DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:

For the selection of donors with valuable characteristics for breeding, 39 thyme accessions were evaluated in three years according to a staggered schedule. The criteria investigated were: winter hardiness, beginning of flowering, growth height, yield of the dry herb, content of essential oil, composition of the essential oil, DNA content of cell nuclei and number of chromosomes. The most strongly varying traits between the populations were the yield of dry herb, the content of essential oil and the content of volatile phenols with coefficients of variation (CV) between CV 40% and 50%. The largest variation within a population was detected for the yield of dry herb (CV 25-46%) and the content of essential oil (CV 17-48%). The homogeneity of the populations was different. The minimal average coefficient of variation of all traits (CV 19%) was determined in the population of the cultivar 'Varico II' and in a population from Lithuania. The ploidy level of T. vulgaris was diploid (2n = 30). © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Thyme is yet another plant that was brought from southern Europe for its medicinal and culinary qualities. The famous English herbalist of the 17th century, Nicholas Culpeper, wrote that thyme was “a notable strengthener of the lungs …neither is there a better remedy growing for that disease in children which they commonly call chin-cough [whooping cough].” Today, Germany’s Commission E approves of using thyme for cough and bronchitis. The oil from the plant is antiseptic, antifungal, and anti-parasitic – therefore useful for athlete’s foot, ringworm, scabies, and lice. An infusion made from thyme leaves has been used as a general tonic, and research in Scotland has suggested that thyme is antioxidant and does support the body’s normal function and counteract the effects of aging. The essential oil should not be taken internally.

Part used::
Aerial parts

Origin:
Europe

PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Planta entera.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Antiséptica, antiespasmódica.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Aceite esencial (0,8-2,5%): Presenta fundamentalmente timol (40%), carvacrol, borneol, acetato bornílico, acetato linalínico, linalol, geraniol, alfa y beta-pineno, limoneno, p-cimeno, gama-terpineno, alfa-terpineol. Las esencias con una cantidad predominante de timol se caracterizan por cristralizar fácilmente. Otros: taninos (7-10%), serpilina (principio amargo), saponinas ácidas y neutras, flavonoides (heterósidos del luteolol), ácidos oleánico y ursólico, ácidos fenilcarboxílicos (clorogénico y cafeico), resinas, taninos, etc.

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Uruguay. 

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Parte utilizada:
Sumidades floridas (brotes).
Propiedades:
Estimulante del apetito, colerético, espasmolítico, expectorante, antiséptico, diurético, antihelmíntico y antifúngico.
Indicaciones:
Se utiliza en afecciones digestivas: digestiones lentas, gastritis crónicas, flatulencias, espasmos gastrointestinales, parasitosis, colitis e inapetencia. Es eficaz para la tos, catarros, gripes, faringitis y bronquitis. También está indicado en infecciones urinarias.
En uso externo se emplea en infecciones cutáneas, dolores reumáticos, úlceras y quemaduras.

1) GONZALEZ, Matías ; LOMBARDO, Atilio ; VALLARINO, Aida. Plantas de la medicina vulgar del Uruguay. Montevideo : Talleres Gráficos, 1937. p. 122.

2) ALONSO, Jorge R. Tratado de fitomedicina : bases clínicas y farmacológicas. Buenos Aires : ISIS, 1998, p. 927.

3) MEWES, S. ; KRUGER, H. ; PANK, F. Physiological, morphological, chemical and genomic diversities of different origins of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) . Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 2008, vol.55, nº8, p.1303-1311.

4) Hull, Kathleen; Photog. Hull, Meredith /Indiana Medical History Museum: Guide to the Medicinal Plant Garden./ USA: Indiana Medical History Museum. 2010. -- p. 58.

5) María Stella Cáceres A.; et al./ MANUAL DE USO DE HIERBAS MEDICINALES
DEL PARAGUAY/ Fundación Celestina de Pérez Almada con apoyo de Unesco Montevideo. p.68.