Thymus pannonicus

Taxobox
name = "Thymus pannonicus"
status =


image_width = 240px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Lamiales
familia = Lamiaceae
genus = "Thymus"
species = "T. pannonicus"
binomial = "Thymus pannonicus"
binomial_authority = All.

"Thymus pannonicus" All., known by its common name Hungarian Thyme or Eurasian Thyme is a perennial herbaceous plant, distributed in central and eastern Europe and Russia. It grows over open dry meadows, grasslands and rocks.

This plant species contributes to several xerothermous grass formations which develop on warm, dry silicate terrains at altitude above 160 meters, mostly over plains or mild slopes, on acidic soils derived from crystalline albite-muscovite schist and gneisslike granite. In southern Banat (Serbia), the dried herb is used to make tasty and refreshing herbal tea drinks, owing to its peculiar and pleasant lemon-like scent. Fresh leaves are used for aromatisation of homemade jams, candies and similar confections. Traditionaly it is used also for coughs and other respiratory complaints and gastrointestinal disordersZoran Maksimović, Marina Milenković, Dragana Vučićević, Mihailo Ristić. Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Thymus pannonicus All. (Lamiaceae) essential oil. Cent. Eur. J. Biol. • 3(2) • 2008 • 149–154. DOI: 10.2478/s11535-008-0013-x] .

Chemical composition

The most abundant components of its essential oil are geranial (41.42%, w/w) and neral (29.61%, w/w)

Biological activity

The antimicrobial activity of essential oil was evaluated using the agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods against "Staphylococcus aureus", "Enterococcus faecalis", "Pseudomonas aeruginosa", "Escherichia coli", two strains of "Klebsiella pneumoniae" and two strains of "Candida albicans". The essential oil exhibited antimicrobial activity to varying degrees against all tested strains. The maximum activity of "T. pannonicus" oil was observed against "E. coli", "S. aureus" and both tested strains of "C. albicans" (MIC = 50 μl/ml, each). Moderate activity was observed against "P. aeruginosa" and one of the tested strains of "K. pneumoniae" (MIC = 200 μl/ml), while "E. faecalis" and the other strain of "K. pneumoniae" expressed a higher degree of resistance (MIC > 200 μl/ml))

References