^{by Sharon Quercioli}

What is thyme anyway?

Thyme is an herb from the Mediterranean, where it is used ornamentally, medicinally and incorporated into their diet. Most of the thyme plant has been used in medicinal practices for a long time. The flowers, oil, and leaves have all been used for various treatments: arthritis, diarrhea, sore throat, stomach aches, etc.

The most common form you will see of thyme includes dried (herbs) and as an essential oil. The essential oils are used in relaxation treatments (since the oil is an anti-spasmodic). Specifically, it is used to relax your heart, veins, arteries, and your blood pressure.

Health Benefits of Thyme

Thyme Heals Heartbreak

Not only did I want to make that joke, it’s doubly poignant because it’s true. Researchers in Serbia have found that thyme reduced the blood pressure of lab rats. Since rats react the same way humans do when it comes to hypertension, the hope is high that thyme will do the same for us.

Thyme Kills Mosquitos

The tiger mosquito is one of the few insects known to carry Yellow Fever, dengue fever, West Nile virus, encephalitis and Chikungunya fever. A team in South Korea has found that alpha-terpinene, carvacrol, and thymol (which is found in thyme) can effectively kill tiger mosquito larvae, helping us regulate the spread of those disease.

Thyme and Cancer

There was a study done in Lisbon, Portugal testing the effects of thyme on colon cancer. The conclusion was that the extracts taken from thyme “may have a protective effect against colon cancers.” (National Center for Biotechnology Information)

Meanwhile, in Turkey, researchers tested the effects of thyme on breast cancer activity. They concluded that it caused the breast cancer cells to die.

Thyme and Common Skin Problems

The bacteria that causes acne might be susceptible to the effects of thyme (and marigold and myrrh). It is because the antibacterial effects of thyme work wonders against that bacteria, even in comparison to actual acne medications. Thyme essential oils are often used to treat fungal infections as well.

Thyme and Mood

If you’re feeling a bit down, why not cook a recipe with thyme in it. There have been studies concluding that thyme also has some positive mood-boosting effects.

Thyme Prevents Food Poisoning

There have been quite a few studies published in Food Microbiology in which researchers decontaminated lettuce inoculated with Shigella by washing it in water containing thyme essential oil. In fact, a washing mixture of water and 1% oil decreased the Shigella bacteria so much that it could no longer be detected.

My Favorite Thyme Recipes

There are so many recipes I love that include thyme. In fact, I often like to add thyme to broths, soups, pastas and chicken dishes, even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. But if you’re more of a stickler for recipes, here are a couple of my favorites.

Raspberry and Thyme Hot Toddy Punch

If you’re feeling a little sick, something that may help your sore throat is a hot toddy. Here is a great recipe that also asks for a bit of thyme.

Things you’re going to need:

• Water (about 10 cups)
• Five black tea bags (I like English Breakfast—nice and strong.)
• A lemon (sliced thin)
• An orange (also sliced thin)
• A fourth of a cup of sugar
• A tablespoon of cloves
• Around 12 sprigs of thyme (I like to have a few extra so I can add a couple in the glass when I serve it)
• A cup and a half of a raspberry liqueur
• A cup and a half of your favorite rye whiskey
• A fourth of a cup of lemon juice

What you’re going to do with those things:

• Bring about 10 cups of water to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and leave it to simmer.
• Once it’s at a simmer, add the tea bags, lemon, orange, sugar, cloves, thyme and cover (simmering) for about ten minutes.
• Take it off the heat and throw the tea bags away
• Stir in the liquor (raspberry liqueur and whiskey) and the lemon juice.
• Then divide all of it in mugs and garnish with the thyme sprigs.

Pan Fried or Grilled Sea Bass with Thyme and Miso

I love cooking with fish, but I normally stick to salmon and cod. There are so many other types of fish that taste great and are good for you. If you’re looking to mix up your seafood menu a bit, try these great recipes for grilled sea bass with miso and thyme.

Things you’re going to need

• A couple tablespoons of sweet white miso (just a little bit will add so much flavor)
• Lemon juice from one lemon
• A couple tablespoons of coconut oil (melted)
• A little more coconut oil for frying (if you’re going to pan fry the fish)
• One clove of garlic (crushed)
• Two large carrots (cut into chunks)
• A couple of sweet potatoes, (orange/yellow or white, peeled and cut into chunks)
• A couple of large parsnips (also cut into chunks)
• A handful of fresh thyme
• A couple of sea bass fillets
• Sea salt and ground black pepper

What you’re going to do with those things:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a big bowl, mix up the miso paste, lemon juice, melted coconut oil and garlic. Stir it well
• Lay the veggies down on a roasting dish. You can lay it on parchment paper to help clean-up if you wish. Foil works too.
• Drizzle the miso glaze over it and then toss the veggies in it.
• Scatter or sprinkled the fresh thyme over the veggies and then sprinkle a bit of sea salt on all of it. Place it all in the oven for 40-50 minutes. After about 45 minutes, make sure to watch it to ensure it doesn’t burn.
• When the vegetables are almost done, prep the sea bass by scoring the skin of the fillets with a sharp knife five or six times. Season with a bit of sea salt and pepper.
• Heat a little coconut oil in a frying pan and place the sea bass in the pan, skin side down, to fry over a medium heat until the skin is crisp and brown. Flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• If you don’t want to pan fry it, go ahead and stick it on the grill if you have a fish flipper. If you want, instead of using coconut oil, use a bit of ghee to get the nutty butter flavor without the lactose.
• Lay a generous heap of roasted vegetables on a plate, top with the cooked sea bass and then gobble it up.