Health Tips

Common Names:-
* Basil Thyme * Calamint * Mountain Mint

Introduction:-
The culinary herb basil thyme grows to about one to two and a half meters high, it has creeping rhizomes and is a hairy perennial herb. The basil thyme has blunt toothed oval leaves that are aromatic, the shape of these leaves is similar to the shape of thyme leaves to some extent. Basil thyme gives them flowers from July to October, the flowers come in many colors, ranging from pure white to lilac pink - each flower is about one half inch in length. Flowers are present on the plant in loose clusters at the very ends of the stems and branches of the herb.
The herb is not neglected by the former chemist and doctors and it finds many uses in traditional medicine. The basil thyme even has a place in many legends, this indicates the degree of familiarity with old people had the herb - it shows how wide the plant was used. In one of these old legends, there is a poem often attributed to Orpheus says that the basil thyme was a high fruit tree, up to one days came when she insulted Earth Mother, who cursed it and it shrunk to its present size as a form of divine punishment. The Greek physician Galen wrote a much greater account of the practical applications of this plant. Galen, writing sometime in the second century AD, states that when fresh basil thyme leaves are applied to contusions, it results in the disappearance of the black and blue marks normally seen with bruises on the skin. John Gerard, who wrote the medical treatise Herball in 1597, notes that an extract of thyme basil to stimulate the flow of urine in the body. Gerard adds that basil thyme aid in curing jaundice and can be used as a remedy for snake bite. In the 20th century, many herbalists recommend a decoction or extract of basil thyme bring to the increased sweating as a means to break the fever, the same decoction can be used as an expectorant herb. None of these claims have been scientifically verified by modern pharmacological scientists.
Calamint, the common name for the basil thyme plant kalaminthe comes from ancient Greek name, the meaning of this word is "good money" in ancient Greek.

USED PARTS:-
Leaves.

APPLICATIONS:-
The herbal medicine of the Greco-Roman, basil, thyme based herbal medicines was a very prominent role, this herb was known of the early-modern tradition herbs and the herb enjoys a great reputation at the drugstore to this day. Many herbalists still recommend remedies made from the basil and thyme from the herb fever breaks actively promotes sweating in the body of the patient. Contemporary herbalists also specify basil, thyme herb as an expectorant, but remedies made from this plant are not widely used in contemporary folk medicine and have lost a part of the reputation it enjoyed in traditional herbal medicinal Lore.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION:-
The basil thyme is native to Europe, but the plant is now naturalized on the American continent and the wild flowers of the herb can be found in many regions in North America. Basil thyme can be found in Maryland and Kentucky in the east and north to include Georgia and Arkansas in the south and southeast.
The perfect soil to grow basil, thyme is well drained, dry to moist soil, the plant grows well in neutral to alkaline soils and prefers warm sites with good exposure to sunlight. Basil thyme plants are very hardy and can easily withstand temperatures of about -15 ° C in temperate regions. The common types of basil, thyme is very closely related to C. sylvatica herb, the relationship is so close that many botanists consider the herb no more than one sub-species of C. sylvatica are. The basil thyme is also very good plant apiarist.
The basil thyme is usually grown using the seeds. Seeds are usually sown in spring in a greenhouse and slightly covered with earth. The seeds normally germinate in about two weeks if the ambient temperature around 21 ° C. Once the seedling emergence, each individual seedling was pricked as soon as they are strong enough to handle by hand and separate positions in the soil, the seedlings are seen on the signs of sufficient growth, they are then planted in permanent locations summer, or in the spring of next year. The plants are divided in spring. The distribution process is quite simple, the larger clumps can be directly planted in permanent locations. Ideally, these smaller groups are placed in pots and grown in a cold frame until they are well rooted in the soil before planting to be completed in the summer. Cutting of the basal region are usually in May or June. These cuttings must be rooted in sandy compost to cut maximum chance of survival. The shoots of basil thyme should be harvested at about 10 to 15 cm in length, should be taken with each shoot many of the underground stem. These can be placed in separate pots and kept under a light shade with a cold frame or in a greenhouse until they have a good chance of rooting in the soil. Once they have rooted out, they can be planted in the summer months.