Parts Used |
| Scientific Name | Hyssopus officinalis |
| English Name | Hyssop. |
| Portuguese Name | Hissopo, hissopo-das-farmácias, erva sagrada. |
| German Name | Ysop, Bienenkraut, Duftisoppe, Echter Ysop, Eisenkraut, Eisop, Esope, Gewürzysop, Heisop, Hisopo, Hizopf, Ibsche, Isop, Ispen, Essigkraut, Josefskraut. |
| Family | Aquifoliaceae |
| Origin | Western and Central Europe, including the Mediterranean area. |
| Habitat | Well-drained soil: scrubland, hedgerows and woodland. |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Preferences Cultivation | Dry and chalky soils, sun exposure, tolerate freezing temperatures to about -25°C. |
| Method of propagation | Sowing - the seeds can take up to 18 months to germinate. |
| Ornamental Characteristics | Flowering from April to June. Bush of slow grow and can live up to 100 years. H: 6 m, ᴓ 3 m |
| Description of smells and flavors | The plant has no characteristic smell. |
| Properties Medicinal | Leaves are diaphoretic (sweat production), expectorant, antipyretic and tonic. It can also be used to treat rheumatism, constipation and pleurisy. It has been very popular for the treatment of jaundice. |
| Properties Edibility | Unknown |
| Properties Other | Ornamental |
| Contraindications / Side Effects / Comments | Precautions: the fruit (berries) contains saponins that are toxic, causing diarrhea and vomiting. In any case, the toxicity is low and only at high doses can cause problems. Children should avoid the berries. |
| Pests and diseases & how to fight them | Unknown |
| How and When to harvest and / or pruning and which parts used. How many cuts per year? | Parts used: leaves. |
| Can be used in intercropping ( repellent / attractive ) or is biopesticide? | There are references to the use of this plant as attractive. |
| Curiosity / Personal Experiences | Protected species in Portugal. Holly is one of the plants most used in Christmas decoration, it is believed that it is a custom from the time of the Romans because they used this plant on the feast of Saturnalia (Roman festival honoring the god Saturn that occurred in December). Interestingly, people from other parts of Europe, used holly as a gift to the spirits of the forest. |
If you found an error, highlight it and press Shift + Enter or click here to inform us.
