368 
ON OIL OF THYME. 
Thyme. Writers on Materia Mediea generally mention the 
latter name as an incorrect appellation of the true oleum ori- 
gani vulgaris, a statement, the converse of which I believe 
to be by far more usually the case. 
During a visit to the South of France in the autumn of 
last year, I procured from the manufacturer a sample of an 
essential oil of thyme, as well as a specimen of the plant 
from which it was distilled. This oil, which was submitted 
to Dr. Pereira, proved to be identical with the " oleum ori- 
gani" of English druggists ; and the plant, which was kindly 
examined by Dr. Lindley and G. Benthem, has been ascer- 
tained to be Thymus vulgaris. The latter gentleman in a note 
to me states, that the plant in question is " the true Thymus 
vulgaris, so abundant on the arid wastes of Lower Langue- 
doc as to be much used with rosemary and lavender for 
fuel." 
Thymus vulgaris, the common thyme of the gardens, is 
collected from the rocky hills in the department of Gard in 
the South of France, and the entire plant is submitted to dis- 
tillation with water. The oil, which is of a reddish-brown 
color, is called Huile rouge de Thym. Redistillation renders 
it colorless, and it is then termed Huile blanche de Thym. 
The colored oil, however, is that most commonly sold. 
The trade of distilling oils of thyme, lavender, rosemary, 
&c, is chiefly in the hands of small manufacturers at Mil- 
haud, Aujargues, Souvignargues, and other villages in the 
vicinity of Nismes. From the makers, the oils are purchas- 
ed by the merchants in the neighboring towns, and thence 
exported to distant parts. 
The question naturally arises,— is all the "oleum origani" 
used in this country thus derived ? I believe it to be so. I 
have not been able to discover that any is manufactured 
here, nor have I succeeded in procuring a sample so essen- 
tially differing from oil of thyme, as to warrant my believing 
it to be genuine oil of origanum. The extremely low price 
at which oil of thyme can be produced in the South of 
