Thymus vulgaris Identity & Plant Part
The botanical entity is Thymus vulgaris L., common thyme, a small, woody-based perennial of the Lamiaceae with tiny gray-green leaves. The part used is the aerial portion, meaning leaf and flowering top. Roots and woody stems are not part of this ingredient. The thyme genus includes many species, so the Latin name is part of any specification.
The signature constituents are the phenolic monoterpenes thymol and carvacrol, which sit in the volatile oil, along with rosmarinic acid and other phenolic acids and flavonoids, named here as families only. Water extraction and drying remove much of the oil, so thyme extract tastes and smells milder than the dried herb and far milder than thyme essential oil.












