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A brief history of Thyme

Thyme is an aromatic, perennial, many branched ground shrub that will grow to about 12" It has small almost stalk-less leaves and in mid-summer it will develop very attractive lilac or pink flowers. Once established in in a well drained garden it requires very little care, an so is suitable for people (like me) how are not the most attentive to the needs of the plants in their care. Established plants will become woody after a number of years, but this can be avoided by dividing the roots from time to time. The plant is hardy enough to survive light frosts, but will die off if the temperature drops below 10 degrees F. Thyme is easily propagated either via seeds, cuttings or by root divisions. Thyme is not only therefore a very easy plant to grow in your garden, it also has many uses.

The Romans always knew a good thing when they saw it and it was grown by them for use as a cough remedy, as a digestive aid and for intestinal worms. For the same reason Charlemagne ordered the plant to be grown in his imperialpalaces, but also recognised its uses in cooking chiefly for its meat preserving qualities. By medieval times it was widely known for its antiseptic qualities and by the 17th century thyme oil, under the name of Oil of Origanum, was freely available from apothecary shops. In the medieval period it was also associated with courage and knights would embroider it on their clothes as an emblem. Scottish highlanders would make a drink using Thyme to instill the courageous virtue in them and Wild Thyme is the emblem of the Drummond Clan.

Its use today by those who have an interest in nature remedies lies in four main areas.

1. Antiseptic. Freshly picked thyme is a fantastic natural antisepticfor those garden cuts and scrapes and as an oil is proven to fight disease causing fungus and bacteria. Dried Thyme is never quite as effective as an oil tinctureor infusion. Thyme is a major ingrediant in many mouth washes, including Listerine.

2. DigestiveAid. Thymol and Carvacol, found within the plant are shown to relax the muscletissue of the gastrointestinal tract. This acts as an anti-spasmodic backing up Thyme's traditional use as a digestion aid.

3. WomensHealth. Not only do the Anti-spasmodic characteristics aid digestion, they also help relieve menstrual cramps. A word of warning however, Thyme should be avoided in large doses whilst pregnant, a rule of thumb that should be applied to most natural medical practices. In this instance

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