil. But safety in our homes is important, as well.

For example, a chicken marinade using thyme and orange essential oils was able to inhibit Salmonella. (10) A 2004 study and 2007 study found similarly beneficial effects against Listeria and E. coli, respectively. (11), (12) Though we should all be practicing good kitchen hygiene and food safety habits anyway, appropriately including thyme oil in food preparations will bring its antimicrobial properties to work for you. These therapeutic properties may help to make up for shortcomings in the kitchen – if nothing else, it’s a bit of added peace of mind!

Whether you are looking for the stronger action of thymol thyme oil, or the gentler linalool active compounds, you’ll want to harvest thyme essential oil benefits for your home. The antimicrobial activities and anti-inflammatory properties are worth the investment in the oil of thyme. Not to mention the antioxidant properties, which make it beneficial to overall health and wellness. Whatever therapeutic properties you’re hoping to capitalize on, thyme plant’s essential oil benefits are there for you.

References: