Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Properties of Thyme Oil and Its Main Constituents

Evros Vassiliou, Oreoluwa Awoleye, Amanda Davis, Sasmita Mishra

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

Thyme oil (TO) is derived from the flowers of various plants belonging to the genus Thymus. It has been used as a therapeutic agent since ancient times. Thymus comprises numerous molecular species exhibiting diverse therapeutic properties that are dependent on their biologically active concentrations in the extracted oil. It is therefore not surprising that oils extracted from different thyme plants present different therapeutic properties. Furthermore, the phenophase of the same plant species has been shown to yield different anti-inflammatory properties. Given the proven efficacy of TO and the diversity of its constituents, a better understanding of the interactions of the various components is warranted. The aim of this review is to gather the latest research findings regarding TO and its components with respect to their immunomodulatory properties. An optimization of the various components has the potential to yield more effective thyme formulations with increased potency.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6936
JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volume24
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2023

Keywords

  • cancer
  • carvacrol
  • inflammation
  • linalool
  • p-cymene
  • thyme oil
  • thymol
  • γ-terpinene

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