Thyme belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is a spicy-tasting perennial plant with a wide range of uses. Many varieties of it are planted in flower beds, the leaves harvested in summer are eaten all year round. In addition, it has medicinal properties.
Thyme Description
Thyme and its healing properties have been known since ancient times. Roman and Greek soldiers took baths from thyme infusion. They believed that it would give them strength and energy. At the same time, thyme began to be used in cooking as an aromatic plant. He came to Europe in the 11th century.
The height of a thyme bush usually does not exceed 40 cm. It is a perennial herbaceous plant. Its stem is most often located on the ground, and the leaves rise up. They are small, depending on the variety - plain or variegated, often with a light border around the edge. The shape of the leaves is rounded, pointed. Flowers - light pink, small, but very fragrant. They are collected in inflorescences.
Pleasant fragrancenot only flowers are different, but also thyme leaves. For him, the plant received many popular names, each of which is common in a certain region of growth. This is thyme, lemon odor, pineapple, muhopal.
Thyme in nature is a plant that can grow in almost any region of the world where the length of the period with a positive temperature allows the seeds to ripen. It does not require special care. In the southern regions it grows as a shrub, in the northern regions it grows as a herbaceous perennial.
Types of thyme
Thyme has more than 3 hundred species. Basic:
Creeping (colchis, thyme) - an unpretentious shrub no more than 15 cm high. It grows, forming a fragrant carpet on glades, slopes. It has a "warm" aroma. Undemanding to soil, lighting, watering. Most often grows on sandy soils, glades of coniferous forests. Frost-resistant. There are many ornamental varieties of creeping thyme that bloom from mid-June to late summer with lilac or purple flowers. Harvest the entire ground part of the plant. You can pick leaves all summer. Used to make soothing tea, treat colds
- Ordinary, with bright green small leaves and light lilac flowers collected in fragrant inflorescences. Herbaceous plant no more than 20 cm high. Grows in meadows, glades from early summer to August. It is not very frost-resistant, therefore, in a snowless winter, it can freeze with a sharp drop in temperature. New plantswill emerge from the seeds that spilled onto the ground last summer. It also propagates by dividing the bush. Contains about 30% aromatic thymol.
- Lemon-smelling (lemon) is a small plant valued for the lemon scent of its leaves. Created by naturally crossing common thyme with flea.
- Mossy with stems 1 cm high, densely intertwined, creates a fluffy carpet in the area.
Lemon-smelling thyme: description
It was discovered and described at the end of the 16th century. The aroma of lemon is possessed not only by leaves and flowers, but also by the stem. Lemon-smelling thyme (Thymus x citriodorus (Pers.) Schreb) has a low, slightly lignified near the ground by autumn, slightly pubescent stem. It can be spreading or grow straight up. The stem is covered with small, up to 1 cm long and 3 mm wide, leaves on short strong cuttings. The edges of the leaves are curved, smooth. Flowers are located on the stem, forming an inflorescence spike. The flower is bell-shaped, the calyx is two-lipped. Flower size - 4 mm.
Stalks of lemon-smelling thyme endure frosts down to -18 °C. Therefore, in most regions it needs to be covered. If this is not done, the thyme will develop as an annual plant. New stems will form every year.
Varieties
Many varieties of lemon-smelling thyme have been created. Most Popular:
- Donna Valley is a popular variety whose bright green leaves are covered with yellow spots. Doone Valley lemon-scented thyme - plantlow, does not reach 10 cm in height.
- Silver Queen is a popular perennial plant growing to 20 cm tall. The leaves are dark green with a white border on the side. Thyme lemon-scented Silver Queen grows slowly. In winter, it must be covered from frost. In the summer they cut it to make the bush more magnificent.
- Golden Duarf with light green leaves with yellow spots.
- Lemon thyme Bertram Anderson with light green leaves with a yellow border. Unpretentious frost-resistant variety. Grows well in full sun but can tolerate light shade. Stretches out in the shade. Not affected by pests and diseases.
Lemon-smelling thyme: planting and care
Thyme is a photophilous plant that tolerates drought well. Therefore, it is planted in open areas and slopes. The soil should be light, with an admixture of sand. It will pass moisture well without causing stagnation of water. If the land is fertile, it grows rapidly. The height of the plants will be greater, and the lemon-scented thyme will bloom more magnificently.
Care consists in removing weeds that can make their way near the young plant. It is not affected by pests, so it is not treated with chemicals. Mature plants need to be trimmed every year to keep them looking neat. This procedure will make the bush thick and beautiful.
You can transplant lemon-smelling thyme throughout the growing season: in spring, autumn and even summer. Need to be watered infirst year after transplant.
Propagation of thyme
Thymes are propagated by dividing the bush. Thus, you can quickly get a beautiful clearing of fragrant plants. You can use woody cuttings of lemon-scented thyme. Planting can be done in autumn or spring.
Propagated by lemon-smelling thyme and seeds. They can be sown on the site after ripening, without loosening the soil. They will rise next year.
Garden use
The use of lemon-scented thyme is due to its ability to quickly form fluffy colorful carpets in the area. It is grown on separate free lawns, on alpine slides.
It can be planted next to most bulbs, from ephemera to lilies.
Use in cooking
Most often, lemon-smelling and ordinary thyme are used in cooking.
Lemon-smelling thyme is widely used in cooking. In summer it is consumed fresh, in winter - dried. You can freeze the leaves for the winter. This allows you to feel the taste of summer at any time of the year. Add to the first (broths, soups) dishes, meat and fish, pates. A few leaves of thyme will make a salad of familiar vegetables much tastier and he althier. Add thyme leaves to cheese. They also improve the taste of mushroom dishes.
The advantage of lemon-smelling thyme is that it does not lose its flavor properties during cooking. Therefore, it can be thrown into the dishes even at the beginning of cooking. This is what distinguishes it from other types of spices.
Adding thyme leaves to fatty dishes improves digestion and speeds up the digestion of such food. Lemon thyme pairs well with potato and kale dishes.
You can't do without thyme when canning tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers. Together with dill and other herbs, a sprig of thyme is placed in a jar of pickles. Dried thyme gives dishes a special flavor, adds a slight bitterness.
Thyme leaves added to compote allow you to get an original and he althy drink. Thyme sprigs are tossed into the jam as it is made.
The original spirits are made by adding thyme shoots and leaves. They make them fragrant, giving a lemon flavor and aroma.
Thyme is an ingredient in spices made for use in various dishes.
Medicinal properties of thyme
Infusions, lotions, compresses, decoctions are prepared from harvested raw materials in folk medicine.
The use of lemon-smelling thyme in official and folk medicine is due to the presence in its composition of a very strong antibiotic carvacrol, which can fight Staphylococcus aureus. Thyme raw materials contain up to 2 percent of essential oils, thymol, linalol. They are used to fight germs, fungi, bacteria.
For the treatment of bronchitis and diseases of the upper respiratory tract, an extract of lemon-smelling thyme is used. Its beneficial properties are well known. Reviewsusers point to a noticeable improvement in the condition of patients with bronchitis after using the remedy. It has an expectorant effect, thins mucus and promotes its excretion. Essential oils help soothe inflamed areas of the larynx and throat.
Thyme infusions help in the treatment of inflammatory processes in the throat and mouth, if they are caused by purulent bacteria.
It contains a large amount of vitamins, acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium and other elements. Therefore, the use of thyme leaves in food improves the general condition of the body. They contribute to the active secretion of gastric juice.
Tinctures of raw thyme help the intestines process fatty foods, help to remove gases from the body.
Infusions of lemon-smelling thyme leaves help get rid of joint pain. They improve the condition of the musculoskeletal system, alleviate the condition with radiculitis and other neuralgic diseases. Use gruel compresses prepared from fresh leaves. Mix it with warm water and apply it to the affected area.
Neuroses are treated by adding one drop of essential oil to a teaspoon of honey and taking 3 times a day.
Use inhalations with essential oils and ethyl alcohol. They help get rid of coughs and colds.
Decoctions of thyme leaves are used for skin diseases. Mix it with olive oil.
They increase blood pressure, improve appetite, sleep. To do this, you can use aromatic baths. 0.5 kg of raw materials are steamed in several literswater, boil for a couple of minutes, insist and add to the bath.
Contraindications for use
Thyme also has contraindications. Preparations with it should not be taken by pregnant women, people with liver and kidney disease, insufficient thyroid function. Thyme is contraindicated in cardiovascular diseases: atrial fibrillation, pre-infarction condition, elevated temperature. You can not use these drugs for peptic ulcer disease.
If an overdose occurs, nausea may be felt.
Preparation and storage of raw materials
Stems and leaves of plants of the first year of life are not harvested. Collect raw materials from the bushes of the second year. Leaves, flowers and stems of thyme are dried in the fresh air, sheltered from sunlight. You can do this in a room with good ventilation. Then put into storage. To prevent essential oils from evaporating, store raw materials in sealed glass jars, foil packages.
When harvesting raw materials, thyme leaves are not crushed, otherwise the amount of essential oils will decrease significantly. This will show up as a lack of smell.
When raw thyme dries, its weight decreases, and the amount of essential oils remains approximately the same. Therefore, there are three times more of them in dry raw materials than in fresh ones. By adding it to various dishes, take this into account. Dried and crushed leaves should be taken three times more than fresh.
