The spread of thyme throughout Europe was thought to be due to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms and to "give an aromatic flavour to cheese and liqueurs".

[12] In this period, women also often gave knights and warriors gifts that included thyme leaves, because it was believed to bring courage to the bearer.

In 30 minutes, SFME yields similar amounts of thymol with more oxygenated compounds than 4.5 hours of hydro-distillation at atmospheric pressures without the need for solvent.

[22][23] People of the Middle East continue to use za'atar, a delicacy made with large amounts of thyme, to reduce and eliminate internal parasites.

Thymol has been used to successfully control varroa mites and prevent fermentation and the growth of mold in bee colonies.

[45] Studies have shown that hydrocarbon monoterpenes and thymol in particular degrade rapidly (DT50 16 days in water, 5 days in soil[27]) in the environment and are, thus, low risks because of rapid dissipation and low bound residues,[27] supporting the use of thymol as a pesticide agent that offers a safe alternative to other more persistent chemical pesticides that can be dispersed in runoff and produce subsequent contamination.

Though, there has been recent research into sustained released systems for botanically derived pesticides, such as using natural polysaccharides which would be biodegradable and biocompatible.