A little bit of thyme will do much more than just enhance the taste of your foods

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 by: P. Simard
Tags: thyme, acne treatments, benzoyl peroxide

(NaturalNews) Thyme is extensively utilized in European cuisines and it is much appreciated as a spice enhancing the taste of various foods. The Greeks use it regularly as a medicinal herb as they are particularly fond of its many health benefits.

Thyme, also known as thymus vulgaris, exhibits a very pleasing and distinctive aroma. The plant grows as a perennial and is more suited to a hot and sunny environment. It's definitely an excellent source of vitamin K, iron and manganese. Thyme can effectively assist in ridding the body of different toxic elements causing health conditions such as respiratory, digestive and acne problems.

Can acne really be treated naturally without irritating the skin?

A recent research conducted at the Metropolitan University of Leeds, found that tinctures made from thyme have the ability to effectively neutralize the main bacterium (Propionibacterium acnes) that causes spots, white heads and cysts to form on the skin. Interestingly, the scientists also realized that thyme had a greater positive effect on these skin conditions than benzoyl peroxide which is commonly used to treat acne.

Dr. Margarita Gomez-Escalada whom was in charge of the research program, believes in the real possibility of one day making thyme-derived tinctures, a sound alternative to treat acne naturally. She thinks that acne victims would most likely welcome a treatment that doesn't irritate or give a burning sensation to their sensitive skin, such as what benzoyl peroxide generally does. She concludes by saying that herbal treatments may not only be gentler on the skin because of their anti-inflammatory effects, but results clearly show up to now that natural treatments are as good or better as the chemical ones.

Thyme has long had a good reputation for its healing properties when faced with respiratory problems, such as bronchitis, coughs and chest congestion. This medicinal herb is extremely efficient on mucous membranes located in the lungs. Researchers have finally uncovered the main active ingredients within thyme responsible for its healing properties. The principal components of thyme are called carvacolo, borneol, geraniol and thymol, the latter being the most essential of the bunch with its known antiseptic and anti-fungal characteristics.

Studies made on older rats allowed researchers to discover that thymol can greatly increase the quantity of healthy fats found in various cell structures, more specifically what is named DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid). The bigger increase of these fatty acids was more noticeable in the brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes.

Last but not least, a study published in the February 2004 publication of Food Microbiology, established that thyme's essential oil was able to disinfect lettuce and immunize it from a toxic substance (Shigella) that normally causes loose bowels or diarrhea. If you usually add dressing to your salad, you might as well incorporate thyme to it.

Sources for this article include :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120327215951.htm

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=77

http://letsgohealthy.blogspot.ca

About the author:
After spending several years working in property management, P. Simard is now focusing on being a naturopath in Quebec.