Content
- The Mediterranean origin of thyme
- Thyme was already known to the Egyptians
- More than 200 different species
- Occurrence and distribution
- Tips & Tricks
The Mediterranean origin of thyme
Quendel, Immenkraut, humility or garden thyme - the different varieties of thyme are known by many popular names. The spice and medicinal herb has also been cultivated in German-speaking countries since the 11th century; itinerant monks of the Benedictine order brought it from Italy.
Thyme was already known to the Egyptians
Already in ancient Egypt, the preservative effect of thyme (then known as "tham") was used to prepare for mummification. The use of the plant as a medicinal herb was already known. In ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, thyme was also used to treat respiratory diseases and gastrointestinal complaints. Well-known authors such as Theoprast, Dioskorides and the universally scholar Roman Pliny described the various types of use and preparation. The healing abbess Hildegard von Bingen describes the thyme in her writings as a curative herb in the 12th century - in the late Middle Ages, the plant was also in the German-speaking countries, a widely used remedy.
More than 200 different species
In our case, the real thyme, also known as garden thyme, is common in many gardens. However, the species is divided into more than 200 subspecies, which not only in the dry meadows of the southern European area, the maquis, of course growing, but also thrives in the warmer climes of Central Europe. Probably the most important type of thyme is the thyme (Thymus vulgaris, also known as Roman thyme), in addition, the following species are often used:
Occurrence and distribution
Wild thyme is found mainly in the countries around the Mediterranean. The field thyme (Quendel), however, has its home more in Central Europe and grows in northern Italy, in France and in southern Switzerland. The commercially available plants come mostly from France, Spain, Turkey and Morocco and partly also from Germany. Furthermore, the medicinal herb is distributed around the globe in growing areas with a Mediterranean and continental climate.
Tips & Tricks
As a soil-covering, firm herb is particularly suitable in rock gardens of the gray upholstered thyme (Thymus pseudolanoginosus), which is only about five inches high and pretty pink flowers developed.