Vervain: The Medicinal Plant that Should be Part of Your Apothecary

In this article, I will introduce the Vervain plant, which is a legendary herb used worldwide.

Many plants may look the same in just one glance – from their leaves structures to how their stems grow in equal size.

This will give you a hard time differentiating and distinguishing the differences of each plant. Thus, it can lead to terrible mistakes when you use the wrong herbal plant as an alternative medication for certain health problems. For this reason, you have to be accurate in recognizing which is which to avoid accidentally using the wrong ingredients and dosage.

Since there are a lot of herbal medicines you can use for specific illnesses, you need to know how to use each plant and the step-by-step guide on how to prepare each herb. 

How to Identify Vervain

Vervain is a sacred plant in ancient civilization. It is also a commonly used herb for numerous health conditions.

In modern times, this plant is cultivated mostly in Asian and Western countries because of its known health benefits and uses. So, if you are planning to grow this herb in your garden, you just need to find a place with full to partial sunlight that can pass through and limey soil.  You can even use a container to plant Vervain! But you have to know that this plant can only grow from 30 cm to 2 meters tall.

The question is, how are you going to differentiate Vervain from other plants?

• Leaves – The leaves are dark green, oblong in shape, and rough to touch. The margins are saw-like and strongly veined.
• Flowers – The flowers of Vervain are pencil-like spikes with patches of blue to purple colors circling the stem. There are also cases when it produces lavender to white color flowers. However, this is considered to be rare. Vervain flowers don’t emit scent regardless of how beautiful they are.
• Stems – Vervain has a unique 4-angled stem, which sometimes consists of fine white hairs.
• Roots – The roots are fibrous and were used by the Aztecs as diuretics in the past.

What Are The Uses And Benefits Of Vervain?

It is claimed that vervain consists of numerous compounds that are the catalyst for its healing properties.

This herbal plant worker contains the following compounds:

• Iridoid glycosides – give an anti-inflammatory effect to the body.
• Flavonoids – help prevent diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, antioxidants, anti-allergy, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral properties.
• Triterpenoids – it may protect your liver, contain antioxidant properties, reduce histamine response, and reduce inflammation.

The above properties of vervain are beneficial to health.

Vervain has many uses in health and wellness, such as:

1. Respiratory Problems
2. Detox
3. Improves your body health
4. Helps relieve insomnia and anxiety
5. Alleviates stress
6. Improves nerve health
7. Treats PMS Syndrome
8. Gets rid of depression
9. Relieves headache caused by stress or anxiety
10. Acts as a muscle relaxant
11. Treats colds and fever
12. Boosts Gum Health
    

Making Your Own Vervain Home Remedies

If you are planning to make your homemade herbal medicine using vervain you can try these simple recipes at home.

Vervain Tea

In a cup, add 1-2 tsp of vervain leaves and flowers and pour over boiling water. Steep for 5-10 minutes. Vervain can be bitter so steeping time may vary depending on how you want it to taste. Strain the leaves and enjoy your tea!

You may opt to add natural sweeteners for taste. Drink 2 to 3 cups a day, but for no longer than a week.

Topical Application

For insect bites and wounds, take a handful of fresh leaves. Clean the leaves with water and dry. Crush the leaves into a pulp, and apply as skin lotion directly into the affected area. Make sure that you have cleaned the wound with soap and water before application.

Another option is to soak a clean cloth in a more saturated vervain tea and apply it directly to your skin. This will expedite the healing process of your wound.

Precautions:

Regardless of how beneficial this plant is, please keep in mind that you have to be cautious when using it.

• Consult your doctor before using vervain, and discontinue if you experience sudden symptoms like itchiness, nausea and vomiting, skin redness, and difficulty breathing. These symptoms indicate that you are allergic to vervain content.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women should inform their doctors before taking Vervain to avoid miscarriage and lactation problems.

The blooming season for vervain is from late spring to late summer, lasting for two months. Most of its parts are edible and have been used externally and internally to treat wounds and illnesses.

Vervain is a valuable plant that should be included in the list of natural alternative medicine to use.

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