Thymus vulgaris

Thyme adds a distinctive aromatic flavoring to sauces, stews, stuffings, meats, poultry – almost anything from soup to salad. In medieval times the plant symbolized courage, and to keep up their spirits, knights departing for the Crusades received scarves embroidered with a sprig of thyme from their ladies. There was a popular belief, too, that a leaf tea prevented nightmares, while another held that tea made of thyme and other herbs enabled one to see nymphs and fairies. Herbalists of the Middle Ages regarded thyme as a stimulant and antispasmodic, and recommended sleeping on thyme and inhaling it as a remedy for melancholy and epilepsy.