Hyssop The Holy Herb -- History

A Gift To The Present From The Ancient Past.

Research

Perhaps the most common reason for preferring one herb over another is its history and safety
record. Having long since proven its mettle, hyssop is known in herbal circles as The King of Herbs.

The name hyssop stems from the Greek or Hebrew word adobe or ezob, meaning holy herb,
extensively mentioned in the Holy Bible. In ancient times, its vital healing properties caused it to be used in more ways than any other herb. Hyssop was used to cleanse and purify humans, both
internally and externally, and to wash the and polish sacred places. In Biblical reference to hyssop
tell us the herb was used by such powerful leaders as David, Moses, Solomon, and Jesus.

"Nature heals; the physician is only nature's assistant." Hippocratic told us.

Hippocratic (460-377 B.C.), the father of medical science, used hyssop for treating pleurisy.
Hippocratic insisted that "Nature heals; the physician is only nature's assistant." He applied this rule by treating his patients with proper diet, herbs, fresh air, change of climate, and attention to habits and living conditions. He objected to the use of strong drugs without careful testing of their curative values.

The Greeks adopted hyssop, and the physician Dioscorides prescribed the herb in tea for cough,
wheezing and shortness of breath, in plasters and chest rubs, and as an aromatic nasal and chest
contestant. Dioscorides, a leading physician in NERCO's army, gathered herbal knowledge and
compiled it into a textbook used by the civilized world for 13 centuries afterwards. Dioscorides is
considered one of the greatest herbalists in History.

For at least 2,000 years now people have bathed with and consumed hyssop for relief of arthritis
and rheumatism. The Epistle of Barnabas spoke of it for relief of pain. Traditionally, Tibetan priests
offered hyssop to their deities during sacred and secret services. Persians used a concoction of
hyssop as a body lotion to give a fine color to the skin. Indians used it to reduce body tissue fluids, to alleviate bruises, and for soothing cuts and wounds. Theophrastus (379 to 287 B.C.), scientist
philosopher of Ancient Greece who was a student of both Plato and Aristotle, also extolled the virtues of hyssop. He later followed Aristotle as head of the Lyceum. Plink the elder (A.D. 23-79), Roman naturalist, remarked on hyssop's on ones mind and sense of taste. Plink was an expert on natural history (the student of plant and animal life) and gave us much information on ancient life. One of his closest friends was the Roman emperor Vespasian who appears with Pliny in ancient engraving. The drawing depicts the two men discussing hyssop, with Pliny surrounded by bunches of the herb as he waves a stalk in the air and points to the emperor.

The German abess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen wrote that hyssop "cleanses the lungs". She also
recommended chicken cooked in hyssop and wine as a treatment for sadness (our modern-day
depression).

In 17th-century Europe, hyssop was a popular air freshener or "stewing herb". It was used in the
same manner as we use a potpourri of dried leaves or flowers today. Crushed leaves and flowers of the hyssop plant were scattered around the home, especially in the kitchen and sickrooms, to mask odors at a time when people rarely bathed and farm animals often shared human living quarters. When bathing finally became popular and "stewing" ceased, hyssop was placed in scent baskets in sickrooms, a practice who should be well revived today due to hyssop's healing properties.

Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpepper echoed Dioscorides' endorsement for
hyssop chest ailments: "It expelleth tough phlegm and its effectual for all grief's of the chest and lungs. "He also noted: "It killeth worms in the belly. He also recommended it as an "inflammation wash" to take away black and blue marks, and relieve swelling in the throat by gargling with it, and praised its use in problems of the ears.

The hyssop plant became as revered by the ancients as was the cat to Egyptians and the cow in India. If it purged the body of ills and demons, they reasoned, then surely it would cleanse the home, the temples and other community buildings as well; it was used much as our modern-day
detergents. Its use in Palestine for bites and stings of venomous beast was quite common.

Jewish priests used the strong-smelling hyssop 2,500 years ago to clean the temples in Jerusalem
and other places of worship. When celebrating a number of cleansing rites, the ancient Israelites used in hyssop for sprinkling. In fact, two passages are recorded in the Jewish religious texts that advise all good Jews to use the right variety of hyssop. Hyssop was also used for the ritual cleansing of lepers. To this day, the Roman Catholic church still refers to the hyssop holy water sprinkler.

Other folklore contends that hyssop's chief medicinal value lies is its use as a stimulant to the
brain. After eating it, student will find they have a clearer head and can study better.

This folklore goes on to say that hyssop rubbed on the forehead or round about the ears clears the
memory. These potent bits and pieces of herbal knowledge have been handed down to us for ages by our ancient leaders who strove not only to keep the human race going, but to advance it. In my thoughts, I often wonder how much knowledge of hyssop's mystical powers was lost to us, when the greatest ancient library, the Alexandrian in Egypt, was burned to the ground by Julius Caesar's army in 47 B.C. Yet so powerful is hyssop's force that it seeks to be reborn in our consciousness now to help lead us into a healthier 21st century.