Abstract
Introduction: The use of medicinal plants as a therapeutic resource has been reported since antiquity. Phytotherapy is the science that studies the pharmacological effects of these plants, among those that stand out in the literature is Thymus vulgaris, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, an aromatic medicinal herb, popularly known as thyme in Brazil. Objectives: to evaluate the botanical, chemical and pharmacological properties of thyme. Methodology: This is a narrative literature review carried out in the Google Academic, PubMed and CAPES databases, between the years 2015 to 2020. The screening of articles was performed by critical reading and analysis of titles, abstracts and full texts of written in Portuguese and English on the subject. Results and discussion: Among the main chemical components of thyme are thymol, carvacrol and p-cimene, responsible for its antimicrobial, antioxidant, etc. therapeutic potential. Thymus vulgaris essential oil, specifically, has antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative microorganisms, directly damaging the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. The therapeutic use in health is just one of its applications, thyme is also used as a culinary spice, perfume and insecticide. Conclusion: Thyme is a plant rich in bioactive pharmacological substances with important therapeutic activities for the treatment of numerous diseases. Therefore, its rational use based on scientific knowledge, together with popular knowledge, is necessary and beneficial for society and its well-being.
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