Serpylli herba

Serpylli herba, also called quendelkraut, is a drug prepared from the dried aerial parts of the plant collected at flowering time. The drug is used in herbal medicines for, among other things, infections of the urinary tract and adjuvant in catarrh of the upper respiratory tract (see below Bronchitis chronic).

Quality specified in the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.).

HMPC monograph: Traditional-use: Internally: expectorant for cold-related cough, externally: as a rub or bath for cold symptoms
ESCOP monograph: upper respiratory tract catarrh; as a bath additive adjuvant for acute or chronic respiratory diseases
Commission E monograph: upper respiratory tract catarrh.

Quendelkraut contains flavonoids and essential oil (0,2 to 0,6 %), of which 20 to 40 % is carvacrol and 1,5 to 2 % isomeric thymol. Other ingredients are lamiaceous tanning agents such as rosemary acid and triterpenes (e.g. ursolic acid).

The drug "Serpylli herba" has spasmolytic, expectorant, antimicrobial, antiviral effects.

Quendel's herb is used for infections of the urinary tract, adjuvant for dissolving mucus in the respiratory tract and for a catarrh of the upper respiratory tract ( Commission E monograph).

The daily dose of the drug is 4 to 6 g(commission E) and can be taken in portions several times a day in the form of a tea preparation.

Tea infusion: 1.5 to 2 g of finely chopped quender pour 150 mL of hot water (do not boil!), infuse for 10 minutes and strain... Drink 1 cup of freshly prepared quendel tea warm several times a day.

Preparation of tea infusion

No adverse effects are known.

Very rare allergic reactions to thymol

Pregnancy or lactation No safety studies; use in children under 12 years of age is not recommended due to lack of data.

There are no known interactions with other drugs.

Couch-grass is preferred to thyme in paediatrics, but is less effective.

1. Baser KH (2008) Biological and pharmacological activities of carvacrol and carvacrol bearing essential oils. Curr Pharm Des 14:3106-3119.
2. Friedman M (2014) Chemistry and multibeneficial bioactivities of carvacrol (4-isopropyl-2-methylphenol), a component of essential oils produced by aromatic plants and spices. J Agric Food Chem 62:7652-7670.
3. Nostro A et al. (2012) Antimicrobial activity of carvacrol: current progress and future prospects. Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov 7:28 35.
4. Schilcher H (2016) In: Leitfaden Phytotherapie, Urban & Fischer Verlag Munich, p. 261.
5. Suntres ZE et al. (2015) The bioactivity and toxicological actions of carvacrol. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 55:304-318.
6. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/quendel.php.