History
The Ancient Egyptians used thymol and carvacrol in the form of a preparation from the thyme plant (a member of the mint family), because of their ability to preserve mummies. Thymol and carvacrol are now known to kill bacteria and fungi, making thyme well suited for such purposes.
The bee balms Monarda fistulosa and Monarda didyma, North American wildflowers, are natural sources of thymol. The Blackfoot Native Americans recognized this plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. A tisane made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis.
The crystalline substance thymol was discovered by Caspar Neumann in 1719. The chemical was synthesized in pure form in 1842 by von M. Lallemand, who used elementary chemical analysis to characterize it by determining the correct ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that make up the thymol molecule. Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge also studied the chemistry of this substance. Alain Thozet and M. Perrin first published the crystal structure analysis with the exact determination of the structural atoms.
Read more about this topic: Thymol
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