Hyssop

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Hyssop

This lovely plant of the labiae family, whose official name is 'hyssopus officinalis', has an interesting range of uses. It is ruled by Jupiter and is attributed to the sign of Cancer. Symbolically it represents cleanliness and nosegays of hyssop were carried during times of plague and pestilence, and it was also used as a strewing herb.

Flowering during the summer, from June to September, its flowers are blue, white or pink/red and can be used in salads, in broths and to flavour liqueurs (i.e. Absinthe and Chartreuse liqueur). As a garnish it renders fatty meats more digestible, try it with duck or sausages, or even stewed apricots. Or just pop them in the bath to soak away stress!

It is a small vivace plant with a strong, sweet scent which grows in a sunny well-drained position. It is common in fields, meadows and any area with light sandy soil. Growing in tufts it can reach up to 50cm in height. The leaves are small, green and lance shaped, they add a subtle mint-like flavour when chopped into a green salad.

When mixed with other herbs, hyssop is an excellent cure for colds and bronchial congestion. Only the dried aerial parts are used which are collected in August, during flowering, and left to dry in the sun. They contain up to 1% volatile oil, flavonoid glycosides, diosmin and tannin. This plant is used as an anti-spasmodic, an expectorant, a diaphoretic, a sedative and a carminative.

In France it is 'hysope' but it is also known as herbe sacree, hiope and mariarmo. It is known as "esob", or "holy herb" by the hebrews, and King Solomon used hyssop with cedar wood against leprosy! In the Middle Ages it was used with liquorice as an adjuvant, and with cinnamon to treat lung or liver problems. Hippocrates prescribed it to treat pleurisy and bronchitis. It is reputed for asthma and bronchial catarrh.

If you decide to grow some in your garden, it attracts bees and butterflies. Propagation outdoors is best obtained from summer cuttings, which should be rooted in good compost and kept moist until well-established. Grow in a light soil, in a warm, sunny position. It can be started off indoors from seed in early spring. Sow the seeds finely, in Jiffy pots, with a light covering of top soil, in a seed sowing compost. Plant out when the seedlings reach 5-8 cm high.

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Some Hyssop Recipes for You to try...

[ATTENTION! Nervous people and children should only use small doses. If in doubt consult a herbalist or doctor.]

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Hyssop Syrup

Pour 1 litre boiling water over 100g fresh hyssop and leave to infuse, covered, until the liquid is cold. Strain and add 1.6kg sugar and heat, but do not boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. You can replace the sugar with honey if preferred. Leave to cool and bottle. Take 4-6 soup spoons (15ml) a day.

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Hyssop Syrup II

Put 450g clear honey in a stainless steel pan and heat gently to boiling, skim, and add 50g fresh, or 25g dried hyssop, 1 tsp crushed aniseed, 1 piece pulverised liquorice root and 25g piece grated fresh ginger root. Stir well, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Strain and jar. Seal when cold.

You can add this to herbal teas - yummy! Or take one teaspoonful 3-4 times a day for coughs and bronchitis. For cold mornings I put one teaspoon of this syrup in a small glass and fill with hot water.

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Hyssop Tea

1 dessert spoon dried herb in 1/4 litre boiling water. Leave for 10 mins. Drink 2-3 cups a day. You can add sugar or honey to taste.

Take this tea as soon as the symptoms develop for colds and flu. Use also for indigestion and a 'nervous' stomach. Add with equal parts of White Horehound and Coltsfoot for coughs and bronchitis. Take in equal parts with Boneset, Elder Flower and Peppermint for the common cold. Take neat for pleurisy.

For black eyes soak a compress in hyssop water, it's cheaper than steak! It can also be used to calm insect stings.

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Hyssop Flip

3 oz hyssop tea sweeten to taste with sugar/honey and beat in an egg yolk. Take for colds and hoarseness.

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Queen Elizabeth's Cordial Electuary of Hyssop

Bring to the boil 450g honey, skim off the scum and add a bundle of 'bruised' hyssop to the clarified honey. Let this boil until the honey tastes strongly of Hyssop, then strain and add 1 tsp pulverised liquorice root, 1 tsp aniseed, 1/2 tsp pulverised elecampane root and 1/2 tsp angelica root, and a small pinch of ground pepper and ginger.

Boil for 10 minutes, stirring well, then jar. Seal when cold. Use for stomach upsets and shortness of breath!

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Hyssop Air Freshener

If you have a woodburner take a good handful of fresh hyssop, or 1 heaped tablespoon of dried hyssop and bring it to boil in a pan of water.

Pour into a heatproof container and leave to simmer gently on your woodburner. This keeps the air sweet and healthy. You can try mixing with woodruff, meadowsweet and lady's bedstraw too.

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Hyssop Essential Oil

[If you suffer from epilepsy do not use this oil.]

Hyssop essential oil is used to relieve tension and stress. As with all essential oils add a few drops of the essential oil to a carrier oil. Massage this oil into the aching area. It is also used for viral infections, hay fever, eczema and circulatory problems.

Massage hyssop oil into the soles of the feet, or into the aching area when suffering from gallstones. If only I'd known that 16 years ago! It would have been better than sucking bicarb pills.

Add a few drops of hyssop oil to a cold compress to clear bruises. It has been used for treating people who have undergone face lifts!

Massage 10 drops of hyssop essential oil, mixed with 20ml almond, or sunflower oil, on the chest for bronchitis and colds. You can add a thyme or eucalyptus.

You can add 5-10 drops of essential oil to your bath when you feel nervously exhausted or are just 'down in the dumps'.

Julia Renshaw

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