My diet:

Thyme

No E-numberSpices & herbsOrigin: Plant
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Every diet

VeganYes

Dried herb, with nothing added to it.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoYes

No carbohydrate.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Thyme is a dried herb leaf: vegan, gluten-free, keto, and safe in the amounts cooking uses. It is also one of the few herbs worth counting for iron, so the nutrition side is more interesting than the safety side.
Generally safe

Fine for most people at normal amounts.

E-numberNone
Comes fromPlant
What it doesSpices & herbs
Glycemic index—
Daily limitNot set
Also calledThyme, Dried thyme

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

Thyme is a food and not an additive, so it has no E-number and no regulator has set a limit for it. The general rules for dried herbs and condiments apply instead: it must be declared on the ingredient list, and it is held to the same hygiene and contaminant standards as any other dried leaf crop. Thyme oil and thyme extracts sold as flavorings are a separate category.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

Thyme is the dried leaf of a low Mediterranean shrub, and its character comes from the volatile oil held in the glands on the leaf surface. Thymol is the main component, with carvacrol close behind and smaller amounts of linalool and cineole. Those same compounds are why thyme has ended up in cough mixtures and gargles for centuries. A teaspoon of dried leaves is about 1 gram.

Where it comes from: Thyme is the dried leaf of Thymus vulgaris, a low woody shrub of the Mediterranean hillsides that has been picked and dried since antiquity. Greece and Italy were the old sources, and most of the world's crop now comes from Eastern Europe and North Africa.

Why it’s in food

  • Seasoning for stocks and stews
  • Roasts, stuffing and casseroles
  • Herbs de Provence blends
  • Savory seasoning for beans
  • Tea and infusion blends

Often found in

Roast chickenFrench onion soupStuffingBean and lentil stewsHerbs de ProvenceSausage meatBouillabaisse

Also listed as: Thyme, Dried thyme, Thyme leaves, Thyme spice

Health & gut impact

A dried herb, concentratedBenefit

A hundred grams of dried thyme works out at about 276 calories, 9.1 grams of protein and 37 grams of fiber. A teaspoon of the leaves is only about 1 gram, so the figure that matters in a recipe is the small one and not the per-100-gram number.

USDA FoodData Central, thyme

Iron and calcium in thymeBenefit

The same 100 grams holds about 124 milligrams of iron and 1,890 milligrams of calcium, which puts thyme among the richest of the common dried herbs. A teaspoon of the leaves, about 1 gram, brings close to 1.2 milligrams of iron with it.

USDA FoodData Central, thyme

How much iron a dayBenefit

EFSA puts the reference intake for iron at 11 milligrams a day for adult men and postmenopausal women, and 16 milligrams for women of reproductive age, which puts a teaspoon of thyme in perspective as a small but genuine contribution rather than a negligible one. It counts most for people who eat little meat.

EFSA, dietary reference values for iron

The oil is what the studies usedUnder study

The WHO monograph for thyme herb sets a floor of 1 percent volatile oil and 0.5 percent phenols for the dried herb, and the phenols are mainly thymol and carvacrol. Most of the work behind thyme's reputation for killing bacteria was done on the concentrated oil rather than on the spoon of leaf in a stew.

WHO, selected medicinal plants

What can I use instead?

Oregano

Ratio: Use the same amount

Best for: A rounder, less sharp herb in the same dishes

Marjoram

Ratio: Use the same amount

Best for: A sweeter, gentler relative in stews and soups

Bay leaf

Ratio: Use one or two leaves and fish them out at the end

Best for: A long, slow dish where the leaf goes in whole

Related

More spices & herbs:

BasilBasil is a dried herb leaf: vegan, gluten-free, keto, and one of the safest ingredients in the cupboard. Drying concentrates estragole, a compound EFSA has assessed closely, so a daily spoonful is not the same as a sprig in a sauce.Generally safeBay leafBay leaf is a dried herb that is safe at cooking amounts and fits every diet, including gluten-free and keto. The one thing to know is that the leaf itself is not edible, so pull the whole leaf out before serving the dish.Generally safeBlack pepperBlack pepper is a dried fruit and a genuinely powerful ingredient, because piperine blocks several of the enzymes that metabolize drugs. It is safe in ordinary amounts, and the interaction with medication is the thing worth knowing about.Generally safeCardamomCardamom is a seed pod used as a spice, and at cooking amounts it suits everyone, including gluten-free and keto eaters. Buy green cardamom for baking and chai, and black cardamom for the smoky note of South Asian curries.Generally safe

Common questions

Is thyme good for a cough?

It has a long tradition as an expectorant and it is the base of many cough mixtures, mostly as an extract or an oil rather than as the dried leaf. A spoonful in a warm drink is a reasonable thing to try for an ordinary cold, and it is no substitute for advice when a cough drags on.

Is dried thyme or fresh thyme better?

Fresh is more aromatic and green, dried is more woody and concentrated, and the two are not interchangeable at the same quantity. Most recipes that call for thyme mean the dried herb, and the classic French use in stuffing and stews assumes it.

Does thyme have a lot of vitamin K?

It does. Dried thyme carries around 1,710 micrograms of vitamin K per 100 grams and a teaspoon gives roughly 17, which is a good share of a day's requirement. That matters mainly if you take warfarin, where the advice is to keep the intake steady rather than to cut the herb out.

Does thyme go off?

It fades long before it spoils. The volatile oils that carry the smell start to disappear from an open jar within months, and once the smell has gone the flavor has gone with it. A closed jar in the dark keeps it for a good while, and the crushed leaves hold their aroma longer than the ground ones.

Is Thyme safe?

Generally safe (95/100). Thyme is a food and not an additive, so it has no E-number and no regulator has set a limit for it. The general rules for dried herbs and condiments apply instead: it must be declared on the ingredient list, and it is held to the same hygiene and contaminant standards as any other dried leaf crop. Thyme oil and thyme extracts sold as flavorings are a separate category.

Is Thyme vegan?

Yes. Dried herb, with nothing added to it.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • USDA FoodData Central, thyme
  • EFSA, dietary reference values for iron
  • WHO, selected medicinal plants