Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
--Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1662)
Asperge me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor
--Anthem at Sprinkling the Holy Water in the Mass in Latin
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Hyssop
(Hyssopus officinalis)
This aromatic perennial of the mint family is probably native to Europe. Through the years, it has been popularly used for soups, in salads, to make teas for chest ailments and poultices for bruises. Richard Le Strange's A History of Herbal Plants (13th century) mentions that religious orders used hyssop oil to flavor soups and sauces. It's not certain that hyssop is the plant referred to in 1st Kings 4:33, Psalms 51:7, and John 19:29--but true it is that hyssop was used in religious painting to symbolize humility.
On the other hand, here's a cheering recipe from the cook to the Duke of Bolton in 1723: A Water to Cause an Excellent Colour and Complexion--Drink six spoonsful of the juice of Hyssop in warm Ale in a Morning and fasting (The Receipt Book of John Nott). The oil of hyssop is also used in liqueurs and perfumes to this day.
Finally, good friend Suzanne Goldthorp tells the story that the inventor of the Christmas candy cane specifically used mint flavoring (a form of hyssop) "to remind us that Jesus' blood washes us clean from sin."