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Wild thyme

Thymus serpyllum

Also calledCreeping thyme · Mother of thyme · Serpylli herba (pharmacy name)

A creeping, aromatic thyme of Eurasia used much like garden thyme, mainly for coughs, catarrh and mild digestive complaints. German Commission E approved it for upper respiratory catarrh, but EMA has no monograph, and the clinical evidence is a single small gut-health trial.

What it is used for

  • In a randomised trial in 40 overweight adults with functional gut disorders, 600 mg of an aqueous extract before breakfast for eight weeks improved gastrointestinal symptoms and stool frequency; anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects were also seen in a rat model of IBS. A single small trial.1

  • The essential oil inhibits a broad range of bacteria and fungi in the laboratory (MIC 0.039–0.078%), largely through thymol and carvacrol. Test-tube work only.1,3

  • Bronchitis
    Traditional

    Commission E (1987, revised 1990) approved the cut herb for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, and ESCOP (2014) describes it as a bath additive for acute or chronic respiratory disease. No controlled trials of wild thyme alone were found.1

  • Cough
    Traditional

    Its best-known traditional use; it appears in many Central and East European cough and cold products, usually mixed with other herbs. WHO notes it is used for the same indications as common thyme.1,4

  • Serpylli herba has a long history of use for mild gastrointestinal and dyspeptic complaints.1,3

  • A paste of the plant was applied externally for arthritis, according to Greek physicians as reported in an Indian review.2

  • Wounds and cuts
    Traditional

    The same paste was used to disinfect wounds and scrapes.2

How it is prepared

infusion

The dried flowering herb steeped in hot water as a tea.

Daily intake of up to 12 g of herb as tea is reported in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 and Potter's (2002), as cited by Jalil et al. 2024.

Cough · Bronchitis · Indigestion and dyspepsia

bath

Added to bath water as a supportive treatment for respiratory catarrh (ESCOP).

Bronchitis

dry extract / capsule

An aqueous dry extract taken before breakfast.

Trial dose: 600 mg daily for eight weeks (as reported by Jalil et al. 2024).

Irritable bowel

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy
Insufficient data
Breastfeeding
Insufficient data

Toxicity

The ESCOP monograph reports no known interactions, undesirable effects, overdose or contraindications for oral use of the herb. Ethanolic extracts showed no acute toxicity in mice up to 2000 mg/kg. The concentrated essential oil has not been properly tested for toxicity.

Dangerous lookalikes

Commercial wild thyme can be substituted with other Thymus species; some national pharmacopoeias allow this.

In the healing traditions

  • Western herbalism

    Serpylli herba (wild thyme)

    Infusions for catarrh of the upper airways and mild dyspepsia; baths for respiratory complaints.

    German Commission E monograph (1987/1990); ESCOP monograph (2014); British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (as cited by Jalil et al. 2024)

  • Ancient Greek medicine

    Hérpullos ('creeping')

    Juice of the whole plant against cough and asthma; paste externally for arthritis and wounds.

    Greek physicians, as cited by Salaria et al. 2023

  • European folk medicine

    Wild thyme

    Tea and seasoning across Central and Eastern Europe (for example in the Moldovan soup zeama) and in folk remedies for respiratory and digestive complaints.

  • Himalayan folk medicine (India)

    Thymus serpyllum

    Used for respiratory and gastrointestinal complaints in the Himalayan foothills of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Active compounds

carvacrol
monoterpene phenol; 2–80% of the essential oil depending on chemotype
thymol
monoterpene phenol; 1–16% of the oil; antimicrobial
rosmarinic acid
main non-volatile phenolic of water extracts
essential oil
only 0.1–0.6% of the dried herb (ESCOP); Ph. Eur. requires at least 3.0 ml/kg

History

The name serpyllum comes from the Greek hérpullos, 'creeping'. The Roman agronomist Palladius mentioned its planting in the 5th century. German Commission E approved it for upper airway catarrh in 1987, and it remains common in Central and East European cough teas.

Sources

  1. 1.Jalil B et al. Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.): a review of the current evidence of nutritional and preventive health benefits. Front Nutr 2024
  2. 2.Salaria D et al. A comprehensive review on traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of Thymus serpyllum. Indian J Pharmacol 2023
  3. 3.Jarić S et al. Review of ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological study of Thymus serpyllum L. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2015 (abstract)
  4. 4.WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants, vol. 1 (1999): Herba Thymi
  5. 5.EMA: herbal medicines list (download of all HMPC assessments, accessed 2026-10-24)
  6. 6.GBIF: Thymus serpyllum L. (IUCN category via GBIF)

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.