Hyssop officinalis( Hyssopus oficinalis)

Decorative and spicy-aromatic semi-shrub plant. It comes from the hot regions of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. In Europe, spread in the early Middle Ages due to the Benedictine monks.

Description

Plant of the family of labial flowers. The height reaches 50-60 cm. The stem is branched, the leaves are opposites, linear-spear-shaped, entire, rigid, raised at the edges of a dark green color. The flowers sit in the sinuses of the upper leaves, are located one-way half-whorls. The calyx of the flower consists of five prongs, corolla blue, blue-violet, sometimes pink or white. Blooms from July until late autumn. Fruit is a nut.

Composition

Contains 0.3-1 % essential oil, 8 % tannins, glycosides, hesperidin, diosmin, isospin, gums, gum, etc. Essential oil contains almost 50% pinecamphen, pinene, limonene. Hyssop is rich in ascorbic acid - about 100 mg per 100 g of fresh leaves. Contains bactericidal substances.

Cultivation of

Decorative hyssop makes it possible to use it for decoration of a garden plot. This is taken into account when choosing a landing location. Hyssop is not very demanding for the conditions of growth. Drought-resistant, winter-sheltered - it hibernates well in conditions of the middle belt and more northern areas. It grows well on different soils, especially on sunny, moderately humid areas with calcareous, well drained soils. Propagated by seeds and vegetatively: by dividing bushes and stem cuttings. It is good to place the hyssop after the crops, under which organic fertilizers were intensively applied, do not contribute directly to the hyssop manure. On heavy soils under autumn digging you can make peat, as well as full mineral fertilizer. Seedlings, cuttings, parts of the bush are planted with a distance between the rows of 45-70 and 20-40 cm between the plants in a row. The same area of ​​plant nutrition is left in seed propagation. Sow at a depth of 0.3-0.5 cm. During the summer, grooming consists in loosening the soil, weeding, especially in the first year, as the plant blooms only in the second year and in watering during the dry period. Grows on one place until 6 years.

Collection of

Grass and flowering tops are cut twice a season. Even with careful drying, the fragrance loses, so you should use mostly young and fresh leaves.

Medicinal properties of

The healing properties of hyssop were noted in ancient times. In the "Canon of Medical Science" Avicenna pointed to him as a remedy for the treatment of many pulmonary diseases. And until now, in folk medicine, hyssop is used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, asthma, chronic gastritis and as a remedy for sweating. Decoction of hyssop washed eyes and rinse the mouth with inflammatory processes. Hyssop is also recommended for increasing appetite, normalizing the work of the gastrointestinal tract, stimulating digestion. From hyssop prepare tonic drinks for the elderly. The color of the flowers is divided into three main varieties of hyssop - Blue, Pink and White. The most common variety is Blue.

Application

Has a tart spicy taste, pleasant characteristic odor of camphor. Used in the manufacture of medicines, tooth elixirs and rinses. In pharmaceuticals from hyssop medicinal they make galenic preparations - decoctions, teas, extracts and get essential oil. Hyssop is also used in the production of liqueurs. An important place is occupied by hyssop in dietary nutrition. It is used in the preparation of tender fried veal, which gives a tart spicy taste. Many people like to add hyssop to stuffed eggs and sausages. Suitable for cooking roast pork, stew, beef from beef, bean soups and potatoes and marinades. A good taste is given by the hyssop to the tunnels prepared from the bird's liver according to the usual recipes with the addition of 2-3 leaves of hyssop. The dishes in which the quenelles are cooked should not be covered. Hyssop improves the taste of salads from fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Fans of cottage cheese can be recommended to sprinkle it or mix it with a finely chopped fresh hyssop.

RECIPE

Pork chops with hyssop leaves

Cutlets cut off, rubbed with fresh hyssop leaves, rubbed with garlic and black pepper, folded and held for several hours in the cold. Then add salt and bake on a grate over charcoal. Serve with salad.