Abstract: Paracetamol is a common analgesic and antipyretic drug which is safe in therapeutic doses but can produce life-threatening hepatic and renal damages with toxic doses. The current study was designed to investigate the protective effects of aqueous extract of thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) against paracetamol-induced toxicity in male albino rats. A total of 24 rats were used for the study. The rats were grouped into four with sex rats in each group. Group I was the control, group II received thyme extract at a dose of 500 mg / kg body weight for 14 days. group III received paracetamol at a dose of 200 mg / kg body weight / ml without extract for 14 days, and group IV received paracetamol plus thyme extract for 14 days. Administration of paracetamol to rats induced marked disturbance of hepatic and renal functions, characterized by a significant increase in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP),total bilirubin , total protein , blood urea and serum creatinine (p < 0.01) and injured the hepatic and renal cells evident from increased level of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.01) along with depletion of super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels (p < 0.01). Histopathological changes showed that paracetamol caused significant structural damages to liver and kidneys. Oral co-administration of thyme extract with paracetamol significantly decreased the level of liver enzymes (ALT, AST and ALP), total bilirubin , total protein, blood urea and creatinine. The increased levels of lipid peroxidation in tissues were reverted significantly. Thyme treatment also resulted in a significant increased in CAT, SOD and GSH in both liver and kidneys. Moreover, thyme extract also exhibited some improvement in the histological architecture of liver and kidney . These results clearly show the antioxidant and protective property of thyme extract
