Sage vs Thyme: shared flavor compounds
254 of 362 flavor compounds are shared (Jaccard 0.70) — the molecular basis for whether Sage and Thyme pair well or work as substitutes. Full side-by-side breakdown below.
“Reported” counts reflect the compounds characterized for each ingredient across the studies and databases we aggregate — a measure of coverage, not an exhaustive census. Different analyses target different compound classes and methods, so read these as what has been characterized, not the total number of molecules present. Jaccard measures shared coverage, so it rewards overlap rather than highlighting the ratio differences that distinguish two ingredients.
Why they pair: shared-compound network
12 of 254 shared shownEach molecule in the middle is shared by both ingredients — the chemistry bridging Sage and Thyme. Node color is chemical class and node size is perceptual potency (bigger = lower odor threshold, so it drives aroma at smaller amounts); a copper ring marks compounds flagged as key aromas in published GC-O studies. Zoom with the +/− buttons or a pinch, drag the background to pan, drag a node to pin it, click any molecule for its full profile.
Showing the 12 highest-impact of 254 shared compounds (key aromas first). Sign in for the full network, including the compounds unique to each ingredient.
Where they differ: aroma character
Profile distance 0.07The Jaccard above measures overlap; this compares each ingredient’s aroma-family mix side by side — the wider the gap between the two bars, the more that family sets the ingredients apart. Sage reads left, Thyme reads right.
Shares are fractions of each ingredient’s labeled compounds (280 of 312 for Sage, 275 of 304 for Thyme) — compositional lean, not concentration. Aroma labels come from our compound enrichment and cover most, but not all, characterized molecules.
Pro names the molecules behind each difference — the specific compounds in each aroma family that one ingredient has and the other doesn’t. Sign in to see them.
Published recipes using both
100+ foundReal dishes from our 610K+ curated recipe corpus that combine sage and thyme — proof the pairing works in practice.
Side-by-side ingredient comparison — including the unique compounds in each ingredient — is a Pro feature.
Try the pairing tools for full recipe-aware scoring, or explore sage's profile.
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Sage vs Thyme. https://compkitchen.com/compare?a=sage&b=thyme. Accessed 2026-09-28.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_sage_vs_thyme_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Sage vs Thyme},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare?a=sage&b=thyme},
note = {Accessed: 2026-09-28}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.