一年生草本。莖稍木質(zhì)化，分枝柔軟，有芳香氣味。葉廣卵形，先端鈍圓，淺綠色，對生。圓錐花序頂生或腋生。小堅(jiān)果圓球形。種子棕色。花期夏初。

唇形科(Lamiaceae)一年生芳香草本植物，學(xué)名為Satureia hortensis。乾葉及開花的頂端部分可作多種食物(尤其是禽類及填餡)佐料，在德國稱為豆草。乾葉綠棕色，味芳香帶有溫和辛辣味。原產(chǎn)於南歐，栽培于許多氣候區(qū)，特別是法國和西班牙。古希臘人及古羅馬人將香薄荷與百里香摻合用於野味及填餡的調(diào)味。凱撒時(shí)代，羅馬人把香薄荷帶入英格蘭，殖民者再把它帶到美洲。在美國很受歡迎。約含1％的香精油，主要成分是香芹酚(C10H14O)。山地香薄荷(S. montana, 即冬香薄荷或矮香薄荷)，是一種冬季開花的矮小亞灌木，作為調(diào)味料與夏季開花的上述種相差無幾。（中國進(jìn)出口網(wǎng)）

Savory is a perennial herb native to warm temperate regions of southern Europe. It is a semi-evergreen, semi woody sub shrub growing to over 230 cm tall. The leaves are opposite, oval-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long and 5 mm broad. The flowers are Pink. Winter savory has been purported to have antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, and digestive benefits. It has also been used as an expectorant and in the treatment of stings. The plant has a stronger action than the closely related summer savory. A sprig of the plant, rubbed onto bee or wasp stings, brings instant relief. The plant is harvested in the summer when in flower and can be used fresh or dried. The essential oil forms an ingredient in lotions for the scalp in cases of incipient baldness. An ointment made from the plant is used externally to relieve arthritic joints.