Benefits of Thyme

THYME FACTS

I guess it is “thyme” for a bath!

 Benefits of Thyme:

1. Contains Highest amounts of Antioxidants: lutein, zeaxanthin, and many others. If you are cutting out fruit to lower the sugar in your diet, herbs like Thyme are way higher in antioxidants than fruits anyway!

2. Thyme is one of the richest sources of selenium, potassium, calcium, and iron! No need for those potatoes and bananas to get your potassium in!

3. Thyme contains Thymol: an essential oil that is antiseptic and anti-fungal.

4. High in Vitamin C: There is something called a “phagocytic index” which tells you how rapidly a particular lymphocyte can gobble up a virus, bacteria, or cancer cells. We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another when entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn’t take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl. Simple sugars aggravate asthma, cause mood swings, magnify personality changes, muster mental illness, fuel nervous disorders, increase diabetes and heart disease, grow gallstones, accelerate hypertension, and magnify arthritis. Since sugar lacks minerals and vitamins, they draw upon the body’s micro-nutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system. SO instead of reaching for an orange for vitamin C which has sugar, try adding thyme into your diet!

5. Thyme contains high amounts of B-6. B-6 increases GABA  which is our anti-anxiety neurotransmitter in the brain. GABA deficiency displays as emotional eating, anxiousness, nervousness, irritability, restlessness, allergies, blurred vision, clammy hands, butterflies in the stomach, dizziness, IBS, constipation, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, headache, insomnia, trembling or shaking, tinnitus, manic depression, and mood disorders. You don’t need all of these issues to be deficient in GABA. To read more on how to increase GABA through foods and supplements, check out my book: Secrets to Controlling Your Weight Cravings and Mood.

NOTE: to get the benefits of vitamin K, you MUST eat fat! Vitamin K is fat-soluble, which means you need to consume fat with it to reap the benefits. Are you taking your vitamin D supplements on an empty stomach, with an egg-white omelet or a banana? Sorry to burst your bubble, but your vitamin D level will not increase; you need fat for absorption.