Savory and thyme - what's the difference? Ornamental and medicinal plants. Savory and thyme: what is the difference between these plants

Savory and thyme are very consonant, which is why many tend to confuse these two plants with each other. However, in fact, they have much more differences than similarities. They are grown mainly as herbs, but thyme is widely used for medicinal purposes. In our area, these plants can be found both in nature and in summer cottages, where they are valued mainly for their spicy aroma, and only then for their decorative qualities.

Similarities between savory and thyme

Despite the fact that many of us have heard both names at least once in our life, we have not been able to fully understand: are savory and thyme the same thing or not? After all, these plants belong to the same family of lamines, have a decorative character, spicy. Likewise, both are spicy plants... Both are melliferous. Perhaps this is where their similarities come to an end. In all other respects, these are two completely different plants. They have, perhaps, more differences than similarities.

Characteristics of thyme

Savory and thyme: what is the difference, how to distinguish them? Before answering this question, you need to characterize each of these plants. Thyme is a ground cover plant, the height of which can reach 15-20 centimeters. It acquires a special decorative effect during the flowering period, which lasts quite a long time - from June to August. During this period, the soil is covered with fragrant rose bushes.

Thyme can be used both for flower beds as a carpet plant, and for a spicy garden bed. They can decorate flower walls, rockeries, as well as the border of the flower garden. Looks great in the design of garden paths. Also, this plant can be found in the design and strengthening of slopes.

Cultivation of thyme

Savory and thyme: what is the difference (the photo will demonstrate this clearly)? Now this question is of concern to the masses. First of all, it should be noted that thyme in one place can grow for about 4-5 years. Landing is carried out according to the 30x40 scheme, and in one seat you can place two or three plants at the same time.

Thyme is very fond of calcareous soil, which, in addition, should be light, moisture-permeable and fertile.

Thyme in nature

Savory and thyme, the differences and features of which have already become apparent, have perfectly adapted in the gardens. However, they can also be found in the wild. Let's say great place for the habitat of this plant are stony sandy soils. It can be found in the forest-steppe, steppe zone Europe. Moreover, in our country, this plant is often found in the wild, in vegetable gardens it is still cultivated quite rarely.

The use of thyme

Savory and thyme - the same thing or not, where are these plants used? Many of our fellow citizens are asking this question. Thyme is known to have found quite wide application in medicine, besides this, it is widely used in cooking. Nevertheless, if you study the composition of some spices, you will find that both savory and thyme are included in them at the same time. This indicates that the plants are still different.

Have thyme used in Food Industry mostly non-lignified tops, which are harvested before flowering. In this form, the plant can be used as a seasoning for salads, soups, fish and meat dishes, marinades and sauces. Also, many people use thyme as a flavoring for tea.

Medicinal uses of thyme

Thyme and savory, the difference between which is already obvious, are also used in medicine. In particular, thyme is used not only as an expectorant, antibacterial and antispasmodic agent, but also as an analgesic and sedative.

No matter how the herbs seem to be safe and harmless in relation to human body, however, even they have contraindications. Thyme is no exception. It cannot be used during pregnancy, with various kinds of kidney and liver diseases, as well as with cardiac disorders.

Savory cultivation

We continue to consider savory and thyme. The difference, the photos of these plants are clearly demonstrated in this article. However, many gardeners would like to know what exactly savory is. Most often it is an annual plant, less often it can act as a biennial. It looks quite discreet, but it can conquer anyone with its aroma. The flowers are white-lilac in color.

Savory is used for planting in spicy beds, however, curbs can also be used, and in this case, cutting can be done twice a season. The plant is cut at the very beginning of flowering, making a cut at the level of branching of the stems.

What other features do savory and thyme have? What is the difference in how to care for these plants? With thyme, everything is more or less already clear, but it is recommended to plant savory, observing a gap between plants of 10-15 centimeters. It is better to leave 20-30 centimeters in the aisles. This plant has no special requirements for soil, but prefers light and fertile ones. It was on them that the best cultivation results were achieved.

Savory use

How are savory and thyme used? What is the difference and where are they used? Above we have clarified this issue in relation to thyme, but now we have to find out the scope of the savory. This plant is perfectly used in cooking: fresh, dry, salted or pickled greens with the taste of hot pepper can be used as a seasoning for various kinds of salads, meat and fish dishes, vegetables.

Savory in medicine

Savory and thyme are very different. What is the difference between these two plants? As you know, both of them have found application for medical purposes. However, the area of ​​their use is somewhat different. Savory has bactericidal, astringent, hypotensive properties, and also has an antispasmodic and carminative effect. In addition, there is a weak diuretic, anthelmintic, anti-putrefactive effect.

This plant also has contraindications. For example, during pregnancy, high dosages are contraindicated.

Savory mountain

Garden savory may not be the only inhabitant of our gardens and orchards. There is also mountain savory, which is very valuable for its resistance to various natural anomalies. For example, it has increased drought resistance, frost resistance, grows well in partial shade, however abundant flowering can only be achieved in a sunny area.

Savory and thyme are equally valued by gardeners. What is the difference between them and what is of primary importance for the gardener? It should be noted that the mountain savory is characterized by rather late flowering periods, which falls on the period from July to September. The flowers of this plant are white-pink in color with purple blotches. The balsamic scent is characteristic, which is clearly manifested just at the peak of flowering.

Planting savory and thyme

Savory and thyme are grown in seedlings. However, thyme can also multiply effectively by dividing the bush. This procedure does not require special preliminary preparation, unless you need to find a suitable soil. Before boarding, you can add organic fertilizers, which will have a beneficial effect on the further growth and development of your plant. Mineral additives, also previously introduced into the soil, have also proven themselves well.

Plant care

After you have planted savory or thyme on your site, you need to take some care of them. Although the plants are unpretentious, they also have their own agricultural techniques. For example, in no case is it recommended to allow excessive waterlogging of the soil. Watering should be very moderate. In a shaded area dominated by drafts, you will not be able to grow lush and beautiful bushes. In addition, in such places, the plants will hurt.

The soil for planting plants must be chosen loose, first get rid of weeds. Thyme and savory are fed twice a season. The first time this procedure is carried out in the spring, and the second time after the first harvest, when the period of mass flowering begins. At the same time, it is important to know that you cannot feed these plants with fresh manure, this can have a detrimental effect on them.

Finally, it became more or less clear to us how savory and thyme differ from each other, as well as where they are used and what features of agricultural technology have. Of course, there are other criteria by which these two plants can be compared, however, they have a narrower focus and are mainly used by specialists or plant breeders who are professionally engaged in the cultivation of thyme.

Probably due to the consonance of the words thyme and savory very often questions arise: what do these two plants have in common and how do they differ from each other?

Both belong to the family of luciferous, decorative, spicy, melliferous - these are, perhaps, all the common features. But there are much more differences, since these are two completely different plants.

Creeping thyme, thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

This is a beautiful plant with a height of 15-20 cm. It is especially decorative during the period long flowering(June-August) when it forms living pink carpets.

A fragrant carpet of creeping thyme. Photo

It can be used on garden plants, especially straight and long ones, arranged in patchwork style (clinker or brick arranged in a certain order, large pebbles and ground cover plants resistant to trampling). Suitable for decorating and fixing slopes.

Features of the cultivation of creeping thyme

Thyme grows in one place for 4-5 years. The planting scheme is 30x40 cm, 2-3 plants are placed in one seat. Prefers permeable, light, fertile soils.

Where can you find creeping thyme in nature

It is found in places with sandy, stony soils: slopes, dry meadows, along roadsides, among bushes, in light forests of the forest-steppe, steppe (less often forest) zones of the European part, Western Siberia.

The use of creeping thyme

The top parts of non-lignified twigs, collected before flowering, are used for food: as a seasoning for, and dishes, cheeses, as a flavor for. For medicinal purposes, a herb is used, which has an expectorant, antibacterial, antispasmodic, analgesic, sedative, secretolytic effect. Contraindicated in pregnancy, cardiac decompensation, liver and kidney disease.

Other types of thyme

In addition to creeping thyme, in culture they use:

• common thyme ( T.vulgare) with lilac-pink, sometimes white flowers, fragrant with a delicate pine-citrus aroma;
• flea thyme ( T.pulegioides) with small lilac-pink flowers blooming in June-July; it creates a low, even carpet and is an excellent backdrop for component plants to enhance their beauty.

In addition to them, in the gardens you can find a dozen more types of thyme, including: T . xcitriodorus,T.longiflorus,T. cilicicus and others, and a few more different forms and varieties that only a thyme specialist can already distinguish.

It is interesting: There are three versions about the origin of the Latin generic name for thyme - thyme ... Some associate it with the word thymos - strength, courage... In the Middle Ages, it was believed that thyme instills strength in people, so the image of its branches was often adorned with knightly scarves.

According to another version, this word is translated from Greek as breath of life, spirit .

According to the third, it is associated with the word thyo, What means make sacrifices , since thyme is the most ancient cult plant, it was usually burned in temples or on altars when performing rituals. It was believed that fragrant smoke (incense) ascended to the sky, caressing the sense of smell of the gods and arousing their favor. V Ancient Greece he was dedicated to Aphrodite, in Rome - to Saturn, the god of time.

In Russia, thyme was called Bogorodskaya grass ... It was customary to decorate her icons with bunches of fragrant herbs on the day of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

What else to see on the site about thyme:

Garden savory, fragrant (Satureja hortensis)

Garden savory, fragrant ( Saturejahortensis) - O annual (rarely - biennial) herbaceous plant originally from the Eastern Mediterranean, Iran. Dense, rather compact, discreet at first glance, but will conquer anyone with a kind of subtle aroma.

Garden savory. Photo

When planting, keep the distance between plants 10-15 cm, between rows 20-30 cm. It is undemanding to soils, but grows better on fertile, light ones. During the flowering period, it will support the pastel, white-lilac scale of the composition. Recommended for planting in a spicy bed, in a mixborder - as an accompanying or filling element, as well as in a border, with a cut twice per season (at the beginning of flowering) at the height of the branching of the stem.

Application of garden savory

They eat fresh, salted, pickled young greens with the taste of hot pepper: as a seasoning for salads, sauces, meat, fish, vegetable dishes. For medicinal purposes, a herb is used that has a bactericidal, hypotensive, astringent, antispasmodic, carminative, weak diuretic, anti-putrefactive, anthelmintic effect. In large doses, it is contraindicated in pregnancy.

In addition to the garden savory, the culture uses mountain savory (S.montana), which is valued for its resistance (frost-hardy, drought-resistant, can grow in partial shade, but blooms profusely only in open sunny places) and late flowering (from July to September). The flowers are white-pink with purple spots, with a peculiar balsamic scent.

Does thyme or savory grow in your garden?

The consonance of the names of the herbs "savory" and "thyme" sometimes misleads novice gardeners, who believe that these are the names of the same plant, or are close relatives to each other.

Having got acquainted with the properties and characteristics of each of these herbs separately, you can understand that they are not so similar to each other.

Similarity:

• the family of the lamellar (labiate);
• decorative;
• honey plants;
• essential oil;
• spicy;
• used in folk medicine.

Differences:

• external signs;
• life cycle (annual and perennial);
• collection period;
• flavoring notes;
• features of growth (ground cover and individual bushes).

Savory - description

An annual, it can grow up to 70 cm. It is capable of forming dense thickets, and therefore finds its use as a hedge. Other names: "kondari", "saturea".

It has a rich spicy taste with a bitterness, similar to pepper, for which it was nicknamed by the people "pepper grass". It is widely used in the culinary field, cosmetology, folk methods treatment.

What does the plant look like?

• herbaceous branchy plant, grows in small bushes;
• the stem is straight, from the very base it is covered with strongly branched lobes with small light green leaves of a linear type;
• leaves are opposite and whole-edged with pinpoint glands;
• roots are located in top layer soil due to a poorly developed root system;
• blooms from early summer to mid-autumn in small white, pinkish or purple flowers with purple specks in their throat;
• flowers are located at the top in the axils of the leaves. The calyx consists of five teeth. Corolla white or purple;
• Fruits - triangular ovoid nuts, ripen in early autumn.

How to grow more crops?

Any gardener and summer resident is pleased to receive big harvest with large fruits. Unfortunately, it is far from always possible to obtain the desired result.

Plants often lack nutrition and minerals.

It has the following properties:

• Allows increase yield by 50% in just a few weeks of use.
• You can get a good harvest even on low fertile soils and in adverse climatic conditions
• Absolutely safe

Where does it grow?

The countries of the Middle East and the Mediterranean are considered the homeland of savory. Prefers rocky, gravelly slopes for growth. It is grown everywhere in Central Asia, in Altai, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus.

The thyme contains mineral salts, essential oils, thymol, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, tannins, due to which its role in medicine is great.

Medicinal properties:

• improves appetite, digestion;
• helps with diarrhea, bloating;
• relieves heat, relieves pain;
• strengthens the immune system;
• helps with vomiting, bowel disorders;
• used in oncology;
• has an antihelminthic effect;
• has an antibacterial effect;
• cleanses the body;
• has a beneficial effect on the genitourinary system;
• soothes shattered nerves;
• used as an antiseptic;
• reduces puffiness, soothes itching after an insect bite;
• used as a disinfectant;
• treats alcohol addiction;
• relieves headache;
• used for dysentery, diabetes, cystitis;
• treats colds, respiratory diseases, sore throat, improves expectoration.

Contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• liver failure;
• renal failure;
• diseases of the duodenum;
• thyroid problems;
• cardiac disorders;
• hypertensive diseases.

Thyme - description

A perennial, undersized, can grow up to 20 cm. Thyme is a beautifully flowering plant that spreads on the ground and covers it with a fluffy carpet. Groundcover.

Due to the ability not to creep in width, it is in demand for garden plot as a background for a flower bed, outskirts garden path... Has a slightly bitter taste, delicate aroma. Another name is thyme.

Stories from our readers!
“I am a summer resident with many years of experience, and I started using this fertilizer only last year. I tested it on the most capricious vegetable in my garden - on tomatoes. The bushes grew and bloomed together, they gave more harvest than usual. And they did not get late blight, this is the main thing.

Fertilizer really gives more intensive growth of garden plants, and they bear fruit much better. Now you cannot grow a normal crop without fertilization, and this feeding increases the amount of vegetables, so I am very pleased with the result. "

What does the plant look like?

• dwarf shrub with many woody stems;
• winds along the ground, completely covering it;
• leaflets are small, oval, with convex veins on them;
• blooms in July - August with small purple-pinkish flowers, which, covering the top of each shoot, create the feeling of a fluffy cap on them. It looks like a living pink carpet;
• by the end of flowering, the fruits ripen - boxes with four nuts inside.

Where does it grow?

Has a wide geography of growth, prefers sandy soils, rocky slopes, dry meadows. Western Siberia, Asia, Europe, North America- these are the places of its natural growth.

Medicinal properties and contraindications

Medicinal properties:

• helps to facilitate expectoration;
• anticonvulsant;
• anthelmintic;
• wound healing;
• antibacterial;
• antispasmodic;
• pain reliever;
• sedative;
• secretolytic.

Contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• decompensation of cardiac activity;
• diseases of the kidneys, liver.

Types of thyme

There are several hundred in number.

The most widely known are two types:

Common thyme

A semi-shrub, the lower part of the stem is woody, very branched. Lance-shaped leaves are oblong, their underside has some pubescence, very small in size. Inflorescences of various shapes are formed from light purple and white flowers.

Varieties:

• lemon - fragrant with a barely perceptible citrus-coniferous aroma. Young leaves are yellowish, gradually turning into pale green
• "Elfin" - a variety that looks like a cloud of dense consistency with a diameter of about 15 cm. Prefers slightly alkaline soil for growth. The stems are creeping, the shoots are pubescent. Inflorescence in the form of a head, formed from white and pinkish flowers. Blooms in July-August

Creeping thyme, the second name " bogorodskaya grass»

Semi-shrub, stem is thin, brown in color. Flowering shoots spread along the ground, slightly rising upward, in contact with the soil, take root and form a new bush. Leaves are elliptical. Inflorescence - head, formed by pink or lilac-pink richly scented flowers.

Varieties:

• "Bogorodsky Semko" - the stem is thin, creeping, rooting, the leaves are grayish-green. Possess a bitter aftertaste and rich aroma, flowers are pink, lilac
  • "Rainbow" - erect shoots, leaves are grayish-green with a specific bloom applied to them. The leaf axils contain clustered purple-pink flowers
  • "Kolkhida" is an ideal ground cover plant, all blooms summer period... Light green small leaves with bright purple flowers with a wonderful smell;
  • "Silver Queen" - the stems and young shoots together create a loose carpet. Leaves are silvery-green with a center bordered by a white-cream edging. It blooms with lush purple flowers.

Growing and caring for herbs in the garden

Growing savory

Savory is unpretentious, grown in almost all places. The conditions for its better growth are fertile soil and always a sunny, well-warmed area.

Has a high germination rate, per 1 sq. meter is spent about 300 g of seeds. Cold-resistant, can be sown under the snow, and in the absence of snow - covering the area with seedlings to keep warm with a thick cloth. But mostly it is planted in the spring, when warm weather sets in.

Breeding methods:

• seeds
• seedlings
• vegetatively

The seeds are planted in loosened, humus-fertilized and moist soil. They are sown along grooves with a depth of no more than 1 cm, observing a distance between seeds of about 15 cm.

Previously, for greater germination, seeds are kept in water for up to 1 day, additionally they are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

The seeds dried on parchment paper to a state of flowability are lowered into the soil up to 1 cm deep, the grooves are covered with sand, moistened, and covered with a film. Seedlings will appear on the 9-10th day, until this moment it is recommended to remove the dense tissue only in order to moisten the soil.

Saplings are grown in the spring - from March to April, in late April - early May they are planted in open ground... Sowing in winter is carried out at the end of October.

Savory care:

• weed removal
• rare soil moisture
• loosening the soil to a depth of 2-3 cm.
• periodic rejuvenation of lignified bushes.

Growing thyme

On the garden plots thyme is grown in all its variety of species. In comparison with thyme, thyme is more capricious, does not tolerate shading, drafts.

Breeding methods:

• seeds
• seedlings
• division

The best soil fertilizers for planting thyme are wood ash, mineral additives. Common thyme is thermophilic, prefers bright light. The seeds are very small in size and are sown superficially. Favorable air temperature for seed growth is 20-30 degrees Celsius. They are sown beforehand inside the greenhouse, and the already obtained seedlings are planted in the ground.

Other types of thyme are less thermophilic; they are sown in the spring directly into the ground, or even in late autumn under the snow.

For seeds to grow, a soil with increased moisture is required. The first shoots rise in 3-4 weeks, develop slowly at first. Thyme species with creeping shoots can easily reproduce by dividing the bush.

Thyme care:

• weeding
• loosening
• moderate watering.

Savory is harvested before or at the very beginning of its flowering. Later, the leaves acquire a bitter taste. Plants are cut to the base of the stem, leaving a stem about 15 cm from the ground. The cut stems with leaves and flowers are divided into small bunches and tied.

The finished bundles are dried while hanging. Can be dried without tying in bunches. A prerequisite drying is a dark ventilated room. Dried savory is stored in a dark, dry place.

Thyme is harvested during its flowering by cutting off the tops with inflorescences. The cut crop is dried on the fabric without getting straight sun rays, is crushed. At the end of flowering, fruits are formed. July-August is the time of harvesting thyme.

Provencal herbs

It is a mixture of a whole palette of aromatic herbs that conquered with its fragrance, spicy taste and healing properties nationalities of the world. Has a wide range of applications in the preparation of various dishes.

It got its name from the Provence region, located in the Southwest of France, famous for the growth of this bouquet of spices.

Provencal herbs of classic composition:

• garden savory;
• thyme;
• sage;
• rosemary;
• peppermint;
• marjoram;
• oregano;
• basil.

The composition can be changed and supplemented with other herbs, it depends on taste preferences.

Due to the consonance in the name, savory and thyme are mistaken for the same plant. But is it really so? For several years now, gardeners have not been able to come to a consensus in this matter.

In this article we will try to identify the obvious differences between savory and thyme.

Savory - plant properties

This kind garden grass possesses a unique aroma and pleasant taste. That is why this seasoning is used to prepare delicious and healthy dishes worldwide. The seasoning is inexpensive. This is another quality that made savory popular all over the world.

This garden herb has many beneficial properties. That is why it is used not only in food, but also in various branches of life. We will talk about this below.

What are the beneficial properties of savory:

• The plant helps secretion of gastric juice, therefore a person's appetite and digestion improve. Helps with bloating, inhibits the fermentation process. Savory effective remedy with vomiting, bowel disorders and catarrh.
• The plant has antibacterial and disinfecting properties.
• This herb can be used for coughing as it has an expectorant effect.
• Able to cleanse the body. Since it has properties that are good for the condition of the gallbladder and kidneys.
• The plant helps to neutralize stomach and intestinal cramps.
• It has a beneficial effect on the genitourinary system.
• It is useful for the treatment of cystitis.
• It has a positive effect on the nervous system.

Besides useful properties, savory has contraindications I am. These include:

• Should not be used for kidney and liver disease.
• Do not use in case of duodenal disease.
• Should not be used by people with thyroid problems.
• Not used for diseases: atherosclerosis, cardiosclerosis, arrhythmias.
• Not recommended for pregnant women. Savory can cause miscarriage.

To avoid unforeseen situations It is best to consult your doctor prior to consuming this herb.

Savory culinary use

Now you need to figure out where this seasoning is used. Savory can be used in different industries:

• Cooking.
• Traditional medicine.
• Cosmetology.

Consider the first option for using savory. Seasoning has been used in cooking for a very long time. Due to its taste data and pungent aroma, the seasoning was used to make different sauces. This seasoning was first used in Ancient rome... They did spicy sauce and served with fish and meat.

In ancient times, savory was used as a substitute for pepper. They even gave it a name - pepper herb. Then the seasoning became popular in Europe. It was added to sauces meat rolls, in the filling for pies. Also used as a breading.

The seasoning is considered the most popular in Bulgaria. They call it - chubritsa. It gives the dish a delicious aroma and taste. Savory is used to make Bulgarian ketchup.

In Moldova, the seasoning is called chimbru. It is impossible to imagine a single dish of Georgian or Armenian cuisine without it. Some peoples use seasoning for pickling... In salads, the spice is combined with fresh cucumbers.

This spice is highly prized in cooking. Savory aroma is combined with legumes. The leaves of the plant can be consumed throughout the summer.

It should be noted that the spice not only gives the dish a unique aroma and taste, but also fights intestinal gases that appear due to legumes.

In Holland and Germany, savory is called - legume grass. The seasoning got this name because of its ability to digest heavy and starchy foods.

The use of spices occurs in large quantities... Both a fresh plant and a dried plant are eaten. It is used for pickling tomatoes. Savory goes well with fish, meat, stews, cookies, fried potatoes.

Professionals recommend adding seasoning at the very end of cooking. In this case, the dishes will become fragrant and there will be no bitterness. Savory can also be used with other condiments such as sage, parsley, rosemary, etc.

The use of savory in cosmetology

This seasoning is also used in cosmetology. More precisely, essential oils that help fight hair loss. Plants applied to strengthen hair, to maintain its beauty and health. With the help of savory, hair grows faster.

The plant has anti-inflammatory properties. That is why it is actively used for boils, skin diseases, eczema and dermatitis.

Also, the plant has antiseptic properties. This allows it to be used for scabies and fungal skin lesions.

Using a product that contains savory, can be restored skins y and return her youth.

Application in traditional medicine

Even in ancient times, the plant was used for treatment various diseases... The recipes of our ancestors have survived to this day. The plant is used for the preparation of various decoctions and tinctures. Plant used for coughing- bronchitis, colds, pneumonia. To prepare a cough broth with savory you need:

• Take one tablespoon of the seasoning.
• Fill it hot water... Approximately 300 ml of water is needed.
• It is necessary to insist the broth during the day.
• Drink every ten minutes in small sips.

The plant also has a diuretic and pathogenic effect. They are useful for blood pressure, with diseases of the kidneys, gallbladder. To do this, you need to drink tea with a plant in a bath heated to 40-70 degrees.

If there are fungi on the body, then you need to make lotions from the broth. Also, the plant can relieve itching and burning. To do this, you need to rub fresh leaves of the plant into the bite site. Savory also effectively copes with hemorrhoids. This requires make lotions from the broth... Also effective for nausea. It is enough to drink a decoction or use one pinch of the plant.

To relax the whole body, you can use savory baths. To prepare the infusion you will need:

• Dry leaves of infusion - 10 gr.
• Water - 1 tbsp.

It is necessary to fill the leaves of the plant with water and insist for one month. Put the broth in dark place... After that, you need to use three times a day, 20-25 drops.

Before using folk remedies for treatment, you need to consult your doctor. If you use a plant to treat pathologies and prevent diseases, then you need to strictly follow the rules for preparing decoctions and tinctures.

Savory and thyme - what's the difference

Very often people confuse savory and thyme. But, in fact, there is little in common between them. The only feature that can connect them is their origin - both plants are classed, are decorative and have medicinal properties.

But they have enough differences:

• Thyme has a second name - thyme. This plant does not possess large size , it reaches 20 cm in height. Its color is small flowers that have a purple-pink tint. Such a plant is used to decorate flower beds, most often it grows along garden paths. Thyme is perennial plant... It can grow for 5 years. But savory is considered annual.
• Savory grows in small bushes. And thyme grows over the entire surface of the earth. One might get the impression that the plant covers the ground.
• Savory is not beautiful appearance... But, you can notice it by the smell. Savory tastes like pepper, which is why it is used in various branches of life. Thyme can also be eaten. But, it must be harvested before it begins to bloom. This plant is also used as a medicinal plant.
• Thyme has a mild and delicate aroma, unlike thyme. Some people think that savory has a hint of lemon.
• Savory is most often planted in summer cottages.

So, we examined the properties of savory and how this plant differs from thyme. Of course, there are also a number of overlaps between them. Both plants are used for medicinal purposes and have excellent aroma and taste. They also differ in appearance. You can see the savory photo and compare it with the thyme.

The consonance of the words "thyme" and "savory" gave reason to assume that this is either one and the same plant, or close relatives. Is it so? To understand the difference between thyme and savory, you need to get to know each of them. The only thing that can be argued is absolutely different plants, among the points of contact, having only a common family and belonging to medicinal herbs.

Savory and thyme: photos and basic characteristics of plants

The garden savory has the Latin name satureja hortensis, which no longer gives any reason to see the similarity between it and thyme. The plant is an annual, it can reach a height of 70 cm, the bushes often form dense, dense thickets. Can be grown as a hedge, however, it is mainly appreciated for its services in culinary and traditional medicine. Its spicy aroma and taste give it the name "pepper grass".

• Interestingly, the chemical composition of this plant contains up to 5% protein and a large proportion essential oils... Its main focus is on strengthening immunity, antihelminthic effect, disinfecting and fixing. Essential for intestinal disorders and to stimulate appetite. In tandem with yarrow, it not only works as a hemostatic agent, but also raises the general tone, perfectly invigorates. In addition, savory has been scientifically proven to be effective in treating cancer as well.
• How food product, savory - excellent seasoning to any meat and salad, especially cucumber-based; can be used as a breading product. Its ability to facilitate the absorption of heavy meals is highly regarded in dietetics.

And if savory and thyme are different herbs, then thyme and thyme are one and the same plant with the Latin name thymusserpyllum. Spicy medicinal herb the family of lambs, which is part of the ground cover group. A perennial, the height of the bushes does not exceed 20 cm, blooms from mid-summer to its end, forming small pink-purple flowers that cover the top of each shoot with lush caps. In the garden, it is usually used as a background for a flower bed, center or border of a flower garden, garden path. Due to the fact that the thyme bushes do not spread in breadth, the initially set shape will be retained throughout the year, which allows filling certain areas in connection with the conceived design.

• In folk medicine, creeping thyme is valued for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, the ability to relieve fever and relieve pain spasms. Decoctions based on thyme allow you to separate phlegm from the lungs and bronchi, soothe nervous system... However, the use of this herb is undesirable in pregnant women, as well as in liver and kidney failure, cardiac disorders.

Savory garden: growing from seeds and plant care

You can grow savory from seeds both in the open field and on the windowsill, however, you will need a large container here, since the bushes are quite tall. You can cut off the tops 2 times a year, after which they need to be dried and stored in a dark, cool place.

• For 1 sq.m. usually there are only 300 g of seeds, which indicates a high degree of savory germination. Due to the good endurance of the plant, it can be sown even under snow, however, in a snowless winter, you will have to cover the area with seedlings with dense cloth and spruce branches.
• Savory soil needs very nutritious soil, therefore, when digging a site, humus is necessarily introduced there (up to 6 kg per 1 sq. M.), And complex fertilizer should be added to the seedling substrate. The soil is moistened before sowing. If sowing is done in winter, then you need to moisten the area a day before the procedure.
• Anyone can have earth in the garden chemical composition, however, most of all, savory appreciates the beds on which there were previously cabbage, tomatoes or cucumbers, or areas where organic matter was introduced. However, it is much more important to choose a zone where there will be an abundance of sunlight, since the savory is very photophilous.
• Sowing is carried out along grooves, the depth of which is 0.5-1 cm, and the distance between them should be at least 15 cm due to the active growth of savory.
• For seedlings, the plant is sown in March, in open ground - when the earth is calmly loosened: late April or early May. Sowing in winter can be carried out at the end of October.
• Professionals recommend pre-soaking the seeds in water (18-24 hours), and also treating them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to improve their quality. After that, be sure to dry the seeds on parchment, and you can dip them into the substrate.
• After sowing, the grooves must be covered with sand, moistened, covered with foil or thick cloth. Before the emergence of seedlings (9-10 days), the material is removed only to moisten the earth, and it is advisable to keep the container with seedlings away from sunlight.

If necessary, seedlings can be dived, but often this is not necessary. In open ground, seedlings can be taken out 3-4 weeks after sowing. If the cultivation was carried out immediately on summer cottage, the covering material is removed for 14-15 days.

Further care for savory consists only in rare watering(usually the plant has enough natural moisture), weeding and loosening. The primary cutting is done at the very beginning of flowering, the tops are removed before the branching of the shoots.

Despite the fact that savory is an annual, it will not be necessary to repeat its sowing, since the fading bushes begin to reproduce by self-sowing, and without additional care, these seeds take root well.

Creeping thyme: growing at home

Thyme can grow not only in the summer cottage, but also on the windowsill, where it is grown not as an ornamental bush, but for medicinal or food purposes. As a spicy herb, it is ideal for meat and fish dishes, sauces, marinades. It can be used in herbal infusion or decoction, as well as to add flavor to any tea. To this end, during flowering, the tops with inflorescences are collected, after which they are dried and crushed.

Growing thyme, like savory, is within the power of any gardener, the technology does not require much effort:

• Distribute drainage material along the bottom of a small container (10-15 cm high), pour soil on top, which is recommended to be combined with a small amount of sand for looseness.
• Seeds are buried in the moistened substrate, spaced at a short distance from each other: thyme has good germination, so the seedlings will sit tightly.
• Sprinkle sand on top (1 cm layer), moisten again. It is not necessary to cover the container with a film - it is much more important to put it in the shade and monitor the maintenance of soil moisture.

After 3-4 weeks, you can transfer the pot to the window, and after 2-2.5 months. cut off shoots for their use. Caring for thyme includes only watering as the soil dries up, as well as rare application of mineral fertilizers.

How many can be counted common features at thyme and savory? Not too much. These herbs, of course, are related, but they are not at all interchangeable, they have different indications for use in medicinal purposes, and even outwardly it is simply impossible to confuse them. But, definitely, each of these herbs is worthy of its cultivation both in the summer cottage and on the windowsill.