Hyssop

NAME : Hyssop

LATIN NAME : Hyssopus officinalis (LINN.)
FAMILY: N.O. Compositae
COMMON / FOLK NAMES :
Common Hyssop, Garden Hyssop, Hyssop Herb, Isopo, Ysopo, Yssop
HABITAT: Southern Europe.
FLOWER SPECIFICATIONS
Season: Perennnial, evergreen
Zones: US 3 to 9
Height:  20 to 36 inches high or more x 16 inches wide
Bloom Season: July to September
Foliage Color:
Bloom Color: Clusters of blue, though sometimes pink or white, flowers growing in clusters from a spike originating on the main branch.
Soil:  alkaline soil
Planting Directions
Average Germ Time: Germination is very rapid.
Started from seed or dividing older plants. Transplant seedlings in early summer. Plants should be placed no closer than 6 inches in rows that are 18 inches apart. For best yields plants should be renewed every 3-4 years.
Light Required: sunny place with light
Depth: In early spring, sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in rows about 1 foot apart. In early summer, thin the seedlings to about 1 foot apart within the rows. Prune the plants occasionally and remove flower heads.
Moisture: Light, dry, rocky, well-drained soil
Plant Spacing: Once danger of frost has passed, seeds can be planted 12" apart. Transplant or thin to 2 feet apart or to one foot apart for hedge. Once established they require very little care other than pruning. Hyssop does well in a windowbox or other container and makes an attractive border or edging.
Notes:
DESCRIPTION:  Hyssop is a bushy, evergreen plant from southern Europe. Once widely cultivated for medicinal uses, it is now grown mostly as an ornamental shrub. The plant consists of several square, branched, downy stems which are woody at the bottom and bear opposite, sessile, glabrous to hairy, linear-lanceolate leaves.
FLOWERING PERIOD: The rose-coloured to bluish-purple flowers grow in successive
axillary whorls at the tops of the branches and stem from June to October.
CULTIVATION: Harvest the pick flowers and young flowering top as flowering begins. Gather leaves anytime. The plant should be cut off at 8 inches in the fall. Hang bunches upside down to dry in a warm, dark area. Once dried chop leaves and store in an airtight container.
ASSOCIATIONS:

Element: Fire

Gender:  Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Deities: Obatala, Apollo, Bridget, Pluto, Zeus, Those invoked for protection or purification

Astrological Sign: Cancer, Sagittarius

MAGICAL USES: Hyssop is the most widely used purification herb in magic. It is added to baths in sachets, infused and sprinkled on objects or persons to cleanse them, and hung up in the home to purge it of evil and negativity. Hung up in the home, hyssop can rid a house of negativity. Add it into a sachet or water to infuse or sprinkle on people in need of purification. It's also good for use in magical self-defense -- carry some in your pocket, or spread it around the perimeter of your property to add a layer of magical protection.
RITUAL USES: Purification & Protection rituals. Hyssop was a holy herb of the ancient Greeks, used to cleanse sacred spaces. It is the most widely used purification herb in magic. Hyssop can be burned in incense, worn, used in decorations, and added to the chalice. Use a bunch to ritually "sweep" the altar as a preparation for a ceremonial rite. It is added to baths in sachets, infused and sprinkled on objects or persons to cleanse them, and hung up in the home to purge it of evil negativity.
COMPANION PLANTING: Hyssop is said to repel flea beetles and lure away cabbage moths. Try planting hyssop next to cabbage and grapes
PARTS USED: Flowering tops, essential oil, aerial parts.
PROPERTIES :  The Hebrew people called this herb azob, meaning "holy herb." Hyssop was used in ancient times as a cleansing herb for temples and other sacred places, used for purifying temples and cleansing lepers, the leaves contain an antiseptic, antiviral oil. A mold that produces penicillin grows on the leaves. A leaf poultice treats bruises and wounds. The antiseptic, antiviral, but hazardous essential oil is used in perfumes and to treat cold sores, disperse bruises, and heal scars. It was also used to repel insects. The Romans used hyssop to bring protection from the plague and prepared an herbal wine containing hyssop. In ancient Greece, the physicians Galen and Hippocrates valued hyssop for inflammations of the throat and chest, pleurisy, and other bronchial complaints. In the early seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, hyssop tea and tincture were used to treat jaundice and dropsy. Astringent,  Carminative,  Emmenagogue,  Expectorant,  Stimulant, Stomach  Tonic
Hyssop is used in essentially the same way as sage, with which it is sometimes combined to make a gargle for sore throat. Hyssop tea can be used for poor digestion, breast and lung problems, coughs due to colds, nose and throat infections, mucous congestion in the intestines, flatulence, scrofula, dropsy, and jaundice. The decoction is said to help relive inflammations, and it can also be used as a wash for burns, bruises, and skin irritations, and as a gargle for sore throats or chronic catarrh. Apply the crushed leaves directly to bruises or to wounds to cure infection and promote healing.
Preparation and Dosage: Do not use continuously for extended periods.
One should harvest hyssop when the herb reaches a height of about 1.5 ft (46 cm). Frequent cuttings from the tops of mature plants will keep the foliage tender for use in salads, soups, or teas. Used sparingly in culinary preparations, hyssop's tender shoots are a digestive aid, especially with greasy meats. When harvesting the herb for medicinal uses, one should use the flowering tops. Gather the herb on a sunny August day after the dew has dried. Hang the branches to dry in a warm, airy room out of direct sunlight. Remove leaves and flowers from the stems and store in clearly labeled, tightly sealed, dark-glass containers.
Leaves:

INFUSION –Place 3 tbsp dried, or twice as much fresh, hyssop leaf and blossom in a warm glass container. Bring 2.5 cups of fresh, nonchlorinated water to the boiling point, and add it to the herbs. Cover and infuse the tea for 10–15 minutes. Strain and drink warm. The prepared tea will store for about two days if kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Hyssop tea may be enjoyed by the cupful up to three times a day. Hyssop may be combined with white horehound for additional expectorant action to relieve coughs. For sore throats, a warm infusion of hyssop combined with sage (Salvia officinalis ) is a home remedy recommended by some herbalists.

TINCTURE –Combine four ounces of finely-cut fresh or powdered dry herb with one pint of brandy, gin, or vodka, in a glass container. The alcohol should be sufficient to cover the plant parts. Place the mixture away from light for about two weeks, shaking several times each day. Strain and store in a tightly-capped, dark glass bottle. A standard dose is 1–2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

Flowers:

SYRUP – the hyssop can also be taken in the form of syrup. This is excellent to treat persistent or chronic coughs. The best syrup is made from the hyssop infusion, itself prepared from the stem or the flowering parts. This syrup can also be used in a combination herbal formula with the flowers of the mullein or with some licorice to treat very stubborn coughs and to boost the pulmonary function in people suffering from general weakness in the lungs.

ESSENTIAL OIL–The commercially available essential oil of hyssop is obtained by steam distillation of the flowering tops. The oil is highly aromatic and is used in perfumes, aromatherapy , and to flavor liqueurs, especially Chartreuse and Benedictine. The oil has a warm and pungent aroma with a slight camphor-like smell. It may be used in dilute form as an external nonirritating application on bruises , cuts, eczema, and dermatitis , as a chest rub for bronchitis and the congestion of colds, and as an additive to bath water to relieve nervous exhaustion and melancholy.

Essential oil:

HERBAL CHEST RUB – the volatile hyssop oil can be diluted with other plant oils and used as a topical remedy. Ten drops of hyssop mixed with twenty ml of either the almond or sunflower oils can be used as a chest rub. This oil massaged onto the chest can help bring relief from some of the symptoms associated with bronchitis and colds that affect the chest region. This oil can also be mixed with the oils of the thyme and the eucalyptus as an herbal combination formula for topical problems.
OIL – about five to ten drops of the aromatic hyssop oil can be added to bath water. A person who suffers from some form of nervous exhaustion, persistent feelings of melancholy, or undergoing extreme grief - can soak in this water to gain relief.

MEDICINAL USES:

Key Qualities: Tonic; Cephalic; Nervine; Warming; Calming; Purifying; Cleansing; Aphrodisiac; Mental Stimulant; balancing.

Aromatherapy Uses   Bruises; Cuts; Dermatitis; Eczema; Inflammation; Wounds; Low or High Blood Pressure; Rheumatism; Asthma; Bronchitis; Catarrh; Cough; Flu; Sore Throat; Tonsillitis; Whooping Cough; Colic; Indigestion; Amenorrhea; Leukorrhea; Anxiety; Fatigue; Nervous Tension; Stress related Conditions.

Preparation: Make a standard infusion of the herb using two teaspoons per cup of water and steeping for twenty minutes. The dose is one-fourth cup four times a day.
PRECAUTIONS:
Only moderate amounts of hyssop essential oil should be used. Do not use the herb continuously in any form for long periods of time. Pregnant women, children, and persons with epilepsy should avoid any use of this potent essential oil. High doses (10–30 drops for adults) may cause convulsions due to the ketone known as pinocamphone. Pregnant or lactating women should not use any form of hyssop.
SIDE EFFECTS:
Hyssop can cause nausea , upset stomach, and diarrhea in susceptible persons. Symptoms of overdose include dizziness , tightness in the chest, and disturbances of the central nervous system.
CULINARY USES:
Though not as popular as a culinary herb in the contemporary world, the hyssop was used as a coking herb by the Romans and Greeks. The flowers and the leaves of the hyssop can be used to season all kinds of vegetable dishes, different kinds of soups, all sorts of casseroles and sauces, as well as pickles and preserve. The hyssop leaves can also be used as a stuffing for meats and poultry. The additional of some hyssop leaves can give various green salads, such as fruit salad a minty and refreshing flavor and taste. When used in cooking and in salads, the hyssop is best used sparingly, due to the fact that the flavor of the herb is quite potent. The hyssop can also be made into a refreshing and relaxing herbal tea. Prepare this herbal tea by steeping five ml or a teaspoon of dried hyssop leaves or flowers in two hundred and fifty ml of boiling water. Allow the herb to steep into the water. Once the tea is strained, sweeten it with a little honey to remove the bitterness and to add some taste. The hyssop plant can be mixed with some spearmint or with the lemon balm to prepare an herbal tea that has a lighter flavor. Commercially sold, French liqueurs such as Benedictine and Chartreuse contain the hyssop as an essential ingredient.
COSMETIC USES: The herbal extract and aromatic essence of hyssop is also utilized by industry in the manufacture of quite a number of colognes.
CRAFT USES:
Fresh plucked or even dried hyssop flowers can be added to floral arrangements and floral bouquets. The dried and fragrant smelling hyssop leaves and flowers are a popular inclusion in potpourris and sweet smelling floral sachets or packs.