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Vervain - verbena officinalis

Family Verbenaceae


Vervain - verbena officinalis This glorious "weed" with magnificent violet pinkish blue flowers grows profusely at Middle Path. I have often thought that the flowers and stems would make an excellent addition to flower arrangements. The flower seems to be forever in bloom and lasts for such a long time after picking.

I have always known Vervain to be the most wonderful herb for treating the nervous system when a person has been under a great deal of stress. The leaves of Vervain are used fresh or dried in tea or made into a tincture.



I use Vervain as a remedy for treating:-
  • Nervous disorders
  • Colds
  • Flu
  • Excess mucus
  • Fever
  • Fits
  • Convulsions
  • Sore inflamed eyes
  • Jaundice
  • Gout
  • Obstructions of the Liver and Spleen.

from the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism:
Vervain - Verbena officinalis Vervain, like Betony, has a long and well-documented history of association with the magic and sorcery of the Celtic and Germanic people of Europe. It also seems to have been considered sacred by the Greeks and Romans however, being known as "Herba sacra and "Herba veneris. Not surprisingly for a herb with alleged magical properties, Vervain was used in numerous complaints and it became an official drug. By 1830, however, Geiger stated that in Germany it was seldom used. It still has a place in folk medicine.

Vervain - Verbena officinalis
span class="headquote">Description Perennial 35-80 cm tall, glabrous or nearly so, on erect, ribbed, angular stem; loosely branched and only sparsely leafy. Leaves petiolate, ovate, some pinnatifid, to 6 cm long. Flowers small, lilac, at the tips of long stalks. Appearing summer to late autumn.

Distribution Native to the mediterranian region; established elsewhere. On roadsides, wasteland, on nutrient-rich soils to 1500 m altitude.

Cultivation Wild. Propagated from seed sown in spring. Requires full sun.



Constituents Mucilage; tannins; saponins; essential oil; verbenaloside; the glycosides, verbenaline and verbenine; unknown sub- stances.

Uses (dried flowering plant) Tonic; astringent; diuretic; diaphoretic; galactagogue; emmenagogue; vulnerary; antispasmodic.

Used in the treatment of nervous complaints such as depression, and with other remedies in chronic skin complaints. Considered to have a specific benefit to the uterus, but this is un-substantiated.

Used externally to treat wounds.




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This document (middlepath.com.au/plant/vervain.php) was last updated on Monday June 16th 2008  ||  email


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