Thymus hirtus Willd. ssp. algeriensis Boiss. and Reut: A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry, Bioactivities, and Health-Enhancing Effects

Abstract

Members of the Lamiaceae family are considered chief sources of bioactive therapeutic agents. They are important ornamental, medicinal, and aromatic plants, many of which are used in traditional and modern medicine and in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. In North Africa, on the Mediterranean side, there is the following particularly interesting Lamiaceous species: Thymus hirtus Willd. sp. Algeriensis Boiss. Et Reut. The populations of this endemic plant are distributed from the subhumid to the lower arid zone and are mainly employed as ethnomedicinal remedies in the following Maghreb countries: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. In fact, they have been applied as antimicrobial agents, antispasmodics, astringents, expectorants, and preservatives for several food products. The species is commonly consumed as a tea or infusion and is used against hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, respiratory ailments, heart disease, and food poisoning. These medicinal uses are related to constituents with many biological characteristics, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-ulcer, anti-diabetic, insecticidal, and anti-inflammatory activities. This review aims to present an overview of the botanical characteristics and geographical distribution of Thymus algeriensis Boiss. Et Reut and its traditional uses. This manuscript also examines the phytochemical profile and its correlation with biological activities revealed by in vitro and in vivo studies.

Ethnobotanical, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Properties of the Subfamily Nepetoideae (Lamiaceae) in Inflammatory Diseases

“…Thus, the search for literature describing traditional uses related to the inflammatory process include 33 genera and 106 species of the Nepetoideae subfamily worldwide (Table S1). Regions where they are used include Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, USA, and Canada in the American continent [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31], Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, and Israel from the Mediterranean Sea, and China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan from the Himalayan region [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. Other regions include the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand from Southeast Asia, and some islands, such as Monserrat, Samoa, and Madagascar [41][42][43][44][45][46] (Figure 2).…”

The Most Relevant Socio-Economic Aspects of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants through a Literature Review

“…Over time, there have been several reviews that have studied MAPs, most of which focused on single species and their ethnobotanical uses, phytochemical content, pharmacological activities, cultivation, and propagation [10,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Contrary to that, the present review wants to give a comprehensive overview of the academic studies on MAPs to discover how the expression MAPs has been understood by scholars over time and, more specifically, to realize the weight that socio-economic research regarding MAPs has assumed in this context.…”

Evaluating the Synergistic Potency of Essential Oils and Antibiotics Against Klebsiella pneumoniae BLSE Strains

“…Species from the Lamiaceae family are known for their therapeutic effects, and this includes Thymus algeriensis, a thyme species found in North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia). Its EOs have various medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-ulcer, anti-diabetic, insecticidal, and anti-inflammatory activities (15). Our study aimed to first determine the chemical composition of the EOs of three plants two of them growing wild in Tizi-Ouzou region, namely T. algeriensis and E. globulus.…”