Thyme

Thymus vulgaris · Thyme extract

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Productive cough with colds¹ Acute bronchitis^2–4 Cough in pediatric asthma⁵ Oral mucositis from cancer therapy^{6, 7} Oral health in ventilated patients⁸	Lamiaceae hypersensitivity¹ Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁹

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a culinary herb whose aerial parts are taken as teas, tinctures, and liquid or dry extracts; wild thyme is described as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. People take it chiefly for productive cough with colds, a traditional use recognized in the European Union herbal monograph¹. Thyme honey rinses are also used for xerostomia and oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.

A placebo-controlled trial of a fixed thyme and primrose root combination in acute bronchitis found greater cough reduction than placebo, though the combination cannot isolate thyme itself³. In mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients, a 2026 randomized trial found a thyme mouthwash comparable to chlorhexidine for oral health scores⁸. Products listing thyme number roughly 700, mostly liquids and capsules, often combined with other botanicals; see Form comparison.

Cross-sensitivity is the main caution: one patient had systemic allergic reactions to thyme and oregano, and the European Union monograph contraindicates hypersensitivity to Lamiaceae plants¹. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

48 sources, 42 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources