Arctic wild thyme

What is Arctic wild thyme?

Arctic wild thyme is a small creeping herb of the mint family, used as a tea and a food flavouring. In Iceland it is called blóðberg. It is a northern wild relative of garden thyme.

The plant hugs the ground on gravel, lava fields and open heath. It has thin woody stems and tiny pink-purple flowers. Crushed leaves give off a strong thyme smell.

People pick the flowering tops, dry them, and brew them as a warm tea. The herb also flavours soups, lamb, syrups and spirits. Shops in Iceland and the Nordic countries sell it loose or in tea bags.

Here is the honest verdict on evidence. There are no human trials of this plant that we could find. Its standing rests on long food and folk use alone.

Long traditional use is not proof that a plant works. It is also not proof that it is safe. Both points apply to every section below.

How does Arctic wild thyme work?

Nobody has shown in people how Arctic wild thyme acts, because the human studies have not been done.

Most ideas come from work on garden thyme and on its oils. In test tubes, thymol and carvacrol slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Whether that happens in your throat or gut after a cup of tea is not established.

In animal studies, thyme extracts relaxed the smooth muscle of the airways and gut. That is the basis for the old use in coughs and cramps. Animal results often do not carry over to people.

In laboratory tests, rosmarinic acid and flavonoids in thyme mop up free radicals. Lab antioxidant scores say little about health effects in a person.

A simpler explanation may matter more. Warm fluid and steam can soothe a sore throat and loosen mucus for a while. Plain hot water does some of that too.

What forms does Arctic wild thyme come in?

The common forms are simple and food-like.

- Dried loose herb for tea, sold by weight - Tea bags, alone or blended with other herbs - Fresh sprigs used in cooking - Syrups and cordials flavoured with the herb - Flavoured schnapps and other spirits - Honey or jam infused with the flowers - Tinctures (alcohol extracts) from some herb sellers - Soaps, bath products and creams scented with it

Thyme essential oil is a separate product. It is a concentrated oil, not a tea. Most thyme oil on sale comes from garden thyme, not from this arctic plant.

Treat the oil as a different thing with different risks. Swallowing it has caused poisoning. See the safety section.

Where it comes from:

Blóðberg has a long record in Icelandic and wider Nordic folk use. The name means roughly "blood rock", from the way it reddens dry ground when in flower.

Old Icelandic herbals and household books listed it as a tea for coughs, chest colds and chills. It was also taken for stomach upset and poor appetite. Some accounts describe it as a calming drink before sleep.

It appeared in home care as well as in the kitchen. Writers described washes and compresses for sores and skin trouble. Farmers used it to flavour food and preserve it from spoiling.

In Sámi and Norwegian country use, related wild thymes served much the same roles. The herb kept a place in folk practice into the modern era.

These records tell us what people did. They do not tell us whether it helped.

What does Arctic wild thyme help with?

• Cough and chest colds: This is the best-known folk use, and the evidence for this plant is absent. Nordic households brewed blóðberg tea for a tight or hacking cough. The claim was that it loosened mucus and eased the chest. No human trial has tested Arctic wild thyme for cough. Studies of garden thyme syrups involve a different species and a made-up product, so they say nothing reliable about a cup of blóðberg. Warm drinks can soothe a cough for a short time. That comfort is real, but it is not a treatment for the illness.
• Sore throat: Used as a warm drink or gargle in tradition; not tested in people. The idea came from the herb's strong oils and its drying tannins. In test tubes, thymol slows some bacteria. Whether a tea reaches a useful level on your throat lining is unknown. A strep throat or a throat that is getting worse needs medical care, not herb tea.
• Mild stomach upset and wind: An old use for a full, crampy stomach, with no human evidence behind it. In animal studies, thyme extracts relaxed gut muscle. That fits the traditional picture but does not prove it in people. For many, a warm drink after a heavy meal simply feels settling.
• A warm evening drink: Some people drink it to wind down at night. Tradition called it calming. No study has measured sleep or anxiety with this herb. It is caffeine-free, which is a plain and honest advantage over tea or coffee at night.
• Food and drink flavouring: This use is not in doubt, because it is simply cooking. The herb flavours lamb, fish, soups, syrups and spirits across the Nordic region. Used this way, the amounts are small. Flavouring food carries no health claim.

Which foods are rich in Arctic wild thyme?

Arctic wild thyme is itself a food herb rather than a nutrient found in foods. It flavours lamb, fish, soups, syrups, honey and spirits in Nordic cooking. Kitchen amounts are small and carry no health claim.

What are the side effects of Arctic wild thyme?

• Heartburn or an upset stomach from strong tea
• Mouth or throat irritation
• Rash or itching in people allergic to mint-family plants
• Rarely, swelling or breathing trouble in a severe allergy
• Skin rash from creams or bath products containing thyme
• Burning, vomiting, dizziness and worse from swallowing thyme essential oil

Good to know:

At food and tea amounts, side effects are uncommon and usually mild.

The main real risk is allergy. Thyme belongs to the mint family, along with oregano, marjoram and basil. If one of those causes a reaction, this one may too.

The serious risks sit with thyme essential oil, not the tea. Swallowing the oil has caused poisoning, including in children.

How much Arctic wild thyme should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives no personal dose. What follows is the kind of amount a tea label carries. Herbal tea labels for thyme often suggest about 1 to 2 grams of dried herb per cup. That is roughly one heaped teaspoon. Many labels cap it at two or three cups a day. Wild-picked herb has no label and no fixed strength. If you take any medicine, ask a pharmacist or doctor before using it as a remedy. Thyme essential oil is not for swallowing at any amount.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much for a food herb. People drink it when symptoms bother them, often in the evening. There is no evidence that any hour works better.
• With or without food: Either is fine for tea. Some people find strong herb teas easier after food. If it gives you heartburn, take it with a meal or make it weaker.
• Time to effect: Be honest with yourself here: it may do nothing at all. Any soothing feeling from a hot drink comes within minutes and fades within an hour or two. No lasting effect has been shown in people. If you notice nothing after a few days, there is no reason to expect more later.
• How long to take it: There is no tested length of use, because no human trials exist. In tradition it was a short-term drink during a cold or an upset stomach. Food use has gone on for centuries at kitchen amounts. If you are using it for a symptom and nothing has changed in about a week, see a doctor instead of carrying on.