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.

[11] 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.

[9] 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.

Under optimal weather conditions, herb hyssop is harvested twice yearly, once at the end of spring and once more at the beginning of autumn.

[citation needed] The essential oil includes the chemicals thujone and phenol, which give it antiseptic properties.

[13] Its high concentrations of thujone and chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system, including pinocamphone and cineole, can provoke epileptic reactions.

Za'atar is a famous Middle Eastern herbal mixture, some versions of which include dried hyssop leaves.

[16] Hyssop has been used for centuries in traditional medicine in order to increase circulation and to treat multiple conditions such as coughing and sore throat.