- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Southern Europe, the Middle East and around the Caspian Sea. Hyssopus officinalis
- Sanskrit
- Zupha
Europe · Herb · № 78
Hyssopus officinalis
Herb · Europe
Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
Traditionally used for coughs, colds and congestion. Clinical evidence is lacking.
Safety notes
The essential oil contains compounds that can trigger seizures. Avoid with epilepsy, in pregnancy or for children; never take the oil internally.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Oil not internally.
Preparation
The flowering herb as tea or syrup; also in liqueurs such as chartreuse. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
The biblical 'hyssop' was probably another plant, but the name and its association with cleansing stayed with this herb. Ody describes it as a classic chest herb.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Expectorant, carminative, vasodilating, induces sweating, anticatarrhal; externally anti-inflammatory and antiviral (herpes).
Preparation and amount
Warm tea at the start of a cold or flu and for a nervous stomach; tincture with liquorice, coltsfoot and anise for bronchitis; syrup (500 ml tea to 500 g honey) for stubborn cough; 5–10 drops of oil in the bath for exhaustion and low mood; chest rub.
Caution: Oil not internally.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Anthelmintic, expectorant, wound-healing; for hysteria, colic, cough, asthma, sore throat, chronic bronchitis, absent menstruation, hardened liver and spleen, eye inflammation.
Preparation and amount
1–3 g; syrup or tea of the leaves; leaf juice with honey against roundworm; paste as an ointment.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Purification, protection.