Owning your own herb garden is a dream come true, is it not? The scent of these herbs wafts through the air and fills up your senses. Talking about thyme it is very delicate and has a deep penetrating fragrance.
History speaks so much about thyme. The ancient Egyptians used it for embalming; the Greeks used it in baths and for burning incense; and the Romans used thyme to purify their rooms. Thyme has a rich past, it was placed beneath pillows to promote sleep, has been given as a gift by fair maidens to young knights and warriors and believed to assure passage to next life irrespective of the kind of life they lived. Aha, that’s a different story altogether.
Health benefits of thyme
· Thyme has lots of health benefits. The main essential volatile oil in thyme is thymol.
· Thyme increases the amount of healthy fats such as DHA and omega 3 fatty acids in the brain, kidney and heart cell membranes after dietary supplementation.
· The above fact has been demonstrated in animal studies.
· Thyme contains a variety of flavonoids, which boosts its antioxidant capacity
· Thyme is a good source of manganese
· It puts a good fight against germs
· It is very effective against Shigella that causes diarrhea
· Thyme and basil together prevents contamination of foods
· This powerful duo even decontaminates previously contaminated foods
· Now a good thing about thyme is it increases the protection to raw salads when added
· It is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, copper and dietary fiber.
Safety tips
Webmed says that medications that slow blood clotting interact with thyme. It is safe for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers when consumed in normal food amounts.
Tips to store thyme…
Fresh thyme can be stored in refrigerator, but make sure that you wrap it in a slightly damp paper towel. Dried thyme can be stored in glass bottles and kept away from heat and light. It can retain its freshness up to six months.
You can be creative and add thyme to your soups, vegetables, meat preparations, flavored butter and herb breads. You can also add it to mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and omelets. Fish and chicken taste terrific with lemon thyme.
Take good care,
Swarnam
Take care,
Swarnam
Swarnam
