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Four essential oil samples of Tunisian Thyme (Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Rchb. f.) were collected from two geographycally different areas, either in vegetative state or flowering, and then analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Antibacterial and antifungal in vitro tests done against pathogenic and saprophytic strains of human and animal skin microflora indicate that samples collected in full flowering period were the most efficient. These strong activities may be linked to high levels of carvacrol.

An oil produced from Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Rchb. grown in island of Kos (Greece) has been analyzed by GC/MS and by chiral GC. The principal component of this oil was carvacrol (66.7%). The enantiomeric distribution of α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, limonene, 1-octen-3-ol, linalool, terpinen-4-ol and α-terpineol in C. capitatus oil is presented for the first time.

The existence of three chemotypes of Coridothymus capitatus in Israel—a thymol-type, a carvacrol-type and a mixed-chemotype which contained thymol and carvacrol in the ratio about 1:2—was confirmed. A detailed composition of the volatiles of C. capitatus was studied by GC/MS and, excluding thymol/carvacrol ratio, the components of the oils were found to be nearly identical. With the exception of biosynthetically interrelated γ-terpinene, p-cymene, thymol and carvacrol, the major volatile constituents of C. capitatus were found to be β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, thymohydroquinone and thymoquinone.