Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a powerful herb with a pungent aroma and many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It is available dry, fresh or extracted as oil. It is widely known for its use in Italian and Greek cuisine. With a bold, earthy flavor, thyme is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen.
Read on to learn more about the health benefits of oregano, including who should avoid it, nutrition facts, and more.
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How to Use Thyme?
Thyme is a delicious, aromatic herb used dried or fresh in a variety of cuisines. Best known for its use in tomato-based sauces, oregano is also used in olive oil-based dishes including legumes (foods like peas, lentils, and beans), pasta, grains, poultry, salads, meat, fish, and more. .
It can be described as a sweet spicy taste. Some chefs describe thyme as having a minty-flavored, peppery bite.
In addition to its fresh and dried forms, thyme oils can be extracted and used as aromatic oil and as a supplement.
Thyme Oil etc. Thyme Essential Oil
Oregano oil extract and thyme essential oil are not the same. They are processed differently; Thyme essential oil is not intended for use on the skin without diluting with a carrier oil. At the same time, thyme essential oil is not intended to be ingested.
5 Health Benefits of Thyme
Herbs are thought to have some of the highest known amounts of antioxidants by weight compared to other foods. Thyme contains antioxidants, including caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, caffeoyl derivatives, carvacrol, and flavonoids (apigenin, eriodictyol, dihydroquercetin, dihydrokaempferol, thymol).
Additionally, thyme contains plenty of vitamin K (1 teaspoon provides 14% of your daily needs).
Consuming nutrient-dense foods and herbs such as thyme can contribute to an overall healthy eating plan, but no single food produces miraculous effects. Factors that may affect the potential health benefits of thyme include:
- type of thyme
- How much do you consume
- Growth stage of the plant at harvest
- Environmental conditions when growing
- Preparation methods
- How is it absorbed in your body?
- How does your body react to this?
Most of the research on thyme has centered around extracted thyme oil. Research has been conducted primarily in the laboratory (in vitro) or on animals (in vivo) rather than in humans. Therefore, there is not enough information about appropriate doses and long-term effects of thyme oil supplements.
Still, using thyme in cooking can add flavor and nutritional value without adding fat and sodium. It is generally rare to eat fresh thyme raw as people find the taste very pungent. However, freshly chopped thyme can be added to salads or in the final stages of cooking.
Consider thyme, another herb you can add to your diet. Eating a variety of plants is associated with improved health outcomes, including reduced risk of infection, better blood sugar, reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and more.
Antibacterial and Antimicrobial Properties
Antibacterials can prevent the growth or spread of bacteria. Oregano oil, a concentrated source extracted from its leaves, contains the compounds carvacrol and thymol, which may help reduce or prevent the growth or spread of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and some viruses.
In an in vitro study, researchers used oregano oil against antibiotic-resistant pathogens (microbes that have evolved the ability to defeat drugs designed to kill them), such as methicillin-resistant. Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and found that thyme oil offered the best antibacterial effect. However, this conclusion is far from definitive because the researchers tested the effects in test tubes, not humans. Therefore, more research is needed.
Oregano oil is often used to protect plants from insects and can also be used as a natural insecticide to deter insects such as the cabbage butterfly and cucumber beetle. Oregano oil can also be used to repel some types of insects. In a laboratory experiment, researchers found that thyme essential oil could deter bedbugs.
Oregano oil contains carvacrol, thymol, and alpha-terpinene, which can serve as repellent for mosquitoes and a source of relief for insect bites. Remember to dilute thyme essential oil, as applying it directly to the skin can cause skin irritation and burning.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Thyme contains a wide variety of plant-based antioxidants. The two most studied are carvacrol and thymol. But thyme also contains limonene, terpinene, ocimene, and caryophyllene, which are other plant-based compounds with antioxidative properties.
Antioxidants are known to scavenge free radicals (reactive and unstable molecules produced in cells through metabolism) and help reduce inflammation.
One study examined the effects of concentrated sources of thyme essential oil on inflammatory skin cells. Researchers extracted human skin cells and stimulated them with sources of inflammation such as interleukin-1-beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-γ, basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor.
They then exposed the cells to different concentrations of thyme essential oil and examined the levels of various inflammatory biomarkers that decreased after exposure to the oil.
Researchers think this information is promising for using thyme essential oil in skin care products, especially for wound healing and reducing inflammation. But more human research is needed.
Cancer Protection
Antioxidants found in thyme may help protect cells from damage. For example, carvacrol and thymol may help trigger cancer cell death, slow tumor growth, and prevent the spread of cancer, but the research was done in test tubes and animals rather than humans.
Therefore, more research is needed to determine the dosage and duration of use, as well as the safety and effectiveness of long-term use.
Thyme also contains quercetinAnother plant-based antioxidant that can protect cells from damage.
Diabetes Management
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that requires daily self-management. People with diabetes must consider their diet, exercise, stress, sleep, medications, self-monitoring of blood sugar, and more.
Eating a diet rich in plants provides plenty of vitamins, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Adding dried and fresh thyme to your diet increases vitamin K and other plant compounds that may help regulate blood sugar. and reduces inflammation.
However, it is unclear whether oregano oil supplements are safe, especially if you are taking blood sugar-lowering medications. Discuss this with your healthcare provider first.
Help with Depression
Simply eating or supplementing with thyme will not treat or cure depression. Studies evaluating the effect of thyme oil or thyme essential oil on brain health have been conducted in animals.
One animal study found that mice exposed to chronic, unpredictable stress for 24 days and given thyme essential oil showed less depressive behavior than a control group. They showed less inactivity in the forced swim test.
These data may be promising, but the experiment has not been repeated in humans. More long-term research in humans is needed to determine the effect of thyme on brain health.
Other Possible Health Benefits
The use of thyme and thyme oil extract may also help gut health by potentially treating the following bacteria: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), It is linked to peptic ulcers and stomach cancer.
The chemicals in thyme may have possible effects in the following situations:
- Reducing cough
- aid digestion
- Wound healing
- Bacterial, viral or parasitic infections
- Applicant
More research is needed as there is not much scientific literature on humans. If you want to supplement with oregano oil, contact your medical provider.
Thyme Nutrition
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition database, 1 teaspoon of thyme provides:
- Calorie: 5
- Oil: 0 gram (g)
- Sodium: 0.45 milligrams (mg)
- carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- candies: 0g
- Protein: 0.2g
- vitamin K: 11.2 micrograms (mcg)
- Potassium: 22.7 mg
- Calcium: 29 mg
Who Should Avoid Thyme?
Large doses of thyme may increase bleeding. If you are going to have surgery, you should stop taking thyme supplements two weeks before. Thyme supplementation may also inhibit the absorption of zinc and iron, but it is unclear to what extent.
Since thyme contains vitamin K, people taking blood-thinning medications should monitor their intake. If you are taking medications for diabetes, thyme may increase the risk of low blood sugar. Check with your healthcare provider before supplementing with oregano oil.
Summary
Thyme is a delicious and versatile ingredient to use in cooking. Eating fresh or dried thyme is a great way to add plant-based antioxidants. Using herbs to flavor foods naturally reduces the use of sodium, fat, and sugar.
There is no decision yet on the health benefits and safety of thyme oil. Research investigating its health benefits is based primarily on high-dose formulations used in test tube and animal studies. More human randomized clinical control studies are needed to evaluate potential therapeutic effects in humans.
Check with your healthcare provider before supplementing with oregano oil.