Basil thyme

Calamintha nepeta

Basil thyme - hairy perennial herb growing 1 - 2 1/2 feet tall, with creeping rhizomes. Bluntly oval leaves are toothed and aromatic, somewhat similar to thyme leaves. The flowers of basil thyme (July-October) range in color from white to pinkish lilac and are about 1/2 inch long. They are borne in loose clusters at the ends of the stems and branches.

The ancients did not neglect this herb. They not only used it, but gave it a place in their legends. A poem attributed to Orpheus states that basil thyme was once a tall fruit tree, until it offended Mother Earth and was shrunk to its present form as a punishment. In a more practical vein the Greek doctor Galen, writing in the second century A.D., said that an application of fresh basil thyme leaves removed the black-and-blue marks of bruises. In his Herball (1597), John Gerard wrote that a basil thyme extract would stimulate urine flow; he also stated that it helped to cure jaundice and served as a snakebite remedy. Herbalists of the 20th century have recommended a decoction (extract) of basil thyme for inducing perspiration in order to break a fever, and as an expectorant. Present-day pharmacology has not verified any of these claims.

The common name calamint comes from the plant's ancient Greek name kalaminthe, which means "beautiful mint."

Other names

• Calamint
• Mountain Mint

Parts used

Leaves.

Uses

Basil thyme was prominent in Greco-Roman and early modern herbal tradition. Basil thyme is still recommended by herbalists to break a fever by promoting sweating. They also specify it as an expectorant, but the plant is not widely used in present-day folk medicine.

Habitat & cultivation

Native to Europe, basil thyme is naturalized and grows wild in North America from Maryland and Kentucky to Georgia and Arkansas.

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