Bacopa monnieri (Water Hyssop) is a creeping, mat-forming, aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial with small, succulent, oval and shiny leaves. Blooming from mid spring through fall (year-round in mild climates), it boasts a profusion of small, axillary, bell-shaped, white flowers that are often tinged with blue or pink.
Is water hyssop the same as hyssop?
Name similarity aside, the plant commonly called hyssop is a species in an entirely different genus than the water hyssop. Known as Hyssopus officialis, this garden hyssop is a woody, shrubby perennial with an upright habit that grows in relatively dry conditions.
What is water hyssop good for?
Because this herb contains so many healthy compounds, it is used as an anti-diabetic, liver-enhancer, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-pyretic (treats fever), carminative, analgesic, anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial and many more.
What does the hyssop look like?
Hyssop is a small woody shrub with narrow leaves. A member of the mint family, it has opposite leaves and is very aromatic. It likes sun and can handle dry conditions. Hyssop looks beautiful with white, yellow, red and orange flowers, as well as silvery plants.
How do you eat hyssop water?
Edible Uses
Edible portion: Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable. The leaves can be eaten raw in mixed salads, or cooked as a vegetable, added to soups or pickled[ 301 ].
Can you eat hyssop flowers?
Culinary. Both the flowers and leaves of Anise-Hyssop are edible. The leaves have a pleasant mild licorice/anise flavor while the flowers add a hint of floral sweetness. Harvested fresh, leaves can be added to summer pasta dishes or cold vegetable soups.
Are there different types of hyssop?
Types of Hyssop Plants
- Agastache ‘Black Adder’ (Giant Hyssop)
- Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (Anise Hyssop)
- Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ (Giant Hyssop)
- Agastache ‘Kudos Ambrosia’ (Hummingbird Mint)
- Agastache ‘Kudos Coral’ (Hummingbird Mint)
- Agastache ‘Kudos Mandarin’ (Hummingbird Mint)
What is hyssop called today?
Hyssop is in the Lamiaceae family, which is also known for thyme, mint, oregano, basil, sage, rosemary, lemon balm, and many other aromatic plants.
What does the Bible say about hyssop?
In Psalm 51:7 he wrote “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” The sixth reference is during Jesus’ crucifixion when Hyssop was dipped in vinegar and wiped across Jesus’ lips to ease the suffering.
Can you drink hyssop?
However, true hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis, is an edible member of the mint family that’s been used in a wide variety of foods, drinks, folk remedies, and even perfumes. Compared to other plants known as hyssops, true hyssop is safe to eat and is found in a variety of spice mixes and foods.
What type of hyssop was in the Bible?
Yet, modern Bible scholars still express uncertainty about the actual identity of hyssop and some suggest that it could be caper (Capparis spinosa) a very common shrub in the Middle East.
What does hyssop smell like?
Hyssop leaves have a scent that could be called ‘skunky’. But as a member of the mint family – the same family to which basil, mint, lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme belong – hyssop has a complex scent with minty overtones.
What does the Bible say about drinking vinegar?
Numbers 6:1-27. The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, 3 he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink.
How do you grow hyssop water?
Conditions Comments: Water-hyssop is a good choice to plant in bogs,water gardens and in hanging baskets or draping over the edge of a pot. It will also grow in moist soil or shallow water as a groundcover. The small, white flowers are often tinged with blue or pink. The leaves are small, oval and shiny.
Does Bacopa come back every year?
Masses of small, 5-petaled flowers cover bacopa in summer and fall on plants that reach 3 – 6 inches high. Grown as a perennial in zones 9 – 11, bacopa is grown as a annual n in zone 8 gardens and below. Flowering most frequently occurs when temperatures range between 50 – 85 degrees.
Can you eat Bacopa flower?
Edible Uses: Edible portion: Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable. The leaves can be eaten raw in mixed salads, or cooked as a vegetable, added to soups or pickled[ 301 ]. The flowers are eaten in times of food shortage.
What part of the hyssop plant do you use?
Hyssop is cultivated for the use of its flower-tops, which are steeped in water to make an infusion, which is sometimes employed as an expectorant. There are three varieties, known respectively by their blue, red and white flowers, which are in bloom from June to October, and are sometimes employed as edging plants.
What part of hyssop is used for tea?
Hyssop Officinalis leaves
The hyssop plant is a member of the mint family and the leaves offer an intense minty aroma. True hyssop tea —made using Hyssop Officinalis leaves — has hints of minty flavor and a mildly bitter aftertaste.
What do you do with fresh hyssop?
Both the flowers and leaves are edible, and if you can score fresh hyssop at a garden or farmers market, you can use them like other fresh delicate herbs in salads, pastas, and summer soups. The flowers can be used for garnishes. But you’re more likely to find hyssop in dried form.
Is hyssop toxic to dogs?
Hyssop oil is toxic to dogs and other animals when ingested. It is used topically to prevent Lyme disease in dogs when applied to tick bites. Consuming the plant in large doses can cause respiratory tract irritation and seizures.
Where does hyssop grow?
Hyssop is a hardy and adaptable plant that thrives in Zones 4 to 9. It prefers well-draining, fertile loam, but it will tolerate poor, dry, sandy soil as well. Hyssop does well in a generous pH range of 6.6 to 8.5. It loves full days of warm sun but will tolerate partial shade.
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