Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) is a perennial plant of the mint family, which forms spreading bushes up to 60–70 cm high and about half a meter in diameter. The bush consists of 40–50 vertical shoots on which narrow lanceolate leaves covered with hairs are located, and the tops of the branches are crowned with spike-like inflorescences with small two-lipped flowers. Flowers can be blue-blue, but for cultivated varieties other shades are possible - purple, pink or white.
The leaves and tops of the plant are rich in essential oils, flavonoids and triterpenic acids (ursolic, oleanolic), as well as tannins. These compounds give hyssop a characteristic aroma with camphor and anise notes, which is felt only upon direct contact with the plant. Thanks to the high content of essential oils, hyssop is widely used as a spice in fresh and dried form: in salads, soups, sauces, minced meat and pates.
In medicine, hyssop is used for asthma, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, conjunctivitis, cystitis, gastrointestinal diseases and rheumatism. It has an anthelmintic effect and helps to fight sweating. The plant is also an excellent honey plant - it is called «bee grass», since bees and bumblebees collect healing nectar from it, and the collected on it honey is considered high quality.
Hyssop is easy to grow: it is unpretentious, can do without watering and fertilizing. In the first year of life, seedlings require a little more attention, but after that the plant can be «planted and forgotten». It is resistant to cold and drought, and the period from germination to the beginning of flowering is about 110 days, while flowering lasts from July to August. The yield of green mass reaches 1.8–2.5 kg/sq.m.
