Shirazi Thyme

Zataria multiflora

Other Names : Zataria multiflora Boiss., Avishan-e-Shirazi, sau’atar (صعتر), Saatar Farsi

Special Precautions of Shirazi Thyme

See : Thyme

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It has several traditional uses as an antiseptic, carminative, stimulant, diaphoretic, diuretic, anesthetic, anti-spasmodic and analgesic.

Health Benefits and Uses of Shirazi Thyme

Along with other beneficial properties, modern pharmacological studies performed in vitro or on animal models and clinical trials suggest positive effects of ZM on gastrointestinal disorders, including stomatitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal infections, and colon cancer, as well as hepatoprotective effects against an array of noxious agents.

• Carvacrol is the main component of Zataria multiflora essence whose antibacterial and antifungal activity has been demonstrated on different microorganisms. Hydrophobic compounds such as carvacrol influence biological membranes of microorganisms.
• Analgesic effects of Zataria multiflora have been shown on chronic pains of rats.
• Zataria multiflora has an antispasmodic effect on smooth muscles, which is used in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• This plant is also antitussive.
• Thymol and carvacrol as the main components of essence have good antimicrobial effects.
• Zataria multiflora is a good digestive stimulator and it is helpful for people with digestive problems and during convalescence.
• Vaginal Candidiasis : Comparing the effects of vaginal Zataria multiflora cream and clotrimazole on treatment of acute vaginal candidiasis, Khosravi et al. found that Zataria multiflora was able to reduce the symptoms of vaginal discharge, itching, dysuria, and dyspareunia considerably, and the effect was similar to that of clotrimazole. These findings are also consistent with this study. Effect of Zataria multiflora on clinical improvement can be attributed to carvacrol. Carvacrol affects the biomembrane of microorganisms and its antibacterial and antifungal effects have been demonstrated.
• irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) : The majority of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses exhibited carvacrol and thymol as the main components of Zataria multiflora essential oil, and 60 drops oral daily dose of Z. multiflora essential oil (2%) can relieve the symptoms of IBS without any adverse effects. The pharmacological studies confirmed the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasm and antiulcer effects of Z. multiflora essential oils and main components. According to the results of studies, oral Z. multiflora essential oil (2%) is a good candidate for management of IBS, but more studies are required to better understand its efficacies.

References

• J. Niak, Recognizing combinations existed in the essence of plants such as Shirazi oregano, sweet—scented ziziphora, and chamomile and their antibacterial effects, using mass spectrograph-electrospray method in investigating the Nitro group [Ph.D. thesis], Medical Science University, Tehran, Iran, 1998.
• V. De leo and C. Benvernuti, “Comparrative study on the effect of a thymol and euyenol based vaginal gel formulation in bacterial vaginosis,” in Proceedings of the 13th World Congress of Gynaecological Endocrinoplogy, Florence, Italy, February 2008.
• F. Sharififar, M. H. Moshafi, S. H. Mansouri, M. Khodashenas, and M. Khoshnoodi, “In vitro evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract of endemic * Zataria multiflora Boiss,” Food Control, vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 800–805, 2007.
• A. R. Khosravi, A. R. Eslami, H. Shokri, and M. Kashanian, “Zataria multiflora cream for the treatment of acute vaginal candidiasis,” International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, vol. 101, no. 2, pp. 201–202, 2008.
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19390211.2017.1409852