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Hyssopus oficinalis is a subshrub that belongs to Lamiceae family.
It originaly grows on Meridional Europe, the mediterranean zone of the Iberian Peninsula and the coast of the Caspian Sea.
This plant is found on dry hills and hillsides, rocky places and calcareous soils. It's usually cultivated.It's found in soils between 500 and 1500 metres high.
Hyssopus officinales is a bush that is 60 cm high and has lots of straight branches.
It has a *** stem especially on the base and it's a bit herbaceous in the apex.
The simple leaves are herbaceous, lengthened or lanceolated with entire edges.
Leaves are oppositve in the range of 50 mm long and 10 mm width, they are covered with oil glands.
Both, the leaves and the stem, can have or not pilosity and has a dark green color.
It has terminal inflorescence gruped in spike. Its an hermaphrodite flower in violet, blue or pink color.
The chalice is tubular and has five welded sepals very similars one to each other.
The corolla has five petals and is bilabiate .The superior lip is erect and lonely and the low lio is trilobulated with the middle lip bigger than the others.
It has four yarns very long with violet or white anthers.The style is longer than the yarns and the ovary is super.
The name of Hyssopus came from arab and it means "holy plant". It is cultivated since XVI century as a medicinal and culinary plant.
The leaves of Hyssopus has been used because they are antiseptic and expectorant due to it has marrubine, tuyone and fenols. It is consumed as collyriums.
Due to this properties it has been used to treat asthma orchronic bronchitis.It is used in low concentrations in some recipes due to it menthol taste.
High doses of Hyssopus can produce spasms due to it high concentrations of tuyon and some cetons.