Health benefits of two important herbs: Mint and thyme

What is it about?

Mint (Mentha spp.) and thyme (Thymus spp.) are two of the foremost aromatic herbs used in food and beverage products for their flavor, aromatic and medicinal qualities. The medicinal benefits of mint and thyme include their digestive, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antirheumatic, expectorant, antiallergic, antitussive, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. Essential oils of these aromatic plants are utilized for a wide variety of applications, such as to impart fragrance and flavoring to cosmetics and spice mixtures, and as components of repellents and pesticides. Phenolic compounds, comprising phenols, polyphenols, and flavonoids are the most abundant secondary metabolites in the extracts and essential oils of mint and thyme.

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Why is it important?

Interest in plants and plant-derived medicines has been steadily growing due to their beneficial phytochemicals, which are valuable for promoting health and treating diseases. Plant secondary metabolites, also referred to as phytochemicals encompass a large variety of natural products, including phenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, flavonolignans, alkaloids, saponins, steroids, tannins, lignins, glycosides, phenylpropanoid glycerols, steroids, and isoprene-derived terpenoids (also known as isoprenoids) such as monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes. Phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, play numerous molecular and biochemical roles in plants, such as free radical scavenging, signaling, mediating auxin transport, and plant defense. Flavonoids and phenolic acids, the most abundant and the most investigated polyphenols produced by plants, have diverse industrial applications in cosmetics, therapeutics, and food.

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