Thyme

Source=Leaves of the thyme plant, Thymus vulgaris
Flavor=Minty, lemony
Best used=Fresh or dried
Cooking use=In omelettes, stews, bland soups, and stuffing for chicken, or as flavoring for green salads and cooked vegetables.

Antiseptic that kills bacteria and fungi, loosens phlegm, relieves coughs.
A solution of thyme's most active ingredient, thymol, is used in such over-the-counter products as Listerine mouthwash and Vicks VapoRub.
Thymol apparently also has a therapeutic effect on the lungs. "The oil from the leaves of this plant, when ingested or inhaled, helps to loosen phlegm and relax the muscles in the respiratory tract," explains Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D., director of the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In Germany, where herbal medicine is considerably more mainstream than it is in the United States, concoctions of thyme are frequently prescribed for coughs, including those resulting from whooping cough, bronchitis and emphysema.