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Thyme

Thymus vulgaris L.

Lamiaceae // leaf · flowering aerial parts · essential oil

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Uses & evidence

Uses and evidence recorded
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Preparation

infusion/tea, tincture, powder/capsule, extract, +2 more
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Safety

Safety cautions recorded
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Research

No linked research on file
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Overview

Plant parts

leaf, flowering aerial parts, essential oil

Known constituents

thymol, carvacrol, rosmarinic acid

Research corpus coverage

Materia medicaPet safety

Chemistry notes

  • CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include thymol; carvacrol; rosmarinic acid; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.

Uses & Evidence

Traditional / historical use

Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.

  • TRADITIONAL: Thyme has been used for productive cough; digestive complaints; topical antisepsis; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

Modern evidence

  • EVIDENCE: For the major use set (productive cough; digestive complaints; topical antisepsis), the evidence assessment is limited/mixed: Traditional-use support; limited clinical evidence often from combination products.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph and mixed scientific literature · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

    Mixed findings, product heterogeneity, or indirect evidence are preserved in the detailed profile.

Preparation

Forms used traditionally

infusion/teatincturepowder/capsuleextractdiluted topical essential-oil preparationinhalation/aromatic preparation

A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.

  • PREPARATION: The medicinal material is leaf; flowering aerial parts; essential oil; traditional and modern forms include infusion/tea, tincture, powder/capsule, extract, diluted topical essential-oil preparation, inhalation/aromatic preparation. No dose or potency is specified.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

    Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.

Safety

Cats & dogs

  • High risk

    Thyme oil is listed among essential oils associated with products that can be toxic in dogs and/or cats; the page does not provide oil-specific species, route, dose, or sign attribution.

    Intrinsic toxicity · OTHER · Essential oil, including as a component of herbal flea or tick treatments · MODERATE · veterinary_manual · essential, herbal, oil poisoning canine feline - Consultant

Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)

Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.

  • SAFETY: Major issues include Essential oil can irritate and is toxic if swallowed in excess. Contraindications/cautions include Thyme allergy; caution in young children with concentrated oils.

    HIGH · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

  • SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include No well-established clinical interactions; possible anticoagulant additivity.

    MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

    Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.

  • SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Insufficient medicinal-use pregnancy/lactation data.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

    Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.

  • Thyme oil is listed among essential oils associated with products that can be toxic in dogs and/or cats; the page does not provide oil-specific species, route, dose, or sign attribution.

    MODERATE · veterinary_manual · essential, herbal, oil poisoning canine feline - Consultant

    The page names thyme oil but does not attribute the listed signs specifically to it or distinguish cats from dogs.

Preparation × species risk matrix

Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.

Cats

  • essential oilHigh risk
  • tinctureCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown
  • whole herbUnknown

Dogs

  • essential oilHigh risk
  • tinctureCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown
  • whole herbUnknown

Identity

Botanical synonym

Thymus aestivus Reut. ex Willk.

Taxonomic identity note

  • Thyme is treated here as Thymus vulgaris L. in the family Lamiaceae; recorded older names include Thymus aestivus Reut. ex Willk..

Sources

Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.