Thymus piperella (L.) essential oil: An alternative in the treatment of diarrhoea

Thymus piperella (L.) (family Labiatae) is an endemic taxon found in eastern Spain. The aerial part of T. piperella is principally used for culinary purposes, to flavour stuffings, sauces, pickles, stews, soups, etc. Moreover, it has traditionally been used to conserve and soften olives, and in the distillation of an alcoholic beverage named 'herbero', which is typical in the south of Valencia and north of Alicante, and whose digestive properties are well documented. Despite it being a popular plant in this region, to date T. piperella (L.) has not been pharmacologically described. Pharmacological assays have been carried out on the essential oil of Thymus piperella (L.) leaves. The oil was shown to be innocuous according to the acute oral toxicity test and exhibited antispasmodic action that significantly inhibited the contractions induced by acetylcholine in the isolated rat ileum in a concentration-dependent manner. Essential oil from Thymus piperella (L.) leaves was active against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Streptococcus pyogenes and Mycobacterium phlei. Such antimicrobial activity would explain the popular use of this plant in the conservation of olives. Moreover, as the inhibition of contractile overactivity of the ileum (antispasmodic action) is the basis of the treatment of some gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhoea, and as many diarrhoea-causing diseases are associated with intestinal infection, Thymus piperella essential oil could constitute an alternative therapy in such cases. In this way, this species, so commonly used in the Mediterranean kitchen, may be beneficial to the health in more ways than one. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.