Folklore/Common Names: Yssop, Hyssop Herb, Isopo, Ysopo
Part Used: Flowering tops, new leaf growth
Historical Reference
Hyssop is best known by its reference as a Biblical herb, where its ancient use as a cleansing herb is alluded to in the Scriptures: 'Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean.'
Hyssop was one of the herbs which Solomon is said to have incorporated into his asperges for ritual work.
The name, Hyssop, comes from the Greek hussopos and the Hebrew esob, meaning "Holy herb". However, etymologists are not at all in agreement that the Hyssop mentioned in the Bible is the Hyssop we know today; it may well have been one of a dozen herbs of similar name. In fact, tradition identifies the scriptural Hyssop with Marjoram, of which six species are found in the Holy Land. Yet another premise identifies the Biblical Hyssop of the Bible with the Caper, which is readily found in the Jordan Valley, the desert and in Egypt and Lebanon, where it is said to 'spring out of the walls' of the old Temple area.
The earliest medicinal references to Hyssop date to the 7th century when it was used as a strewing herb in kitchens and sickrooms.
Medicinal Use
Caution While Hyssop is regarded as a completely safe herb, one study has shown that sustained use of the concentrated oil in adults (10-30 drops daily) and children (2-3 drops daily) poses a slight risk of seizure. I encourage use of the natural herb rather than the oil.
Hypocrates was one of the first to recommend Hyssop for bronchitis. Since his time, folk uses for the herb expanded from coughs and colds to include hoarseness, fever, sore throat, pulmonary disease and herpes.
M. Grieve says in A Modern Herbal, "Hyssop Tea is also a grateful drink, well adapted to improve the tone of a feeble stomach...(and)...to be given for asthma. In America, an infusion of the leaves is used externally for the relief of muscular rheumatism, and also for bruises and discoloured contusions, and the green herb, bruised and applied, will heal cuts promptly".
Modern Herbalists still recommend Hyssop for these conditions, and have made some noteworthy discoveries as to its beneficial properties as well. Today we find Hyssop recommended for:
- Treating AIDS-related conditions
- Relieving chest congestion due to colds (expectorant)
- Soothing respiratory problems, bronchial disorders
- Treating poor circulation
- Liver and Gallbladder complaints
According to The Complete Book of Natural and Medicinal Cures (Prevention Magazine Health Books) a 29-year-old AIDS patient suffering from Kaposi's sarcoma (a deadly cancer) experienced a dramatic lessening of the effects of the disease, and Doctors were unable to attribute the improvement to traditional therapies. They discovered she'd been drinking an old Jamaican herbal remedy with the primary ingredient of Hyssop, which prompted a study of the herb by a team of medical researchers. The study confirmed Hyssop's promise in preliminary research. A Dr. Kreis stated, "...hyssop was very effective as an antiviral, anti-HIV treatment in the test systems that we used."
