I think it’s safe to say that thyme is best known for its culinary uses, where it forms the basis of many dishes. It’s sweet, fragrant, with strong herbaceous notes, and is robust enough to withstand long, slow cooking. Medicinally speaking, thyme is a healing and antiseptic herb that’s been safely used for centuries. Revered for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant properties, it can be used to treat a whole host of issues from urinary tract infections to symptoms related to the common cold and flu.

As a respiratory tract and throat soother, it’s often added to teas for singers and performers to help support their vocal cords. If you’re suffering from a sore throat, you can also gargle thyme tea, sweetened with honey - or better yet, thyme honey - to relieve symptoms and ease the pain. Thyme tea and/or a thyme tincture can also alleviate digestive issues, such as bloating and gas, and are both well-known for helping calm the nerves and sedating the body.

It’s a magical little herb, to stay the least, and is pretty easy to put to use if you find yourself with an armful at the end of the summer. I like to use it to make herbal sea salt (the recipe is in my book), an herbal oxymel (recipe forthcoming), as an infusion (or tea), or to make these cute moth repellent bags.

To make: simply tie up a bundle of thyme with twine and hang it upside down from a hook for 2-3 weeks in a cool, dry room. Then trim the thyme and stuff it in muslin drawstring bags like these. Come winter, you can place them between wool clothing and blankets to keep moths away. If you’re reading this in February and are eager to make a pouch now, you an also use dried thyme from the spice section at the grocery store.