Herb library · Spice · Origanum syriacum
Syrian oregano (za'atar)
The wild oregano of Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine, the herb in za'atar, and the plant many scholars now identify as the hyssop of the Bible. It has not been studied on its own in people.
Traditional use
Khoury and colleagues (2016) record that in Lebanon mint-family herbs such as this one are eaten as food and seasoning and used in traditional medicine, mainly for digestive complaints and infections. Dafni and Böck (2019) identify it as the hyssop of the Bible, one of five plants the Bible names directly as medicine, and note that the Samaritans still use it in exactly the same way as in biblical times. Dried and mixed with sumac, sesame and salt, it is za'atar, eaten with bread and oil.
What studies show
No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.
- Insufficient
Digestion and infections: no study of this herb on its own in people was found. Its oil, rich in carvacrol and thymol, has been studied on microbes and cells in the lab, which does not show what it does in people.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteAs a food and seasoning it is part of everyday meals. Its concentrated essential oil is strong and should not be swallowed or used undiluted on skin.
- AllergyPeople allergic to oregano, thyme or other mint-family herbs may react to it.
- PregnancyCulinary amounts are food; no safety information was found for medicinal amounts or the oil in pregnancy or breastfeeding, so avoid those then.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
In scripture
Where the Bible names this plant, and which plant scholars think is meant.
You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
Dafni and Böck (2019) identify the Bible's hyssop (Hebrew ezov) as Syrian oregano, Origanum syriacum, the plant on this page, and note that the Samaritans still use it this way. Older writers such as Tristram (1898) favored the caper instead; the identification is still argued. Medicinal plants of the Bible-revisited (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2019) — PubMed record · NIH (opens in a new tab)
then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
Dafni and Böck (2019) identify the Bible's hyssop (Hebrew ezov) as Syrian oregano, Origanum syriacum, the plant on this page, citing this verse among the medicinal ones. Older writers such as Tristram (1898) favored the caper instead. Medicinal plants of the Bible-revisited (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2019) — PubMed record · NIH (opens in a new tab)
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Dafni and Böck (2019) identify the Bible's hyssop (Hebrew ezov) as Syrian oregano, Origanum syriacum, the plant on this page, citing this psalm. Older writers such as Tristram (1898) favored the caper instead. Medicinal plants of the Bible-revisited (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2019) — PubMed record · NIH (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- Origanum syriacum Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties: A Comprehensive Review (Molecules, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Origanum syriacum L. (Za'atar), from Raw to Go: A Review (2021) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Report on the Medicinal Use of Eleven Lamiaceae Species in Lebanon and Rationalization of Their Antimicrobial Potential (Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2016) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Medicinal plants of the Bible-revisited (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2019) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.