Hyssopus officinalis or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expectorant, it has been used in traditional herbal medicine.
Description Hyssop is a brightly coloured shrub or subshrub that ranges from in height. The stem is woody at the base, from which grow a number of upright branches. Its leaves are lanceolate, dark green, and from long.
During the summer, hyssop produces pink, blue (ssp. aristatus), or, more rarely, white fragrant (ssp. f. albus) flowers. These give rise to small oblong tetra-achenes.
History
A plant called hyssop has been in use since classical antiquity. Its name is a direct adaptation from the Greek ὕσσωπος (). The Hebrew word אזוב (ezov, esov, or esob) and the Greek word ὕσσωπος probably share a common (but unknown) origin.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989, s.v. hyssop The name hyssop appears as a translation of ezov in some translations of the Bible, notably in : "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean", but researchers have suggested that the Biblical accounts refer not to the plant currently known as hyssop but rather to one of a number of different herbs, including Origanum syriacum (Syrian oregano, commonly referred to as "bible hyssop").Based on the Judeo-Arabic translation of the word in the works of Rabbi Saadia Gaon (in his Tafsir, a translation of the Pentateuch, Exodus 12:22), David ben Abraham al-Fasi (in his Hebrew–Arabic Dictionary of the Bible, known as `Kitāb Jāmiʿ al-Alfāẓ`, vol. 1, s.v. אזוב), Rabbi Jonah ibn Janah (Sefer HaShorashim – Book of the Roots, s.v. אזב – aleph, zayn, bet), Maimonides (in his Mishnah Commentary, Nega'im 14:6) and Nathan ben Abraham I in Mishnah Uktzin 2:2. The problems with identification arise from Jewish oral tradition where it expressly prohibits Greek hyssop, and where the biblical plant is said to have been identical to the Arabic word, zaatar (Origanum syriacum), and which word is not to be associated with other ezobs that often bear an additional epithet, such as zaatar farsi = Persian-hyssop (Thymbra capitata) and zaatar rumi = Roman-hyssop (Satureja thymbra). See: The Mishnah (ed. Herbert Danby), Oxford University Press: Oxford 1977, s.v. Negai'im 14:6 (p. 696); Parah 11:7 [10:7] (p. 711). mentions that 'ezov' was a small plant and some scholars believe it was a wall plant. It was burned with the red heifer () and used for purification of lepers (, ; ), and at Passover it was used to sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts (). A sponge attached to a hyssop branch was used to give Jesus on the cross a drink of vinegar.
Suggestions abound for the modern day correlation of biblical hyssop ranging from a wall plant like moss or fern, to widely used culinary herbs like thyme, rosemary or marjoram. Another suggestion is the caper plant which is known to grow in the rocky soils of the region and along walls.
Hyssop was also used for purgation (religious purification) in Egypt, where, according to Chaeremon the Stoic, the priests used to eat it with bread in order to purify this type of food and make it suitable for their austere diet.From Chaeremon's History of Egypt, as quoted by Porphyry, De Abstinentia IV.6.9.
Essential oil The essential oil includes the chemicals thujone and phenol, which give it antiseptic properties., p 177. Its high concentrations of thujone and chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system, including pinocamphone and cineole, can provoke epileptic reactions. The oil of hyssop can cause seizures and even low doses (2–3 drops) can cause convulsions in children.Hyssop, WebMD
Herbal medicine In herbal medicine hyssop is believed to have soothing, expectorant, and cough suppressant properties. Hyssop has been used for centuries in traditional medicine in order to increase circulation and to treat multiple conditions such as coughing and sore throats. Hyssop can stimulate the gastrointestinal system.
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