A review on Moroccan Thymus species: Traditional uses, essential oils chemical composition and biological effects

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The genus Thymus is among the most important genera in the Lamiaceae family with 215 species and is widely distributed globally, mainly in the Mediterranean region. The genus contains many medicinal plants used in traditional Moroccan medicine for a long time in treating diverse diseases.

Aim of the review: This review describes the traditional uses, biological activities and chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) obtained from Thymus species growing in Morocco.

Materials and methods: Information related to the traditional uses, essential oils chemical composition and biological activities on Moroccan Thymus species were obtained using the electronic databases Web of science, Scopus, SciFinder, Pubmed and Google Scholar.

Results: Moroccan Thymus species have been used in treatment of several diseases, namely diabetes, digestive, circulatory, genital, nervous, urinary, skin and respiratory diseases. Diverse biological activities of Moroccan Thymus species EOs have been reported, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-tumoral, insecticidal, larvicidal, nematicide, anti-inflammatory, anti-cyanobacterial and anti-acetylcholinesterase. The chemical compositions of Thymus EOs is primarily composed of monoterpenes.

Keywords: Biological activities; Chemical composition; Essential oils; Moroccan Thymus; Traditional medicine.