Shirazi Thyme

🌿 Industries That Use Shirazi Thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss.)

Shirazi Thyme, also known as Avishan-e-Shirazi, is a potent medicinal and aromatic herb endemic to Iran. It resembles common thyme and oregano but has its own distinct chemical and therapeutic profile, rich in thymol, carvacrol, and flavonoids.

It is traditionally used in phytotherapy, culinary, and cosmetic industries, often harvested during flowering when its essential oil content is highest.

1. 🏥 Pharmaceutical & Herbal Medicine Industry

Zataria multiflora is renowned for its broad-spectrum antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. It is considered one of the strongest herbal antiseptics in Iranian traditional medicine.

Applications:

• Natural antibiotic substitute (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral)

• Respiratory and gastrointestinal infections

• Pain relief and wound healing

• Anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic formulas

✅ Form: Dried herb, capsules, tinctures, essential oil, ointments

2. 🌿 Essential Oil & Aromatherapy Industry

Shirazi Thyme essential oil, rich in thymol and carvacrol, is highly valued for its powerful antiseptic and immune-boosting properties.

Applications:

• Used in vaporizers for colds, sinusitis, and coughs

• Blended in antimicrobial massage oils

• Natural preservative in herbal products

✅ Form: Steam-distilled essential oil

3. 🍽️ Culinary & Spice Industry

Though strong in aroma, the leaves and flowers of Shirazi Thyme are used locally as a spice and tea herb in Iranian and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Applications:

• Mixed with salt and spices for seasoning meats or breads

• Herbal teas for digestion and cough relief

• Pickling blends or yogurt flavoring

✅ Form: Dried herb, ground powder, herbal tea blends

4. 🧴 Cosmetic & Toiletry Industry

Its antibacterial and antioxidant actions make Shirazi Thyme ideal for natural skin and oral care products.

Applications:

• Acne-clearing tonics and herbal soaps

• Herbal toothpaste or mouth rinses

• Scalp and anti-dandruff formulations

✅ Form: Infused oils, decoctions, hydrosols, essential oil

5. 🐝 Apiculture & Agriculture

Shirazi Thyme is a valuable pollinator plant and is associated with medicinal thyme honey, especially in southern Iran.

Applications:

• Forage plant for beekeeping

• Intercropped in organic farms for pest deterrence

• Known to enrich the quality of herbal honey

✅ Form: Live plant, dried flowering tops

6. 🌍 Ethnic, Organic & Traditional Medicine Markets

Highly respected in Persian folk medicine, Zataria multiflora is offered in herbal shops and ethnomedicinal markets across Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Products Include:

• Herbal mixtures for colds and stomach pain

• Dried herb sold loose or in tea bags

• Part of traditional antimicrobial household remedies

✅ Form: Bulk dried herb, herbal kits, artisan remedies

📊 Summary Table of Industrial Applications

🔑 Key Features of Shirazi Thyme

• Endemic to Iran with intense oregano-like aroma

• Rich in thymol, carvacrol, and flavonoids

• Strong antimicrobial, spasmolytic, and anti-inflammatory actions

• Known as “Persian Oregano” in some international herbal references

• Traditionally used as a herbal antibiotic and digestive tonic

🌿 Comparison Table: Shirazi Thyme vs Common Thyme vs Wild Thyme

🔑 Key Differences at a Glance

• Shirazi Thyme is the most potent medicinally, with the highest levels of carvacrol and thymol, used as a natural antimicrobial.

• Common Thyme is versatile, widely used in both medicine and food.

• Wild Thyme is gentler, with more traditional use in relaxing and respiratory herbal teas.

 

PRODUCT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES Persian Name: آویشن شیرازی/ Avishan Shirazi German Name (Deutschland, Austria, Switzerland): – French Name (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec): –

 

To order Shirazi Thyme dried leaves, please contact us.

 

About Zataria multiflora

The Zataria plant has many stems, which are very branched and relatively narrow. Younger stems are usually pink in color and covered with white hairs. But the older stems are woody. The leaves of the Zataria plant are small and elongated and grow oppositely with very short petioles. The edge of the leaves is turned outwards and these leaves have a pleasant aroma and a hot taste.

The flowers are small, pale pink and whitish, and each flower has four rounded seeds. These flowers grow in clusters on its branches and are very fragrant. Its seed is very small. The root is straight and branched.

 

Zataria Chemical Constituents Dried leaves and flower tops yield 1-2.5% of a volatile oil, 25-40% of which is constituted by thymol. Minor quantities of carvacrol, p-cymene, lborneol, linalool, etc., occur in the oil along with thymol. The leaves also contain gums, resins and tannins.

Shirazi Thyme Temperament

Very hot and dry.

 

Shirazi Thyme Health Benefits

1. Eat Its fresh leaves as a vegetable with food. It is very useful, strengthens the stomach, and is beneficial for strengthening the eyesight.

2. Eating 10 grams of pounded Shirazi Thyme mixed with honey and hot water is useful for treating paralysis and Parkinson, relieving forgetfulness, treating epilepsy, strengthening the kidneys and sexual power.

3. Brew 15 to 25 grams of dried Shirazi Thyme in one liter of boiling water and drink 5 to 6 cups of it gradually every day. Pulmonary infections, recurrent coughs, pertussis, asthma or shortness of breath, colds, bronchitis, catarrh, angina, headaches caused by nervousness or indigestion, and treatment of severe half-head headache or migraine, relieves stuttering, relieves indigestion and heaviness of stomach, stomach ache and inflammation of intestines, carminative, treats skin diseases, nerve pain, nervous convulsions or fasciculation, liver disorders, diarrhea and purulent discharge of urine and menstruation.

It is useful for treating hiccups, urine intermittency, crushing bladder stones and relieving uterine pain, it is astringent and tonic, it strengthens the heart, it is refreshing, it increases intelligence and perception, it increases urine, menstruation secretions, sweat and milk, relieves intestinal cramps, is anti-fungal and parasitic and facilitates the removal of the fetus and choroid, and is useful for the treatment of alopecia. It is useful for relieving herpes, relieving anxiety and relieving sciatica pain.

4. Brew twenty to thirty grams of flowering stems in a liter of boiling water for twelve minutes, strain and sweeten and drink four to five cups of it a day in turn. It relieves fatigue, and if you drink it after daily meals, it relieves anorexia after illness, recover and if you drink a cup of it before going to bed, it cures insomnia.

5. Chew it in your mouth. Eliminates bad breath.

6. Soak 10 grams of its fresh leaves in half a liter of alcohol for three weeks, then add half of its amount water and gargle with that alcohol every day and continue to gargle three times a day. Treats tonsillitis and no longer needs surgery.

7. Patients with rheumatism can pour 500 grams of it in a plastic bag and put it in some water and boil it for 15 minutes, then pour its water in a tub full of water with a temperature of 35 to 40 and rest in it for 20 minutes. Then immediately dry themselves and put on warm clothes and get out of the bathroom and sleep in bed and cover themselves with warm quilt to sweat well. This action is healing for them.

8. Boil it and compress the painful limbs with its decoction. Treats sprained limbs and muscles.

9. Brew 50 grams of flowering stem in a liter of boiling water for twelve minutes and dip a cloth or cotton in it 3 times a day and put it on herpes, it cures it.

10. Cut its fresh leaves and cook it in a closed container without water, then wrap its cooked leaves in a gauze or a clean cloth and cover it on the organ while it is hot. It is useful for treating phlegm diseases and ch

Shirazi Thyme Side Effects

Excessive consumption of it weakens the heart muscle and causes ringing in the ears and dizziness.

Shirazi Thyme flowers Health Benefits Brew 20 to 30 grams of it in a liter of boiling water, then strain and drink it. It is invigorating, expectorant, emmenagogue, analgesic, anticonvulsant and mildly sudorific, strengthens the stomach, treats bloating and indigestion, if someone has diarrhea or intestinal disorders, it eliminates its side effects.

 

Nutrition Facts – Dried Shirazi Thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss.) (Per 100 g)

Botanical & General Information

• Botanical Name: Zataria multiflora Boiss.

• Common Names: Shirazi Thyme, Avishan-e-Shirazi, Iranian Thyme

• Part Used: Leaves and flowering tops, fully dried

• Culinary & Traditional Uses: Widely used in Persian cuisine as a seasoning; traditionally employed in herbal medicine for digestive, respiratory, and antimicrobial support. Commonly used in teas, extracts, and spice blends.

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General Composition (Per 100 g, dried leaves & flowers)

✅ High-fiber, aromatic, and nutrient-dense herb suitable for culinary and functional uses

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Mineral Content (Per 100 g)

💎 Rich in iron, calcium, manganese, and potassium

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Vitamin Content (Per 100 g)

🌱 Provides abundant antioxidants and B-vitamins supporting metabolism and immune function

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Phytochemical & Bioactive Compounds

• Thymol & Carvacrol – potent antimicrobial and antioxidant agents

• Flavonoids: Apigenin, luteolin, quercetin – anti-inflammatory and free radical scavengers

• Phenolic acids: Rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid – cytoprotective and antioxidant

• Tannins & Saponins – digestive and antimicrobial properties

• Essential oils – aromatic compounds supporting respiratory and gastrointestinal wellness

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Health Benefits

⚖️ While not a pharmaceutical treatment, it is a functional herb widely used in culinary and traditional medicine contexts

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Usage & Safety Notes

• Typical culinary serving: 0.5–2 g dried herb per dish or infusion

• Generally safe for daily consumption; avoid excessive intake in concentrated extracts

• Caution in individuals with hypersensitivity to Lamiaceae family herbs

• Not recommended as a sole therapy for any medical condition

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Storage Guidelines

• Store in airtight containers, away from heat, light, and moisture

• Keep in a cool, dry location for optimal flavor and phytochemical preservation

• Shelf life: 18–24 months under proper storage

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Disclaimer

Values are approximate and can vary depending on origin, harvest, drying, and storage conditions. Provided for educational, informational, and cataloging purposes only.

 

To order Zataria multiflora dried leaves, please contact us.

 

 

Medical disclaimer