thyme

thyme is great antiseptic! the active ingredient in listerine is found in thyme and "thyme tea" is an effective treatment for sore throat when used as a gargle.

one of the great things imo .......its perennial!

what else.....?

Thyme is readily propagated with cuttings.  Cut or pinch off 2-4" of new growth, strip off the bottom set of leaves, stuff the end in some soil/dirt/potting mix/what have you, keep it moist.  Start several at a time.  Not every cutting will make it, but some will.  I've got a couple dozen in the greenhouse right now that have been completely neglected for a month and are doing just fine.

Thyme will grow in areas where nothing else will, such as the cracks in the driveway, or in between bricks in a walkway.  It makes for a tight border plant, grows up to around 6-8" and can be trimmed heavily only to come back more full than before.

Although it is perennial, in my experience, about 3 years is all it can take in one spot, especially as much as I neglect the things.

-Fresh thyme is AWESOME with pork chops. 
-it dehydrates well, strip off the leaves with your fingers when dry
-Toss the dry sticks/branches into the fire when you BBQ
-dry leaves work well with beef, red meats, stews
-grind the dry leaves into a powder, add to cajun seasoning

Ken Peavey wrote:-Toss the dry sticks/branches into the fire when you BBQ

Or leave a few of the leaves on, and use them as skewers.

Interesting info (regarding thyme) at this link:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/thygar16.html

I had a really good experience with thyme. I had a sty in my eye—really inconveniently located on the inside of my lower eyelid, and impairing my vision on that side—so I brewed a weak thyme tea with a little salt and made a warm compress of it. It cleared it up in about two hours. I'd never seen such a fast result with something like that. Thyme is my go-to antiseptic now.

Monarda didyma is supposed to contain even higher concentrations of thymol, the antiseptic ingredient.

CleanWell is a company exploiting the antiseptic properties of thymol to create foaming handsoaps and travel sanitizers. No tendency for microbes to develop resistance has been demonstrated yet.

and in the vein of simplicity - chewing on a little stick of thyme after a savory meal is a natural way to brush one's teeth.

Just as chewing on cinnamon bark is also know to clean one's teeth, more appropriate after having dessert.
Both cinnamon and thyme are claimed to help in preventing caries and periodontitis.

- After looking up cinnamon: apparently ingesting a lot of cinnamon of the cassia species (Cinnamomus aromaticum and also C. burmannii) is not recommended as it contains a moderately toxic component.
For all those who prefer this incarnation over the next...

I make a frittata with loads of Lemon Thyme and nothing else. It makes me happy.

Thyme as smudge sticks.

Thyme and cinnamon oil both kill MRSA

morganism wrote:
Thyme and cinnamon oil both kill MRSA

Really? Wish I'd known that when I had MRSA and was mainlining Vancomycin
I was drinking lots of tea tree oil (blergh), but thyme and cinnamon oil sound much less disgusting.

Creeping thyme is encroaching on pathways in our garden.  Vegan split pea soup is my favorite way to use thyme.  Not that I'm a vegan, just never grew to like split pea seasoned with ham.