This article is about the species of plant usually known as hyssop. For other species in the same genus, sometimes called hyssop, see Hyssopus (plant). For the plant in the Hebrew Bible usually called hyssop, see Ezov. For giant hyssop, see Agastache.
Hyssop is a brightly coloured shrub or subshrub that ranges from 30 to 60cm (12 to 24in) in height. The stem is woody at the base, from which grow a number of upright branches. Its leaves are lanceolate, dark green, and from 2 to 2.5cm (3⁄4 to 1in) long.
During the summer, hyssop produces pink, blue (ssp. aristatus), or, more rarely, white fragrant (ssp. f. albus) flowers. These give rise to small oblong tetra-achenes.
A plant called hyssop has been in use since classical antiquity. Its name is a direct adaptation from the Greek ὕσσωπος (hyssopos). The Hebrew word אזוב (ezov, esov, or esob) and the Greek word ὕσσωπος probably share a common (but unknown) origin. The name hyssop appears as a translation of ezov in some translations of the Bible, notably in Psalms 51:7: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean", but researchers have suggested that the Biblical accounts refer not to the plant currently known as hyssop but rather to one of a number of different herbs, including Origanum syriacum (Syrian oregano, commonly referred to as "bible hyssop"). 1 Kings 4:33 mentions that 'ezov' was a small plant and some scholars believe it was a wall plant. It was burned with the red heifer (Numbers 19:6) and used for purification of lepers (Leviticus 14:4–6, Leviticus 14:49–51; Numbers 19:18), and at Passover it was used to sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts (Exodus 12:22). A sponge attached to a hyssop branch was used to give Jesus on the cross a drink of vinegar.
Suggestions abound for the modern day correlation of biblical hyssop ranging from a wall plant like moss or fern, to widely used culinary herbs like thyme, rosemary or marjoram. Another suggestion is the caper plant which is known to grow in the rocky soils of the region and along walls.
Hyssop was also used for purgation (religious purification) in Egypt, where, according to Chaeremon the Stoic, the priests used to eat it with bread in order to purify this type of food and make it suitable for their austere diet.
Essential oil
The essential oil includes the chemicals thujone and phenol, which give it antiseptic properties. Its high concentrations of thujone and chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system, including pinocamphone and cineole, can provoke epileptic reactions. The oil of hyssop can cause seizures and even low doses (2–3 drops) can cause convulsions in children.
Herbal medicine
In herbal medicine hyssop is believed to have soothing, expectorant, and cough suppressant properties. Hyssop has been used for centuries in traditional medicine in order to increase circulation and to treat multiple conditions such as coughing and sore throats. Hyssop can stimulate the gastrointestinal system.
Gallery
Portrait of Christoph von Suchten holding a hyssop branch in his hand, 1507
Hyssopus officinalis
Hyssop essential oil
References
↑Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany
↑Pérez Maté, P. (2002). Especies aromáticas y medicinales (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: INTA. .
↑Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989, s.v. hyssop
↑Based on the Judeo-Arabic translation of the word in the works of Rabbi Saadia Gaon (in his Tafsir, a translation of the Pentateuch, Exodus 12:22), David ben Abraham al-Fasi (in his Hebrew–Arabic Dictionary of the Bible, known as `Kitāb Jāmiʿ al-Alfāẓ`, vol. 1, s.v. אזוב), Rabbi Jonah ibn Janah (Sefer HaShorashim – Book of the Roots, s.v. אזב – aleph, zayn, bet), Maimonides (in his Mishnah Commentary, Nega'im 14:6) and Nathan ben Abraham I in Mishnah Uktzin 2:2. The problems with identification arise from Jewish oral tradition where it expressly prohibits Greek hyssop, and where the biblical plant is said to have been identical to the Arabic word, zaatar (Origanum syriacum), and which word is not to be associated with other ezobs that often bear an additional epithet, such as zaatar farsi = Persian-hyssop (Thymbra capitata) and zaatar rumi = Roman-hyssop (Satureja thymbra). See: The Mishnah (ed. Herbert Danby), Oxford University Press: Oxford 1977, s.v. Negai'im 14:6 (p. 696); Parah 11:7 [10:7] (p. 711).
↑Fleisher, A.; Fleisher, Z. (1988). "Identification of biblical hyssop and origin of the traditional use of oregano-group herbs in the Mediterranean region". Economic Botany. 42 (2): 232–241. Bibcode:1988EcBot..42..232F. doi:10.1007/bf02858924. S2CID45220405.
↑Pierre R. Burkhard; Karim Burkhardt; Charles-Antoine Haenggeli; Theodor Landis (1999). "Plant-induced seizures: reappearance of an old problem". J Neurol. 246 (8): 667–670. doi:10.1007/s004150050429. PMID10460442. S2CID20996610.
Portrait of Christoph von Suchten holding a hyssop branch in his hand, 1507
Hyssopus officinalis
Hyssop essential oil
