Question about the history thyme.?

Question

I once heard that according to the ancient Greeks, thyme was an herb which made people irrisistably kissable. Is it true that the Greeks belived this?

Answer 1

Yes we do! I'm Greek and I always keep some in my back pocket, if you know what I mean!? Wink, wink.

Answer 2

Thyme's origins are logged by history and culture. It has been used variously for religious purposes, a flavoring in foods, a tea, as a food preservative, and as part of the Worlds pharmacopoeia. Its name has been attributed, in part, to Theophrastus, the Third Century B.C. philosopher and naturalist, though it was well known and well used prior to his naming it.

Greek history gives various attributes to thyme which include its use to restore vigor and acuity to the mind, and its role as a fumigate against illness and disease, infertility in animals, and general malaise in the home.

It was burned as a religious incense, as an empowering herb for courage for whatever task was set before a person.

It was one of the chief ingredients in ritual altar fires, purifying the sacrifices to make them acceptable to the gods, and seasoning the viands at the same time.

Thyme also served in the rites of passage, burned as an incense at funerals and place in the coffin of the dead as an adornment.

It was believed that the soul of the deceased took up residence in the flowers of the thyme plant.

As a funerary herb, thyme assured their passage into the after life.

There is no evidence that the Greeks gave  thyme the attribute to make people kissable...therefore the answer to your question is negative.