#Thyme leaves dried full#

The ancient Egyptians utilized thyme as part of their embalming process. Thyme has been used since ancient times for its culinary and medical properties. * Thymus vulgaris is considered the main culinary species History & Folklore Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, North Africa, Canada, and the USA After harvest, thyme is usually dried (naturally air dried or commercial hot air) to preserve its shelf life (2). Thyme is most aromatic right before its flowers start to bloom. Much of the crop is picked by hand since it grows low to the ground.

The herb is sourced from both commercial farms and wild harvesting.

#Thyme leaves dried full#

It thrives in full sun, but also tolerates partial shade. Thyme prefers dry chalky soil and tolerates drought once it is established. It has small green-grey evergreen leaves and violet colored flowers. Thyme is a small perennial shrub that grows 4-12 inches in height with slender, wiry, and spreading branches. In different languages thyme is called: satr (Arabic), bai li xiang (Mandarin Chinese), thym (French), thymian (German), timo (Italian), tomillo (Spanish), thimari (Greek), and ajwain ke phul (Hindi)(1, 2). The species name, vulgaris, is Latin for “common” or “widespread”.

This mostly likely refers to the aroma generated by the burning of thyme as incense in ancient Greek temples. The name “thyme” derives from the Greek word thymos which means “to fumigate”. Thyme is the dried leaf from the Thymus vulgaris shrub.