Hyssopus officinalis
Part Used: Dried leaf & flower
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a perennial herb of bushy habit. It grows up to 50cm tall, with square, richly branched and densely leafy stems covered in downy hair. It has medicinal properties like relaxing expectorant, diaphoretic, sedative, carminative, pectoral, antispasmodic, nervine, peripheral vasodilator, anticatarrhal, topical anti-inflammatory, antiviral, emmenagogue, etc. Hyssop is cultivated for the use of its flower-tops, which are steeped in water to make an infusion, which is sometimes employed as an expectorant. It has been used in bronchitis, chronic nasal catarrh, hysteria, anxiety states and petit mal. It is specifically indicated in bronchitis and the common cold.
Hyssop is extensively used in the treatment of coughs, bronchitis and chronic catarrh, particularly in children and those of a nervous disposition. The volatile oil component of the herb has an antispasmodic action. As a diaphoretic, Hyssop is beneficial in the treatment of the common cold in the management of influenza. Extracts of the herb have demonstrated antiviral activities, particularly against the Herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores. Externally, Hyssop can be used to treat burns and bruises. The essential oil increases alertness and is used as an uplifting and gently relaxing nerve tonic, suitable for nervous exhaustion linked with overwork and anxiety, or for depression. It is of particular benefit in helping to ease feelings of grief and guilt.
Hyssop is used in treating lung ailments. The leaves are applied to wounds as a poultice to aid in healing. The tea is also used to soothe sore throats, both by drinking the tea and by gargling with it. It has been used to inhibit the growth of the herpes simplex virus. Hyssop Tea is also a grateful drink, well adapted to improve the tone of a feeble stomach, being brewed with the green tops of the herb, which are sometimes boiled in soup to be given for asthma. It admirably promotes expectoration, and in chronic catarrh its diaphoretic and stimulant properties combine to render it of especial value.
References:
All Natural. http://www.allnatural.net/herbpages/hyssop.shtml
Purple Sage Botanicals. http://www.purplesage.org.uk/profiles/hyssop.htm
Botanical.Com. http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hyssop48.html
