Hyssop is an evergreen shrubby plant that produces stalks of lovely purple flowers. While this aromatic herb in the mint family is a common garden specimen cultivated in temperate regions throughout the world, hyssop is originally native to the Mediterranean.

Hyssop is also known as holy herb, not only because it is mentioned in the Bible numerous times but also because it has a long association with purification. The herb is also attributed with powers of protection. In fact, in ancient Egypt, it was used as a brush with which to smear the door mantels of Jewish homes with lamb’s blood in the belief that the “angel of death” would pass over the home, leaving its occupants, most notably a firstborn son, unharmed.