Plants thyme

Thymus ciliatus Desf. is a wild growing plant spread in northeastern Algeria. Although the ehemieal eomposition of the volatile oils from several Thymus speeies is well studied, to our best knowledge no researeh has so far been eondueted on this Algerian thyme. 

In a phenol, a hydroxyl group is attached directly to an aromatic ring. The parent compound, phenol itself, Cr,HsOH (4), is a white, crystalline, molecular solid. It was once obtained from the distillation of coal tar, but now it is mainly synthesized from benzene. Many substituted phenols occur naturally, some being responsible for the fragrances of plants. They are often components of essential oils, the oils that can be distilled from flowers and leaves. Thymol (5), for instance, is the active ingredient of oil of thyme, and eugenol (6) provides most of the scent and flavor of oil of cloves. 

Above right) Drought-tolerant herbs Rosemary and lavender (pictured) are perfect companions in a dry, sunny spot. Other drought-tolerant herbs include sage, thyme, curry plant, cotton lavender (santolina), and artemisia. 

Compositional analysis data for herbs are also limited however, these plants may be rich sources of flavones. For example, parsley is the major source of apigenin (217.9 mg/100 g) in the whole database, while sage and thyme are rich in luteolin (33.4 and 39.5 mg/100 g, respectively). 

Thyme oil Spanish red thyme oil) is obtained by steam distillation of flowering plants of T. zygis L. var. gracilis Boissier (Lamiaceae). Thyme oil is a red or reddish liquid with a strong, characteristic, spicy-phenolic odor and a sharp, lasting taste. 

Alteration of essential-oil components during distillation can be recognized by comparing the oils obtained by steam distillation and by SFE. The hydrolysis of esters (like linalyl acetate) to the corresponding alcohols was observed in clary sage oils. The hydrolysis of thymol bound in glycosides resulted in different thymol concentrations in distilled thyme oils, which was proved by appropriate treatments (acidic and enzymatic) of the previously CO2-extracted plant material. 

Spices (rosemary, sage, thyme) contain considerable amounts of flavonols and flavones, mainly in the glycoside form (154). Thus, phenolic analyses in spices were often considered in order to determine the optimum time for plant collection to give maximum flavonoid contents and for health benefits (154,155). Flavonoids (naringin, luteolin, apigenin, and chrysoeriol) were extracted from spices using a percolation process at room temperature with solvents (MeOH and EtOAc), and HPLC analysis was carried out (155). 

HERB Any such plant used as a medicine, seasoning, or food. Mint, thyme, basil, St. John s wort, and sage are herbs. 

Thymol (isopropyl-m-cresol) is a volatile, phenolic monoterpene produced by several plants including thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) (Baerheim Svendsen and Scheffer, 1985). Thymol has well-known antiseptic, antifungal, and anthelminthic properties (Wilson et al., 1977) and is also used for food and fragrance applications (Bauer et al., 1990). 

The type of chemical constituent is quoted when explaining the influence of chemotype. This occurs when plants have the same botanical species and name but have significantly different chemical constituents in their oils, which then exhibit different therapeutic properties. Different types of alcohols are found in essential oils of thyme grown in different situations. For Thymus vulgaris the position, altitude and other environmental factors cause the formation of essential oils with differing types of alcohols. 

Thyme at top of mountain high in linalool, better quality safe oil from stronger plants. 

A chemotype describes the subspecies of a plant that have the same morphological characteristics (relating to form and structure) but produce different quantities of chemical components in their essential oils. This again is widespread within the botanical family classification of the Labiatae or Lamiaceae. Examples of plants producing essential oils with different chemotypes include lavender, melissa, peppermint, basil, rosemary, sage and thyme. 

Savory Oil (Summer Variety) occurs as a light yellow to dark brown liquid with a spicy, aromatic note suggestive of thyme or origanum. It is the volatile oil obtained by steam distillation from the whole dried plant Satureia hortensis L. (Fam. La-biatae). It is soluble in most fixed oils and in mineral oil, but it is practically insoluble in glycerin and in propylene glycol. 

Oleoresin Thyme Obtained by the solvent extraction of the dried flowering plant Thymus vulgaris L. or Thymus zygis L. and its var. gracelis Boissier (Fam Labiatae) as a dark brown to green, viscous semisolid. 

The fatty/waxy products contained the lipophilic substances, including fatty oils, waxes, resins and colorants. Valuable pharmacological effects were proved for some minor constituents of these products (e.g. triterpenes, diterpenes, sterols and carotenoids). Thin layer chromatography and on-line UV-VIS spectroscopy were used for the quick identification and quantity determination of these compounds using authentic samples as standards. The SFE method proved favorable in terras of both extraction yield and speed of carotenoids. The CO2 extracts of the lavandin, clary sage and thyme have been enriched in triterpenic compounds (a-es P-amyrin, oleanic acid, ursolic acid, etc.) and phytosterols. Both free and esterified triterpenoids were present in the extracts of the different samples. Furthermore camosol and other diterpenes were detected in the SFE extract of Lamiaceae plants. The fatty acid composition was only slightly different for extracts obtained by SFE and conventional hexane extraction. 

PROP Main constituents are thymol, carvacrol. Found in plants Thymus vulgaris L. and Thymus sygisL. (FCTXAV 12,807,74). SYN SPANISH THYME OIL SAFETY PROFILE MHdly toxic by ingestion. A severe skin irritant. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes. 

Aromatic versions of cyclohexane monoterpenes (benzenoid menthanes or cymenes) are also found in nature and are constituents of some plants frequently used as spices. The hydrocarbon p-cymene (E19) has been found to occur in the oils of cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum), cypress, eucalyptus, thyme, and turpentine, whereas m-cymene (E20) is a constituent of the oil of blackcurrant Rites nigrum, Saxifragaceae). The corresponding phenols, thymol (p-cymen-3-ol) (E21) and carvacrol... 

---