Will the Real Hyssop Stand Up?

A Tale of 3 Great Weeds Called Hyssop.

At a farmers’ market, one of our buddies had some purple blooming plants with square stems, and large spade shaped leaves which he said were hyssop,…. '“you know, that plant from the Bible”.

It was an upright minty looking plant with blooms gathered in a bottle brush looking spike at the terminal ends of each branch. The plant looked good and smelled great, so I bought one and planted it in the garden. Now there are a whole bunch of them and I make great tea from the leaves and blooms. By now many of you are thinking that I’m not talking about an actual Middle Eastern plant mentioned the Bible. Instead it’s Agastache foeniculum, or anise hyssop, which tastes incredible to those of us who are into that range of flavors which runs from black licorice, through sassafras root beer and ends with a little vanilla.

Agastache foeniculum, anise hyssop

Agastache is a wholly different genus than the ‘real’ hyssop, which also grows at weedom. Hyssopus officinalis is the medicinal hyssop, of much more ancient, historical origins, and which hails from the Mediterranean area. This one has been employed for respiratory illnesses, coughs, and as an anti-infective for thousands of years, and is a much more likely candidate for mention in the Bible.

Hyssopus officinalis, the true medicinal hyssop plant, lives near the greenhouse at weedom.

A third culinary herb, Origanum syriacum might also qualify for Biblical mention, since it is native to the Middle Eastern regions where most of Biblical history occurred. This is the small plant used as the primary flavor of the much sought after Za’atar spice mix. We don’t have this at weedom thus far, though it it a planned addition, even if we have to grow it as an annual. For now, you can get a look at this white flowered species at Za’atar Gardens. This establishment, run by Moses, in USDA zone 9b of Fresno area, California has plenty of this type of oregano and seemingly a very friendly environment where it reseeds profusely. This is his primary Za’atar herb, but he also uses Thymbra spicata, Turkish thyme in his mixes. His vid is below, and well worth a view, because Za’atar is great food.

Possibly, at least some of the references in the Bible mentioning esov, translated to hyssop, are talking about this herb. But it’s not a very large plant. While esov seems to have had ritual use in sprinklings and for burning during the sacrifices mentioned in the Old Testament Books, perhaps something larger and closer to the Hyssopus officinalis was used to offer Jesus a drink of vinegar while he was being crucified.

Theories abound, and no time travel is going to let us know for certain which plant is the true “bible hyssop”, though we should eliminate Agastache foeniculum as a possibility, due to its origins and preferred climate. Origanum syriacum has wide recognition as “Bible hyssop” and might snatch the lead position due to heavy online marketing. :-D

But anise hyssop is a great and flavorful, edible plant that reseeds like a proper weed should, and therefore deserves its prominent place at weedom. It’s a major attractant to the bees and butterflies, and can reach heights of 3 - 5 feet, (1 - 1.6 meters). The spikes bearing whorls of bluish purple, tubular blooms are long lasting and fragrant. Each tiny bloom is bilabiate (2 lips) and has stamens which extend out beyond the lips. Lighter colored blooms occur in this species, as gardeners have been fooling around with it for many years. Leaves emerge on petioles from opposite sides of the stem, and in alternating directions as is classical for a member of the mint family (Laminaceae). The fragrant, spade shaped leaves may reach up to 4 inches (10 cm.) in length. leaf veins extend in alternating fashion from a midvein. Leaves are green above and a lighter, whitish green below, with marginal teeth that are could be called serrate (sharp) or crenate (rounded). Ours are somewhere in between.

Leaves and blooms of Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, at weedom.

This plant is native to Midwestern flyover North America, ranging from the plains to some eastern parts of the U.S. and Canada, and has had a prominent place in indigenous cuisine and herbalism. It has fortunately spread as far as the Middle East and to Eastern Europe, where our pharmacognosy friends study it for its medicinal properties. It is perennial in USDA zones 4a to 8b, with leaves dying off after a hard freeze, leaving bare stems to mark the place of re-emergence in the following spring. A particularly bushy plant may produce up to 90,000 seeds from the numerous blooms, each taking on a small, dark brown poppyseed appearance as they mature. These seeds, which require sunlight to germinate, ensure a permanent place for anise hyssop in your garden forever.

Monarch butterfly on anise hyssop volunteer in the pepper garden amid the disorder of weedom.

This anise / root beer flavored herb can be used to improve the taste of herbal teas into something more palatable, or can be consumed as tea on its own. Younger leaves can go into salads and soups and vegetable mixes. In culinary usage, and can be applied to fish, chicken, and pork preparations, and anywhere you might use tarragon or fennel leaves. The sweet flavor is much milder and mixed than licorice or anise itself, and is contributed by components in the leaves, blooms and seeds. Estragol (a.k.a allyl anisole, or methyl chavicol), and the clove-like methyl eugenol and eugenol, contribute to the signature taste, as does a bit of limonene, caryophyllene and a number of other minor components. As with all mints, the yield of these aromatic molecules within the plant is very low so that their potential toxicities in the pure state don’t apply to food and herbal useage, The essential oils are entirely another matter, and would require huge dilution. Anise hyssop contains a number of flavonoids (e.g. apigenin ) and phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid) which contribute to anti-infective anti-inflammatory, and perhaps the calming properties of the herb.

Numerous Agastache species found in Asia or Eastern Europe are more extensively studied for medicinal use. The origins of medicinal use of Anise hyssop are with the first immigrants of U.S.A., Tribes from the central U.S. commonly used this plant for teas and to sweeten and flavor various foods. A few of the tribes used it topically to treat burns, and as a diaphoretic and fever reducer. The Chippewa stand out among the other tribes in making use of the roots to treat colds and as an analgesic for associated pain in the chest from coughing. The Cheyenne, in particular, considered anise hyssop a remedy for “weak heart” or as a heart medicine. Interestingly, one of its many flavonoid constituents, tilianin, is being studied for its cardioprotective effects, which occur by multiple mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory, vaso-relaxant, anti-diabetic, and multiple anti-ischemic effects. Tilianin is widely distributed within the plant kingdom, which is just one reason that you really should be grazing your weeds :-D

Since weedom has a world wide readership now, we must give recognition to some Agastache species that more of our readers can access. Agastache mexicana, is an important source of crude tilianin, and has been much more studied for its medicinal benefits than our local weed. Likewise, Agastache rugosa, a.k.a. Korean mint, is a significant part of the herbal formulary throughout Asia. The scent of the Mexican giant hyssop leans towards the sweet lemon citrus, and that of the Korean mint is more like our anise hyssop. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the term ‘huoxiang’ applies to Agastache rugosa, their tall, purple blooming rough leaved plant, and also to Pogostemon cablin, which we know as patchouli. These plants definitely have different aromas, but they are used fairly interchangably to dispel dampness, relieve poor appetite, nausea, and to address fungal infections. The Japanese term Kakko also refers to both of these species, indicating that they serve similar functions. As for the antifungal activity, estragone is a major component which likely contributes to that efficacy.

It’s very hot, even under the fans, at weedom and we’re drinking the anise hyssop iced tea now, because these plants are blooming and buzzing with bees 10 feet away as this is being writtten. We have leaves and blooms drying in the hoops, for year round use. This or the Korean mint is a worthy addition to your garden if you can’t find it wild. If it’s too hot for these two plants where you live, life has given you lemons, and the cardioprotective, anxiolytic, antispasmodic Mexican giant hyssop can become your personal weed.

This post is getting longer than the usual 7 minute read, plus it’s exciting hay season at weedom, so there will be a break before proceeding to ponder The Powers of Hyssopus officinalis and the Weeds of Za’atar. Any interested fantasy writers are invited to take those titles and run with them. :-D

Your questions, comments and additions to these weed meanderings are appreciated and will be addressed with full nerd attentiveness.

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Where We Dig

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10. Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop, Hyssop) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/agastache-foeniculum/

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