Thyme & Honey Cough Syrup

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

midsummer’s night dream

Thyme & Honey Cough Syrup. July 16, 2025.

To grow thyme in your cottage garden is to bequeath it with the charm and character that is so essential to the English cottage tradition. Whether they grow in a bush with lemony perfume or creep over the flagstone with velvety green carpets covered in tiny pink flowers, an assortment of thymes can only enhance your garden, even giving it a touch of fairy romance worthy of King Oberlin’s praise. The camphorus herbs with their love of the cool northern climates- the thymes, woodruff, chamomiles, mints and lavenders- these are the ones that blend the cottage garden into a seamless whole allowing their aromatic leaves to mingle with that of the sweet flower.

…thymes that grew in bushes, or with their woody creeping stems mantled in deep tapestries the hidden stones…

Lord of the rings, the two towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

In the classical world, thyme was an imparter of courage and vigor. Even then, they had an awareness of thyme’s ability to drive out sickness, if not the science of it. In fact, the Greek version of the word meant to fumigate. Later, thyme’s reputation became associated with chivalry in medieval England. And as shown in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wild thyme was thought to indicate the presence of fairies. The English also loved to flavor their food with plenty of herbs, and thyme was among those used to flavor meat, cheeses, and liquors. Interestingly, recent studies indicate that thyme can extend the shelf life of meat due to its potent antimicrobial properties.

Thyme’s Medicinal Value

But of course, thyme was a useful herb, which is why it was included in the garden. And if one were to have only a limited number of herbs to keep on hand, thyme should be one of them. Thyme has a long reputation for effectiveness in anecdotal medicine. Among its lengthy list of herbal properties are: antispasmodic, nervine, astringent, antiseptic, decongestant, carminative, expectorant, and antitussive. As an antispasmodic and astringent, it can relieve a cough, but as an expectorant and decongestant herb, it can also help get rid of phlegm. Thyme is also a wonderful germ killer. The abundance of herbal actions in this common herb makes it valuable for treating those nasty winter colds.

Thyme & Honey Cough Syrup

Rosemary Gladstar has a simple recipe for a thyme cough syrup. You can find a very similar one here in A Modern Herbal. Use your fresh garden thyme and good raw honey to make this syrup for coughs.

Have a beautiful day!

Sources Used:

• https://theherbalacademy.com/blog/4-reasons-thyme-is-an-herb-for-winter-health/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0309174010004407#:~:text=Conclusion,of%20MAP%20plus%20thyme%20oil
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyme
• https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/thygar16.html
• Gladstar, Rosemary. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. North Adams, Storey Publishing, 2012.