• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • Preserve the Harvest
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Indoor Herb Gardening
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Thyme Tea

March 5, 2018 by Jeanne

Thyme tea is my go-to medicinal tea, along with elderberry syrup, to get rid of sore throats and colds.

upright thyme grown near a garden pond

I brew a cup of thyme tea and add lemon juice to it to treat a sore throat. Yesterday, I came home from church and choir practice feelings like I was getting the start of “something.”

You know that feeling – the scratchy throat, vague  “I’m not feeling well” feelings.

I decided to nip it in the bud and make thyme tea.

Why Thyme Tea?

Common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has a long and respected history in the world of herbal medicine as an antibacterial, antimicrobial herb.

Preparations made from thyme oil can be used as a hand sanitizer, a cleaning product and more.  Teas made from thyme soothe a sore throat and encourage the immune system to respond to inbound threats. Unless you are allergic to thyme, there is little chance of a bad reaction, and it is readily available and easy to make.

How to Make Thyme Tea

Thyme tea is made from fresh or dried thyme leaves. Any culinary thyme will do; I used dried leaves from my garden thyme. There are 100 varieties of thyme but the most common one available at the garden center in the spring is English thyme, and that’s fine to use for your tea.

Place approximately 1 ounce or about a teaspoonful of thyme into a tea strainer or brewer. I use an in-cup immersion brewer. It has a spring clip that opens the end so that I can scoop the herbs into the basket. The basket tip has holes in it for brewing.

Pour hot water over the herbs and cover the mug. This is important. Covering the mug captures the steam, which can carry away the essential oils into the air,  and holds it in the cup.

Allow the thyme tea to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the herbs or strain them. I add a drop or two of lemon juice and sometimes raw honey.

Sip and enjoy.

thyme
I grow thyme around my little garden pond. Here it is last summer – upright thyme (white flowers, to the left of my cat) and creeping thyme (far left).

How to Grow Thyme

Thyme prefers full sun and alkaline (pH 7 or higher) soil. That said, my creeping and upright thyme grows in partial shade in acidic soil. It’s really not fussy!

It does spread if conditions are right and forms a thick ground cover mat. You can plant creeping thyme around stones in the garden pathway or just add it to the garden as an herb that spreads and suppresses weed.

Thyme is easy to start from seeds. About 6 to 8 weeks before your frost free date, plant the seeds in seed starting medium and keep moist until they germinate. Allow seedlings to ‘harden off’ or acclimate to outdoor temperatures before transplanting into the garden.

Thyme in Culinary Tradition

Thyme has been used to season food since the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was a popular cooking herb. No house wife would have been without a small container or pot of thyme growing near her kitchen.

Thyme is used to season poultry and pork. It is a popular ingredient in sausages. A little bit goes a long way as it has a strong flavor.

More About Thyme

For more about how to grow, cultivate, and use thyme, please see:

  • Food for Thought: Thyme Research
  • University of Maryland Extension – Growing Thyme
  • Storage and Preparation of Thyme
  • Thyme – Michigan Medicine

SaveSave

Filed Under: Herb Gardens

Previous Post: « Wellness Wednesday: Medicinal Tea
Next Post: Spring Vegetable Garden Updates »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Explore All Gardening Articles

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

a watering can next to a seed tray on a sidewalk

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

a closeup of beet greens

Winter Raised Bed Gardens

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Disclosure

Home Garden Joyo participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy.

Footer

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

Raised bed vegetable garden soil soil needs to be replenished periodically. If you’ve done your job right and selected great soil, and amended it with nice compost, you’re going to have super garden soil for the first few years. Because you don’t walk on a raised bed garden the way that you do with typical…

Read More

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

If you’re thinking about building a vegetable garden this year, raised beds are one of the best ways I know of to start a vegetable garden. Instead of renting a rototiller or hand-digging the soil, adding amendments and turning it all under to create a good garden bed, you start with the best soil mixture…

Read More

henbit close up

Henbit: Plant Profile

I’ve put together this henbit plant profile to spotlight a lovely plant – which many gardeners consider a weed. Weed or flower? To me, it’s a matter of perspective. Every spring, at least one of my raised beds is covered in a thick mat of henbit. Henbit is both lovely and practical despite being labeled…

Read More

fresh beets from the garden on the lawn after being washed

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Organic Beets

I wrote this Ultime Guide to Growing Beets to share my techniques for growing tasty, organic beets. Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition. Both the beetroot and the leaves and stems are edible. You can also can beets and beet greens to store them for year-round use. Here, I share with you a full guide…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme