Updated 17 January 2024
Botanical characteristics
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Lamiales
- Family: Lamiaceae
- Genus: Hyssopus
- Part used: Flowering tops
- Country of origin: France, Spain, Russia, Italy, Hungary
Precautions for use
Hyssopus essential oil, unlike Hyssopus officinalis var. officinalis, is very mild and can be used by everyone except children under 3 and pregnant and breastfeeding women due to the presence of ketones.
People with asthma and epilepsy should seek medical advice.
Other precautions
Cutaneous use:
- Always dilute Hyssop Essential Oil 20% in a vegetable oil before use (20% essential oil in 80% vegetable oil).
Diffusion:
- For pregnant women and babies, this essential oil can be used in air diffusion.
Contraindications:
- Always consult a doctor before using hyssop essential oil in people with asthma or epilepsy.
Allergenic components:
Hyssop essential oil contains an allergenic biochemical component:
- Linalool (35% to 50%)
Note: It is best to test the essential oil before use (two drops on the crease of the elbow for at least 24 hours to check for a reaction).
Authorised users
How to use
Risks of use
Properties
- Very powerful anti-catarrhal and mucolytic agent
- Decongestant, lipolytic
- Anti-asthmatic
- Pulmonary anti-inflammatory
- Analgesic for deep organs (heart, intestines)
- Regulates lipid metabolism (small intestine-liver)
- Anti-infective, moderate antibacterial, good antiviral, antiparasitic
- Tonic
Indications
- Acute bronchitis
- Rhinitis
- Sinusitis
- Cold
- Rhinopharyngitis
- Chronic bronchitis
- Emphysema
- Asthma (background treatment)
- Chronic cough
- Pneumonia
- Post-infectious cystitis
- Ovarian disorders (during puberty)
- Multiple sclerosis (indirect action)
- Tumours (lung, prostate), cysts, lipomas, genital polyps
- Asthenia
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Severe mental agitation
- Lack of clarity
Directions for use/usual dosage
- Applied topically to scars and cysts, diluted in a vegetable oil, combined with other essential oils.
- For severe respiratory infections, with severe bronchial congestion, massage into the chest, upper back and soles of the feet, mixed with other essential oils, diluted in a vegetable oil.
Cosmetic
- Healing
- Wounds, bruises, scars, keloids, leprosy
Cooking
- This essential oil is not known to be used in cooking and is not recommended for oral use.
Find out more
There are many varieties of hyssop. The essential oil of Hyssopus officinalis var. decumbens, which is non-toxic and can be used on children and pregnant women from the 4th month of pregnancy, should not be confused with that of Hyssopus officinalis var. officinalis, which is very rich in ketones and can be neurotoxic and abortifacient. It should not be used by pregnant women, children or people with epilepsy without the advice of a therapist.