Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Hyssop

HYSSOP, or Hyssopus, L. a genus of exotic plants, comprising three species, the principal of which is the officinalis, or Common Hyssop. It grows to the height of 18 inches; is a very hardy plant, and may be propagated either by slips or cuttings, or by seeds. The leaves have an aromatic smell, and a warm pungent taste: they are particularly recommended in humoural asthmas, coughs, and other disorders of the breast and lungs; being supposed powerfully to promote expectoration.—According to Ray, these leaves are of great service when applied in cataplasms to bruises, the pain of which they speedily mitigate, and at the same time disperse every mark, or spot, from the part affected.