Hyssopus officinalis.   Hyssop   Family: Labiatae    
PART USED: Aerial parts. Gathered during flowering period.
TASTE: Bitter   ODOR: Aromatic and camphoraceous.
ACTIONS
GROUP: Herbs for the upper respiratory tract.
1. Diaphoretic.[1] Pectoral.[3] Expectorant.[1]
2. Astringent.
3. Antispasmodic.
4. Sedative.[1,2,3]
5. Bitter tonic.
6. Carminative.[1,3]
7. Stimulant.[3]
INDICATIONS
1. Common cold.[1,2,3] Chronic nasal catarrh.[1] Coughs.[3] Bronchitis.[1,2,3] Pharyngitis- local use also. Asthma.
2. Anorexia. Flatulence. Diarrhea.
3. Petit mal epilepsy.[1] Anxiety.[1] Hysteria.[1]
4. Irritations.  Wounds,  bites and stings,  bruises.
5. Sore eyes.
SPECIFIC INDICATIONS: Bronchitis and the common cold.[1]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS:   3X /day
Dried herb  2-4 g,[1] or by infusion[3] 1:20.
Fluid extract  1:1 in 25% alcohol  2-4 ml.[1,2,3]
Tincture  1:5 in 45% alcohol  2-4 ml.[1]
Local:   Compress, eye-bath

ORIGIN: Southern Europe.
HABITAT: A common garden plant.
DESCRIPTION: Upright up to 60 cm tall. Leaves linear-lanceolate, nearly sessile, about 2 cm long and 2-3 mm broad, hairy on the margin. Flowers: small, blue-violet, in axillary tufts arranged on one side, with a calyx of five uneven teeth.
References
Constituents
Research
Hyssop contains marrubiin, which is an expectorant (see Horehound).[1] Ursolic acid- has antiinflammatory activity.[1] The volatile oil is non-toxic and non-photosensitizing to the skin.[2]
References
[1] Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations  R.C. Wren Revised by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J Evans. First published in Great Britain in 1988 and reprinted in 1989 and 1994 by the C. W. Daniel Company Limited. 1 Church Path, Saffron Walden Essex. Published 1988 Printed and bound by Biddles, Guildford ISBN 085207 1973.
[2] Opdyke, D. L. J. (1978) Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 16 (Suppl. 1), 787

Inhibitory effects of hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) extracts on intestinal alpha-glucosidase activity and postprandial hyperglycemia.
Miyazaki H, Matsuura H, Yanagiya C, Mizutani J, Tsuji M, Ishihara C.
Abstract
It has been known that Hyssopus officinalis (hyssop) is a herb that grows in the wild and is a source of natural antioxidants. We previously reported that a-glucosidase inhibitors, (2S, 3S)1-O-beta-D-6'-O-cinnamoylglucopyranosyl-3-(3", 5"-dimethoxy-4"-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,3-propanetriol and (2S, 3S)1-O-beta-D-glucopranosyl-3-(3", 5"-dimethoxy-4"-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,3-propanetriol, from the dry leaves of hyssop, were isolated. This study examined the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory effects of hyssop extracts on intestinal carbohydrate absorption in rat everted gut sac and carbohydrate-loaded hyperglycemia in mice. In the everted gut sac experiment, 10 mM sucrose- and 5 mM maltose-treated increases in glucose concentration in the serosal compartment were inhibited in the presence of 0.5 and 1.0 mg/ mL hyssop extracts, although a 10 mM glucose-induced increase in serosal glucose was not inhibited by the extracts. Additionally, hyperglycemia in sucrose- and maltose-loaded mice was significantly suppressed at an early stage, within 30 to 60 min by oral pre-administration of 300 and 100 mg/kg hyssop extracts, respectively. These findings suggest that hyssop extracts inhibited the digestion of complex carbohydrates, but not that of absorbable monosaccharide, and might be a useful supplemental food for hyperglycemia.
PMID: 14703310 DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.49.346 J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2003 Oct;49(5):346-9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of Hyssopus officinalis L. from Iran
Fatemeh Fathiazad,* Masoumeh Mazandarani, and Sanaz Hamedeyazdan
Abstract
Introduction: Hyssopus officinalis (L) (Hyssop, Family: Lamiaceae), one of the endemic Iranian perennial herb with a long history of medicinal use, was studied to detect some biologically active chemical constituents of the plant. Methods: The flavonoids of the hydromethanolic extract of the aerial parts of Hyssopus officinalis (L.) were studied by VLC and crystalisation of the major compound in subsequent fractions. Furthermore, the composition of its essential oil, total phenolic content and antioxidant activities were studied by GC-MS, Folin–Ciocalteau and DPPH reagents respectively. Results: Apigenin 7-O-ß-D-glucuronide was isolated as the major flavonoid. All structural elucidation was performed by spectral means. A total of 20 compounds representing 99.97% of the oil have been identified. Myrtenylacetate, Camphor, Germacrene, Spathulenol were the main compounds The total phenol content of the n-butanol and ethylacetate extracts were determined spectrophotometrically according to the Folin–Ciocalteau procedure to be 246 mgGAE g-1 and 51 mgGAE g-1 in the aerial parts of Hyssopus officinalis . The antioxidant activities of apigenin 7-O-ß-D-glucuronide, ethylacetate and n-butanol extracts were also determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay with IC50 values of 116×10-3, 103×10-3, 25×10-3 mg mL-1 respectively. The purified flavonoid showed weak radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 116×10-3mg mL-1). N-butanol extract, because of the highest content of total phenolic compounds (246 mgGAE100-1g) had the best antioxidant activity (IC50 = 25mg mL-1). Conclusion: On the whole, the findings of the study revealed that Hyssop possesses valuable antioxidant properties for culinary and possible medicinal use.
Adv Pharm Bull. 2011 Dec; 1(2): 63–67.
Published online 2011 Dec 15. doi: 10.5681/apb.2011.009
PMCID: PMC3845980
PMID: 24312758 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A review on Hyssopus officinalis L.: Composition and biological activities
Fathiazad Fatemeh
Abstract
Hyssopus officinalis L. (Hyssop) is one of the most popular herbal preparations, mainly distributed in the East Mediterranean to central Asia. The plant has been used traditionally for medicinal purposes; generally, these therapeutic uses and health benefits of hyssop are largely based on folklore rather than on scientific substantiation, making it a good candidate to gather documentations, including the phytochemical content, in vitro experiments, animal models and human studies available in the recent scientific studies. A literature review on the chemical and biological aspects of the plant indicates that the main constituents of H. officinalis include several polyphenolic compounds, primarily the flavonoids apigenin, quercetin, diosmin, luteolin and their glucosides followed by other phenolic compounds chlorogenic, protocatechuic, ferulic, syringic, p-hydroxybenzoic and caffeic acids. Reports on the essential oils extracted from aerial parts of H. officinalis revealed several principal components, including terpenoids pinocamphone, isopinocamphone and ß-pinene. Hyssop has moderate antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against Gram positive and negative bacteria activities together with antifungal and insecticidal antiviral properties in vitro. Animal model studies indicate myorelaxant, antiplatelet and a-glucosidase inhibitory activities for this plant. However, human studies, adverse reactions and clinical trials examining the reported properties of hyssop are absent and needs more attention to determine whether biological differences in findings of the studies reflect the different isolation procedures, different types of plant material used, collection time, locations or different chemotypes.
November 2011
DOI: 10.5897/AJPP11.527 researchgate.net