Summary
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a bee loving perennial. It produces a lovely lavender blue flowers and grows to 90cm.
The herbal tea made from anise hyssop produces a pleasant aniseed or Licorice mint like taste.
Bee loving plant & flower
The bees love this flower as you can see from the video above.
Background
Also known as Liquorice Mint, blue giant hyssop, Blue giant hyssop, Fragrant giant hyssop and lavender giant hyssop.
It’s name is misleading as although called hyssop it is not a hyssop (Hyssop is Hyssopus officinalis which has blue, pink or white flowers). Anise Hyssop belongs to the mint family with its square stem and opposite leaves.
How to use Anise Hyssop
The easily way to use Aniseed Hyssop is to use the leaves ( fresh or dried leaves) to make a tea. Traditional herbal use as a remedy against cough, fever and heart conditions, as well as externally in treating burns
Herbal uses include the following;
- help relieve congestion from a cold/sinus
- It is combined with licorice for respiratory infections and bronchitis as it acts as an expectorant and cough suppressant.
- apply externally as a tea or poultice for sunburn.
- it has antimicrobial and antifungal properties and useful for gastrointestinal problems (ref 1.)
references