![]() ![]() A stronger tea is useful as a mouthwash or rinse to treat sore gums. Add sage to the tea if you have a nagging cough. To make a tea: Use two teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water and steep for ten minutes. It is used as an antiseptic lotion and mouth wash as an ointment for skin affections and burns and perfumed with lavender, to keep off gnats and mosquitoes. Tea preparations are used for sore throats and coughs as well as to improve general immune system functions. Thyme is popular for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Thyme honey, made when bees collect pollen from thyme flowers, is excellent. Thyme is also a key element in the traditional, dried, aromatic blend Herbes de Provence and is one of the flavourings in the liqueur, Benedictine. ![]() When combined with fresh sprigs of parsley and leaves of bay, it will enliven and give depth to the flavour of soups, stews and sauces. Thyme is best known as one of the primary components in a classic bouquet garni. Thyme aids in the digestion of high fat foods, and is used to preserve meat. ![]() This phenomenon can also be observed in both oregano and rosemary. The dried herb surpasses the fresh one in intensity by a factor of two or three. Dried thyme has an added smokiness that goes well in spicy foods. One thing to remember, fresh thyme has a softer flavour and is less intensive that dried thyme. To store, cut the stems just as the flowers start to open in spring and again in late summer and hang in small bunches to dry. Leaves can be harvested for fresh use throughout the summer the flavour is best just before flowering. Thyme, like Rosemary and Lavender is one of those plants which will not re-grow if cut back too hard, if you need to trim them wait until new growth buds appear in the spring and cut back to the lower ones. When transplanting pinch out the tip of each stem to encourage the plants to bush outwards. For best results, provide any ordinary, well-drained soil in full sun. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10 to 15 days before planting out after all risk of frost. When large enough to handle, transplant seedlings into 7.5cm (3in) pots to grow on. Once some of the seeds have germinated air should be admitted gradually. Cover the seed container with a piece of glass or clear plastic and leave in a position which receives diffused light. Do not cover as they need light to germinate. Sow seed on the surface of lightly firmed, moist seed compost in pots or trays. Sowing: Sow in spring or autumn at around 13☌ (55☏) Distinct, pungent and intoxicating, the flowers are like fluffy snowballs and are attractive both fresh and dry. The plants grow 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) height and 60cm (24in) in width. The fragrant flowers are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects. Tiny whitish flowers open from dusty pink buds, they grow in small clusters that appear during the summer months of July and August. It grows best in well-drained sandy or loamy soils, full sunshine, and either dry or moist soil conditions. ![]() Infusions are attributed curative or palliative properties of arthritis and rheumatism. If preferred, the tea can be used to gargle with rather than ingested. Used fresh or in dried form, its leaves are used to make an herbal tea that is considered useful in treating sore throats, catarrh and colds. It is also considered to be especially beneficial in relaxing muscles. The plant has an herbaceous scent with eucalyptus-like overtones with a hint of a vanilla note, which, in aromatherapy, is used for its soothing, relaxing effect. In its Spanish homeland it is used as a culinary herb for meat dishes, stews and sauces and because of its strong aroma has been commonly used in Andalucía to season and preserve olives.ĭespite this fact, it is prized more for its essential oils than for its herbal properties. Thymus mastichina produces tiny, oval-shaped, green leaves, which have an intense flavour. It is known by a number of different common names including Spanish Marjoram, Spanish Wood Marjoram, White Thyme, Wild Marjoram or Mastic Thyme. Thymus mastichina is a very special thyme, native in the mountains of the Iberian Peninsula, Central Spain and Portugal. ![]()
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