Thyme Essential Oil - A Chemotype Guide You'll Love and Use
This is one of our favourite essential oil, because Thyme has so many chemotypes and benefits, however, we need to be cautious as it also has so many safety considerations!
Thyme is a small perennial plant often used in cooking and herbalism. It grows to about 6 inches tall and possesses tiny leaves that almost resemble a green flower on the end. It is part of the mint family, Lamiaceae (also known as Labiatae). When using the herb in cooking, there is a major difference in taste and spiciness between garden thyme and wild thyme.
Fun Historical Facts About Thyme
Historically the ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming the dead because of its strong preservative properties. Additionally the Greeks believed that the scent of burning thyme would deliver courage and strength to soldiers.
Thyme naturally grows in the Mediterranean and southern Europe, but it is currently domesticated to grow in gardens all over the world.
It is estimated that there are over 300 varieties of thyme worldwide.
Some authors write of several chemotypes (CT), but scientific analysis has suggested there may be as many as 20 different chemotypes.
In this blog we will discuss the following chemotypes:
Borneol
Geraniol
Lemon
Linalool
Spike
Thujanol
Thymol
Carvacrol
When we look at aromatherapy, we need to remember the herb is different from the essential oil and sometimes the essential oil will smell different than the herb and possess different therapeutic properties.
Thyme Essential Oil Safety
Each Thyme chemotype will have its own independent health considerations, including any medication it would react to, risks it may present, different dermal maximums (meaning how diluted it should be to use topically) as well as its own benefits.
Overall, any essential oil possessing 20% or more carvacrol and 10% or more thymol, should be used at a dermal max of 1%. This is due to the fact that Thymol and carvacrol can inhibit blood clotting.
Where You Can Find More Essential Oil Guides
You can learn more about how to properly dilute essential oils using our Essential Oil Blending Guide.
Keep in mind, age and where you use essential oils on the body also affects dilution rate. We have created some handy guides to help with this as well. Dermal Dilutions by Age & Dermal Dilutions by Part of the Body
We don’t recommend using essential oils internally without working with a clinical aromatherapist trained specifically in aromatic medicine.
Common Thyme Essential Oil Chemotypes
Thyme CT. Borneol
Also sometimes known as Moroccan Thyme, has the botanical name; Thymus satureioides.
Provided thymol and carvacrol are within the parameters mentioned above, the dilution dermal rate would be 3.3%.
Borneol belongs to the alcohol functional group in chemistry, which like most, if not all alcohol constituents is non-toxic. Not to be mistaken for an alcohol commonly found in alcoholic drinks, ethanol.
Should not be used if you are taking anticoagulant medication (blood thinners), have any bleeding disorder, or if you are expecting major surgery or recovering from major surgery.
Thyme CT. Geraniol
Has the botanical name; Thymus vulgaris.
Low risk for skin allergies. No known or recommended dermal maximums.
Generally considered low risk and because of the geraniol, could be considered anticarcinogenic.
Drugs metabolized by CYP2B6 enzyme could interact with this thyme chemotype and therefore thyme should be avoided in anyone taking these medications.
Thyme Lemon
Has the botanical name; Thymus x citriodorus.
Lemon Thyme is a cross between Thymus pulegioides and Thymus vulgaris.
Similar to Geraniol chemotype Thyme, this thyme should also be avoided by anyone taking medications metabolized by the CYP2B6 enzyme.
The suggested dermal maximum is 3.7% if the citral content is equal to or less than 16.3%, the dermal maximum is 0.6% for any essential oil containing this level of citral.
Avoid Lemon Thyme in pregnancy as there may be some risk to fetal development.
Thyme CT. Limonene
Has the botanical name; Thymus vulgaris L., or Thymus serpyllum L.
Should be stored in a dark cool area, such as a refrigerator, and limonene is known to oxidize quickly.
The recommended dermal maximum is 2.1%, unless the thymol and carvacrol exceeds the suggested limits noted above.
May demonstrate anti-carcinogenic activity.
Thyme CT. Linalool
Has the botanical name; Thymus vulgaris L., or Thymus zygis L.
Skin sensitivity can occur if the linalool oxidizes.
Generally considered safe with no dermal maximum as long as thymol and carvacrol does not exceed the limits suggested above.
Thyme Spike
Also sometimes known as Spiked Thyme and Thymbra Oregano, has the botanical name; Thymbra spicata L.
Caution, can inhibit blood clotting, irritate mucous membranes and skin.
Should be avoided with all bleeding disorders, if taking blood thinning medication, stomach ulcers or if you are using diabetic medication.
Suggested dermal maximum is 1.4% if thymol and carvacrol are within suggested limits.
Thyme CT. Thujanol
Has the botanical name; Thymus vulgaris L.
There is limited information and availability of this essential oil. We would suggest using the thymol and carvacrol guidelines we have suggested and being very familiar with the chemistry to guide therapeutic uses for this essential oil.
Thyme CT. Thymol, Carvacrol and Thymol/Carvacrol
Has the botanical name; Thymus serpyllum L., or Thymus vulgaris L. or Thymus zygis L.
Dermal maximum is 1.3% after thymol and carvacrol considerations.
Should be avoided if taking blood thinners, anyone with bleeding disorders, stomach ulcers or after major surgery.
Can interact with drugs, and cause skin and mucous irritations.
Adulteration
Adulteration is putting something other than what is indicated on the label in the bottle. This can look like willfully misleading the consumer by using oregano high in thymol to replace thyme. It can be replacing anything natural at all for a substitute meant to smell and resemble the original essential oil or it can be cutting the essential oil with another compound (ex. diluting with oregano or synthetic thymol).
This is why we heavily promote reading and understanding GCMS reports, this is the best way to ensure what’s on the label is the same as what’s in the bottle.
Red thyme (Spanish Thyme) obtains its red/orange hue from the trace amount of metals found in them after distilling in an iron still. It’s also the most commonly adulterated essential oil of the thyme essential oils.
We hope this quick snapshot of all the different thyme options can help you make safe recommendations and emphasizes why working with a professional aromatherapist can be so important.
References
Battaglia, S. (2018). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy (3rd ed., Vol. 1). Black Pepper Creative.
Enomoto, S., Asano, R., Iwahori, Y., Narui, T., Okada, Y., Singab, A. N. B., & Okuyama, T. (2001). Hematological Studies on Black Cumin Oil from the Seeds of Nigella sativa L. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 24(3), 307–310. https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb.24.307
Flowers, F., & Wylde, B. (2014). Power Plants: Simple Home Remedies You Can Grow. Collins.
Forêt, R. de la. (2017). Alchemy of herbs: Transform everyday ingredients into foods and remedies that heal. Hay House, Inc.
Tisserand, R., & Young, R. (2013). Essential oil safety - E-Book: A guide for health care professionals. Elsevier Health Sciences.
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