What’s So Great About Thyme?

Okay, here it is, at long last, by popular demand (I mean not actually but I sense you all really wanted to know this…), what is so good about thyme? As I mentioned before we’ve done parsley, sage and rosemary so it only seems fitting we check out thyme in honour of whatever 1970`s band brought us the song (was it Simon and Garfunkel? The Byrds?) I know it wasn’t Captain Kangaroo and that’s about all the culture I was getting at that point. Good news: as with all the other unassuming little flavour blasting herbs, thyme has health benefits.

In fact, get a load of the nutritional punch packed by a mere two teaspoons of thyme:

• 60% of your daily vitamin K requirements, necessary for proper blood clotting and strong bones later in life
• 19% of your iron needs
• 5% of your calcium needs
• 4% of your daily fibre

According to www.whfoods.com, “recently, researchers have pinpointed some of the components in thyme that bring about its healing effects. The volatile oil components of thyme are now known to include carvacolo, borneol, geraniol, but most importantly, thymol. Thymol—named after the herb itself—is the primary volatile oil constituent of thyme… in studies on aging in rats, thymol has been found to protect and significantly increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell membranes and other cell structures. Thyme also contains a variety of flavonoids, including apigenin, naringenin, luteolin, and thymonin. These flavonoids increase thyme’s antioxidant capacity, and combined with its status as a very good source of manganese, give thyme a high standing on the list of anti-oxidant foods.”

And the best thing about herbs if you’re the parent of a picky eater (or, as they’re sometimes called… a child) is that they can be added to things kids already like to eat. Toss a little in their favourite soup or mac and cheese, on a pizza or my favourite… oven roasted fries… you know, for the kids.

Late breaking news: Wikipedia says the Scarborough Fair is a traditional ballad from Yorkshire in Great Britain that dates back to at least 1670 and possibly even further. Who knew Simon and Garfunkel were a) British and b) so old??