Symptom → Plant Sources
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) as a tool for helping with Wounds
inferred from antimicrobial action
Carvacrol (CV) is a phenolic monoterpenoid found in essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), pepperwort (Lepidium flavum), wild bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia), and other plants. Carvacrol possesses a wide range of bioactivities putatively useful for clinical applications such antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Carvacrol antimicrobial activity is higher than that of other volatile compounds present in essential oils due to the presence of the free hydroxyl group, hydrophobicity, and the phenol moiety. The present review illustrates the state-of-the-art studies on the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of CV. It is particularly effective against food-borne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Bacillus cereus. Carvacrol has high antioxidant activity and has been successfully used, mainly associated with thymol, as dietary phytoadditive to improve animal antioxidant status. The anticancer properties of CV have been reported in preclinical models of breast, liver, and lung carcinomas, acting on proapoptotic processes. Besides the interesting properties of CV and the toxicological profile becoming definite, to date, human trials on CV are still lacking, and this largely impedes any conclusions of clinical relevance.
2 sources supporting Thyme for Wounds. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antimicrobial action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
This review summarises the antimicrobial activity of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), basil and oregano essential oils against bacteria and fungi, attributing thyme's potent activity to its phenolic monoterpenes thymol and carvacrol.
This comprehensive review of thymol, the principal phenolic monoterpene of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), summarises its antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and expectorant activities and its health applications.
This review of thymol and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil summarises new insights into their therapeutic applications, including antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and expectorant effects relevant to respiratory and digestive complaints.
This study isolated and characterised the bioactive constituents of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and demonstrated their antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms, supporting the antimicrobial use of thyme.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil showed antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus saprophyticus isolated from meat, supporting the antimicrobial use of thyme.
A thyme (Thymus vulgaris) oil nanoemulsion was synthesised and characterised and showed enhanced antimicrobial and anticancer activities, supporting the antimicrobial application of thyme oil in a nanoformulation.
The essential oils of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and oregano showed antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic strains, characterising the antibacterial and antifungal potency of thyme oil.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) extract and post-distillation waste reduced the adhesion and colonisation of Campylobacter jejuni on surfaces and intestinal epithelial cells, demonstrating an antimicrobial/anti-adhesion activity of thyme.