Absinthe "the holy trinity." Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood ("Artemisia pontica" or Roman wormwood), hyssop, melissa, star anise, angelica, peppermint, coriander, and veronica. Adding to absinthe's negative reputation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unscrupulous makers of the drink omitted the traditional colouring phase of production in favour of adding toxic copper salts to artificially induce a green tint. This practice may be responsible for some of the alleged toxicity historically associated with this beverage. Many modern day producers resort to similar (but non-deadly) shortcuts, including the use of artificial food colouring
Hyssopus (plant) giant hyssop), is a very different plant, although both are in the mint family. Anise hyssop is native to much of north-central and northern North America. The name "hyssop" can be traced back almost unchanged through the Greek ύσσωπος ("hyssopos"). The name hyssop appears in some translations of the Bible, but researchers have suggested that the Biblical accounts refer not to the plant currently known as hyssop but rather to a related herb. The Septuagint translates the name as ὕσσωπος "hyssop", and English translations of the Bible often follow this rendering. The Hebrew word אזוב ("esov" or "esob") and the