Botanical Name: Hyssopus officinalis decumbens
Botanical Family: Lamiaceae
Extraction Method: Steam distilled
Part of Plant Distilled: Flowers
Country of Origin: France
Cultivation Method: Organic
Composition: 100% Hyssopus officinalis decumbens
Consistency: Thin viscosity
Scent Description: Lavender and mint with warm, golden notes of honey.
Blends well with: Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Inula, Palmarosa, Rosemary, Greenland Moss, Douglas Fir, Laurel, and Lemon.
Uses: Blesses the breath. Heart-warming and toning in body balms. Add to skin conditioning serums. Handy for air travel, winter stuffiness, and mental clarity. Diffuse, inhale and anoint. A bathing beauty. Culinary uses abound in lozenges, pastilles, and honey-hyssop syrups.
Herbaceous Hyssop decumbens essence has a honey-laced, hint of mint, slightly stringent scent. This Holy Herb's virtues are extolled in literature from Shakespeare to the Psalmist in the Bible, 'purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean'. The benefits of this oil have been widely known for centuries. Unlike Hyssopus officinalis, which contains strong ketones, Hyssop decumbens is a milder variety that is also robust yet gentle enough to use on the skin and in oral care. This oil is time-tested to naturally improve stubborn skin imbalances and is a great addition to acneic skin washes.
Ancient Hebrew texts revere Hyssop for its ability to purify and cleanse both the body and the soul. In variant translations, Hyssop is credited with being able to purge, purify, and cleanse away one's sins. Ancient Greek texts show that they used it to bless the breath and expand the chest.
"Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners. So that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender of herbs or distract it with many—either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with industry—why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills."
~ William Shakespeare
"Not to be confused with Hyssop officinalis, the decumbens chemotype is extremely gentle ... The oil is nontoxic, non-irritating... A high price tag is attached to this oil, but it is well worth it. It is also known as creeping hyssop. Make sure you purchase and use the decumbens chemotype, for Hyssop officinalis is high in ketones."
~ Kristen Leigh Bell, Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals
