Seasonal Variation and Biochemical Activity of Egyptian Thyme

Egypt has a very rich and old history in the production and trade of a lot of the aromatic and medicinal plants, the ancient Egyptians used these plants in folk's medicine. Thymus valgaris L. is one of the earliest medicinal plants employed throughout the Mediterranean region, well known to both Hippocrates and Dioscorides. It was used by the ancient Egyptians in the embalming process. Thyme volatile phenolic oil has been reported to be among the top ten essential oils, showing antibacterial, antimycotic, antioxidant, natural food preservative, and mammalian age delaying properties.