Llewellyn's 2013 Herbal Almanac by Llewellyn Publications

Author:Llewellyn Publications
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: herb, herbal, calendar, annual, herbalism, health, healing, crafts, plants, nature, natural, annuals, calendar, calendars, datebook, date book, 2013
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2012-05-22T16:00:00+00:00

[contents]

Hyssop: Nature’s Medicinal Storeroom

by Susan Pesznecker

H ave you worked much with hyssop? It’s a wonderful herb and one that I use regularly in my garden and my own herbal practices. Hyssop (pronounced HIH-supp) is easy to grow, yielding a beautiful, fragrant plant with long-lasting spears of flowers that attract bees and butterflies. A member of the mint family, hyssop has a wide range of medicinal uses and is particularly good for winter colds and flu as well as being a potent immune stimulant. Hyssop also makes a fragrant, delicious tea.

Hyssopus officinalis is a semi-evergreen shrub that grows to two feet, producing narrow, dark green leaves and sprays of blue or bluish purple double-lipped flowers that appear in June or July and last into the autumn months. (Occasionally, the plants may have white or reddish flowers.) Hyssop is native to southern Europe, where it grows wild. Thankfully for the rest of us, it’s also easy to cultivate by seed or cutting in temperate climates around the world.

When grown in the garden, hyssop prefers dry, well-drained soil and lots of sun. Once it begins growing vigorously, it benefits—as most herbs do—from regular and rather aggressive clipping, to which it responds by growing even more robust and bushy. It’s a beautiful and useful garden plant, its deep green foliage contrasting with the brilliant floral spears, and it attracts birds, bees, and butterflies to the garden. Some reports also note its value in discouraging certain garden pests, like the cabbage white butterfly.

Hyssop is a brilliant healing herb as well. The officinalis in hyssop’s scientific name stems from the Latin word officina, meaning “office” or “storeroom.” In medieval times, much of what was known about herbs and herbal workings was preserved by monks, with herbal apothecaries operating out of monastic storerooms. These storerooms would, over centuries, morph into our modern pharmacies. The use of officinalis is a reference to these times and, when included in the scientific name, points to a plant’s value as a medicinal herb. And indeed, hyssop has a wide range of uses in medicinal herbalism. In ancient times, it was regarded as a general use herb that could treat or cure almost anything.

Hyssop is a member of the family Lamiaceae, the flowering herb family known collectively as “mints.” Hyssop’s cousins include peppermint, thyme, lemon balm, and a number of other deeply fragrant plants. Today we know that hyssop’s active constituents include volatile oils (responsible for hyssop’s ethereal scent), terpenes, flavonoids, and tannins. Volatile oils tend to be antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, and many—including the camphor found in hyssop—help dilate the bronchial tree, easing breathing. The terpene marrubiin is known to be a strong expectorant, meaning it helps one cough up and clear phlegm from the lungs. Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds that maintain cell health and slow age-related changes in cells, tissues, and blood vessels, while tannins are astringent in nature and known for staunching blood flow and treating infections.

Topically, hyssop infusions are both cleansing and stimulating, making them good for treating circulatory problems, infections, and fatigued muscles and joints.

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