wild thyme

Thymus serpyllum · Accepted scientific name

Scientific literature: Very Extensive (516 studies) · ★★★★★

Wild thyme, scientifically known as Thymus serpyllum, is a fragrant, low-growing perennial herb native to Europe. Renowned for its aromatic leaves and delicate pink flowers, it serves as a potent medicinal plant. Rich in essential oils, it offers significant antibacterial, antioxidant, and digestive benefits in traditional herbal remedies.

Family
Lamiaceae
Native range
Europe
Parts used
Not available
Common names
Breckland Garden · Breckland Thyme · 5 more
Scientific synonyms
Serpyllum Vulgare · Origanum Serpyllum

Names

Common Names

Regional and Traditional Names

Spanish:

  • serpol
  • tomillo salsero
  • tomillo sanjuanero
  • serpol
  • tomillo

German:

  • Sand-Thymian
  • Wilder Thymian
  • Gundelkraut
  • Sandthymian
  • Feldkümmel
  • Feldquendel
  • Feldthymian
  • Quendel
  • Artengruppe Sand-Thymian
  • Sand-Thymian

French:

  • Serpolet
  • serpolet à feuilles étroites
  • Thym serpolet
  • serpolet
  • thym sauvage

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Thymus serpyllum

Synonyms

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Lamiales and the family Lamiaceae, it is classified under the genus Thymus.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Magnoliidae WCVP
Order Lamiales WCVP
Family Lamiaceae WCVP
Genus Thymus WCVP

Distribution

This plant, known as Thymus serpyllum, exhibits a specific distribution across several Northern European territories. Its presence is documented throughout the coastal and inland regions of Denmark. The species can also be found growing within the natural landscapes of Finland. Furthermore, it is a recognized part of the flora in Great Britain. Finally, its geographical range extends through the northern reaches of Norway and Sweden.

Region Area Source
Northern Europe Denmark WCVP
Northern Europe Finland WCVP
Northern Europe Great Britain WCVP
Northern Europe Norway WCVP
Northern Europe Sweden WCVP
Middle Europe Austria WCVP
Middle Europe Belgium WCVP
Middle Europe Czechia-Slovakia WCVP
Middle Europe Germany WCVP
Middle Europe Hungary WCVP

Chemicals

Thymus serpyllum has 69 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include THYMOL, P-CYMENE, Flavonoids, rosmarinic acid, Borneol.

Chemicals reported in Thymus serpyllum
Chemical Supporting sources Consensus
THYMOL 9 supporting sources ★★★★☆
P-CYMENE 5 supporting sources ★★★☆☆
Flavonoids 4 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
rosmarinic acid 4 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
Borneol 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
CADMIUM 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Caryophyllene 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
GAMMA-TERPINENE 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
GERANIOL 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Germacrene D 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆

THYMOL

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences
  3. Scientific reports
  4. Current pharmacology reports
  5. Bioresource technology
View 4 additional sources
  1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
  2. Food science & nutrition
  3. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics
  4. Natural product communications

P-CYMENE

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences
  3. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
  4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
  5. Natural product communications

Flavonoids

  1. Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society
  2. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
  3. Parasites & vectors
  4. Frontiers in nutrition

rosmarinic acid

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Journal of biomaterials applications
  3. Natural product research
  4. Frontiers in nutrition

Borneol

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. TheScientificWorldJournal
  3. Natural product communications

CADMIUM

  1. Vojnosanitetski pregled
  2. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Caryophyllene

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Scientific reports

GAMMA-TERPINENE

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Natural product communications

GERANIOL

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Germacrene D

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Activities

Thymus serpyllum has 381 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, Antibacterial, Antihemolytic.

Most Reported Activities

Activity Sources Consensus
Antimicrobial Frontiers in nutrition (and other 4 sources) ★★☆☆☆
Anticancer Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
Antidiabetic Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
Antibacterial Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antihemolytic Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antihypertensive Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antioxidant Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
(-)-Chronotropic Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
(-)-Inotropic Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
11B-HSD-Inhibitor Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Medicinal Uses

Thymus serpyllum has 16 reported medicinal uses identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include antidiabetic, COVID-19, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus.

Most Reported Uses

Use Sources Consensus
antidiabetic Food science & nutrition (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
COVID-19 Current pharmacology reports (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Escherichia coli Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Staphylococcus aureus Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
antihypertensive Frontiers in nutrition (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
antioxidant Food science & nutrition (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
breast cancer Nutrition and cancer (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
coccidiosis Parasites & vectors (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
infections Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Preparations

Preparations Sources Consensus
essential oils Scientific reports (and other 7 sources) ★★★★☆
essential oil Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
extracts Frontiers in bioscience (Elite edition) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Ether extract Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
H3 Parasites & vectors (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
aqueous extract Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
chloroformic extracts Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
crude powder Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
herbal teas TheScientificWorldJournal (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
n-hexane extracts Scientific reports (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆