Eden Apothecary · Herb Profile
Hyssopus officinalis
Pronounced Common: HISS-up. Latin: hiss-OP-us oh-fiss-ih-NAY-liss.
Warm, drying aromatic stimulant that opens cold, boggy, congested lungs and moves stuck cold phlegm outward through sweat and expectoration.
Avoid, particularly the essential oil and concentrated extracts. Hyssop is traditionally classed as an emmenagogue and abortifacient, and the pinocamphone-rich essential oil is a documented convulsant. Pregnancy-specific human safety data are lacking, so use is not recommended. (AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.; Brinker, Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions.)
Insufficient data; avoid. There is no reliable information on the safety of hyssop during breastfeeding, and the essential oil should not be used. (Restorative Medicine Hyssop monograph; AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.)
Do not give the essential oil internally to infants or children; the pinocamphone content can trigger seizures and respiratory distress. Mild whole-herb tea has traditional use in older children for coughs, but data are limited, so keep doses low and avoid the oil. (NCCIH; AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.)
The essential oil is potentially neurotoxic and convulsant and should not be taken internally. Use the whole-herb tea or tincture in moderate amounts and avoid long-term high-dose use.
Epilepsy or any seizure disorder (avoid the essential oil and concentrated extracts); pregnancy; do not administer the essential oil internally, especially to children.
Hyssopus officinalis is a hardy, easily cultivated garden perennial and is not considered at-risk (not listed by United Plant Savers). It is an excellent pollinator plant; prefer home-grown or cultivated material over wild harvest.
Named repeatedly in Scripture: Exodus 12:22 (blood applied to the doorposts at Passover), Leviticus 14:4-6 and Numbers 19:6, 18 (purification rites), Psalm 51:7 ('Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean'), John 19:29 and Hebrews 9:19. Scholarly caution: the biblical ezov is most often identified as Origanum syriacum rather than Hyssopus officinalis, which is not native to ancient Palestine.
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