Thyme Tea

Take a break from your busy schedule and unwind with a mug of warm, relaxing herbal Thyme Tea. Thyme has a reputation for being able to reduce coughing and menstrual cramps, as well as prevent bacterial infections. This recipe is great for using up that huge amount of fresh thyme you get at the store, too!

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There's nothing like a cozy mug of herbal tea on a chilly day, and thyme tea is the perfect recipe for that! But don't stop there. It's great over ice as iced thyme tea also!

If you love herbal tea, you might also like Rosemary Mint Tea. Thyme tea also goes well with afternoon pick-me-ups like Cinnamon Raisin Muffins or Blueberry Coffee Cake.

Heart Health Benefits of Thyme Tea

Thyme tea, like all (plain) teas, is low in calories, and so is also very low in carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Naturally cholesterol free, sugar free, and low in sodium, but it packs a punch in the phytonutrient and antioxidant arena, to which it owes much of its health benefits!

Micronutrients, Phytonutrients, and Antioxidants

Some small studies suggest the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powers of thyme can reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol (1). This is promising, but large scale studies need to be conducted to explore this further.

Thyme can also be an effective treatment for menstrual cramps because of its antispasmodic and analgesic effects. Studies have found thyme to be as effective at relieving pain as ibuprofen (2, 3, 4). Impressive!

Thyme has a long history of use in cough remedies, too. While some small studies on thyme alone show it to help with cough, many more studies focus on a combination of thyme and primrose, which seems to be quite effective at reducing cough frequency, severity, and improving resolution of bronchitis symptoms, as well as improving sleep quality (fewer coughing fit disruptions) (5, 6).

While there are myriad phytonutrients in thyme's profile, the major players are:

• Carvacrol - phenolic compound with extremely high antimicrobial activity, particularly effective against food-borne pathogens (7, 8); and
• Thymol - another phenol, and isomer of carvacrol, it shows antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic activities (8, 9).

Ingredients

We're just using two ingredients here: water and thyme. We love simple!

• Water
• Fresh thyme

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Making your own herbal tea is easy. Here's how:

1. Step 1: Bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan.

2. Step 2: Roughly chop the thyme.

Variations

Thyme tea is great on its own, or with a variety of additions! Here are some we love!

• Thyme green tea - steep the thyme along with a green tea bag (or black tea if you prefer) for a little caffeine kick
• Thyme mint tea - add a teaspoon or more dried mint (or tablespoon fresh mint) to steep with the thyme
• Lavender thyme tea - add a few buds of dried lavender with the thyme. Don't add more than ¼ teaspoon lavender, as the flavor quickly overwhelms!
• Iced thyme tea - after straining, pour it over ice!

Equipment

Some items you'll want to make sure you have to make this tea are a small sauce pan or tea kettle, measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board and knife, and a strainer. You probably have all those things in your cupboards, but if not, you will find affiliate links in the recipe card!

Storage

Thyme tea can be stored (strained) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Food safety

Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.

• Wash hands before before beginning, and after touching your hair, face, pets, etc.
• When opening a pot on the stove, open the lid away from you to avoid scalding burns to the face
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.