Vervain, Blue Herb Powder (Verbena Officinalis)

Description ShareTweetPinLinkedInPrintEmail Blue Vervain Herb Powder (Verbena Officinalis) HERB COMMON NAME :  Vervain (Blue) HERB SCIENTIFIC NAME :  Verbena Officinalis OTHER NAMES :  Ma Bian Cao, American Blue Vervain, Blue Vervain, Herb of Grace, Herb of the Cross, Herba Veneris, Simpler’s Joy, Swamp Verbena, Vervain, Wild Hyssop, Wild Vervain, Druid’s Weed, Enchanter’s Plant, Enchanter’s Herb, Herb of Enchantment, Herba Sacra, Vervan, Van Van, Ferfaen, Verbein, Verbena, Verbinaca, Dragon’s Claw, Tears of Isis, Juno’s Tears, Herba Veneris (herb of Venus), Persephonion, Demetria, Mercury’s Moist Blood, Peristerium, Sagmina, Pigeon Grass, Pigeonwood, Frog-foot, Altar Plant, Herbe Sacrée, Holy Plant, Holy Herb, Brittanica, the tresses of Taliesin FAMILY :  Verbenaceae Element: Water Planet: Venus Day: Friday Direction: West Zodiac Sign: Gemini Chakra: 7th Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) Energy: Yin Gender: Feminine Rune: Hagalaz Tarot: the Magician tarot Spirit Animal: spider, elephant, cat, raven Candle Color: black, white, light blue, purple, orange Sabbat or Holiday: Litha / Midsummer / Midsommer / the Summer Solstice (btw. June 19-24) ; Beltane / Walpurgis (April 30 – May 1) ; Samhain (Oct 31 – Nov 1) ; the New Moon phase Deity or God / Goddess Association: Cerridwen, Demeter, Diana, Epona, Isis, Juno, Persephone, Venus, Hermes, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Thor, Aphrodite, Aradia, Galahad, Horus, Ra, Zeus, Arianrhod, Hecate, Ishtar, Circe, Morgana, Medea   Parts Used:  Herb (Aerial parts) Description:  The word Vervain comes from the Celtic term ferfaen meaning “to drive away stones” as it was believed to be a helpful treatment for kidney stones. The Dakota name for Blue Vervain translates as the word “medicine”, and the Omaha and Ponca name translates as “herb medicine”. Hippocrates recommended Vervain for fever and plague.  The court physician to Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great prescribed it for tumors of the throat (probably goiters).  His fanciful prescription advised cutting Vervain into two pieces, tying one around the patient’s throat and hanging the other over a fire.  As the heat and smoke shriveled the hanging root, the tumor was supposed to shrink. During the Middle Ages, Vervain became a popular acne remedy.  Those with pimples stood outside at night holding a handful of the herb wrapped in cloth over their pimples and the blemishes were supposed to disappear. From acne, Vervain evolved into a treatment for other skin problems. Seventeenth-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper wrote: “The leaves bruised, or the juice mixed with vinegar, does wonderfully to cleanse the skin, and take away morphew (dandruff).” Culpeper also recommended Vervain to treat jaundice, gout, cough, wheezing, bleeding gums, shortness of breath, fever and kidney stones. Blue Vervain is edible and used in herbalism. Vervain had many uses in Native American culture as food and medicine. The seed are edible when roasted and are ground into a powder and used as a pile (an Indian flour). In modern herbalism, Blue Vervain leaves and roots have been used for diarrhea, congestion, pleurisy, headache, fevers caused by malaria, to induce sweating and vomiting, to destroy and expel parasitic worms, to stimulate menstruation, to heal wounds (as a poultice applied to eczema and sores), and as a sedative and mild pain reliever. The infusion has also been used to help pass kidney stones and for bladder and urinary tract infections. A topical infusion of Vervain has been used as a hair tonic, usually mixed with Rosemary. Blue Vervain is believed to help digestion by increasing secretion of saliva, HCl, pancreatic enzymes, bile secretion and gall bladder contractility, and intestinal motility. Verbena acts as a mild laxative and improves detox. The herb has been used to ease irritated and depressed states, toning and strengthening the whole nervous system while relaxing any tension or stress. It can be used to ease depression and sadness, especially when this follows illness. Vervain makes a relaxing bedtime tea. Historical Uses:  kidney stones, sedative, sleeplessness, insomnia, diarrhea, congestion, pleurisy, headache, fevers caused by malaria, induce sweating, induce vomiting, destroy and expel parasitic worms, stimulate menstruation, amenorrhea, menstrual problems, heal wounds, eczema, sores, helps stop bleeding, mild pain relief, bladder infection, urinary tract infection, digestion, laxative, detox, cleanse, relaxation, nervousness, depression, stress, sadness, increase breast milk supply, hair loss, baldness, alopecia, dandruff Mystical Attributes:  In Egyptian mythology, Vervain grew from the tears of Isis, Goddess of fertility, as she grieved for her murdered brother-husband, Osiris.  A thousand years later, Vervain entered Christian mythology as the herb pressed into Christ’s wounds to staunch his bleeding on the cross at cavalry, hence its name “herb of the cross”. The Romans spread Vervain throughout Europe, where it became especially popular among the Druids of pre-Christian England, who used it in magick spells, hence its name “enchanter’s herb”. Vervain is considered an herb of the Norns in the Northern Tradition, an all-purpose powerful herb for protection, exorcism of spirits, healing, peacefulness, and vows of chastity. Vervain is used in divination, helping one to access the knowledge in the Old Norse Well of Wyrd (Urõarbrunnr) to understand the fate of a person. Vervain is employed as a visionary herb by being made into an infusion to fill scrying vessels or as a wash for divinatory tools.  The herb also helps enhance divination by clearing the mind, centering the spirit, and enhancing psychic ability. Priests used Vervain for sacrifices, and hence the name Herba Sacra. The name Verbena was the classical Roman name for ’altar-plants’ in general, it was used in various rites and incantations, and employed by magicians and sorcerers. Vervain combined with any other herbs in magickal work is believed by some to enhance the action of these herbs. This Old World herb was a favorite of the Druids, who gathered Vervain when the Dog Star, Sirius, was on the rise, in the dark of the Moon. The Druids utilized Vervain in divination, consecration, and ritual cleansing of sacred spaces. They made a magical drink called the Cauldron of Cerridwen (a shapeshifter) that some say included rowan berries, sea water, lesser celandine, flixweed, and vervain, which brought the drinker creative energy for bardic song and prophecy; a drink made from Vervain is still said to help poets in their work. The Celts called Vervain “the tresses of Taliesin,” after the famous mythic bard who received his magical powers from the goddess Cerridwen. Vervain boosts creativity, artistic inspiration, and skill in artistic performance. A Vervain tea at bedtime is believed to bring clear and tranquil dreams, as well as prevent nightmares. Vervain is also still used to make a drink for initiating into Druidic paths. It is fragrant and can be drunk as a tea or burned as an incense. Vervain was once infused in wine and worn on the body to ward off the stings of insects and serpents. The Vervain plant may be bruised and worn about the neck for protection from both headaches and snakebites. This charm is also said to bring help to you when you need it, no matter how dire your situation. A fresh sprig carried on your person helps protect from baneful magick spells cast against you. An herb of evasion, Vervain can aid in escaping one’s enemies and avoiding detection as it brings qualities of shape-shifting and invisibility to the aura.  Spells of obscuration and hiding, whether of living things, places, or objects, fall under the shared rule of Saturn and Venus, based in concealment and glamour. Vervain may be planted or placed around your property to protect it from damage by bad weather. King Solomon cleansed the Temple with Vervain, and the Romans placed it on altars in honor of Venus and Diana. A lustral water can be made from Vervain for purifying ritual tools. Vervain may be burned as an offering or infused into water and sprinkled on the altar for purification. In Hellenic rituals, the plants may be bundled and used to sweep the altar or ritual area or dipped into sacred water to asperge the altar or ritual area. Combine Vervain with Dill in a wash to rid an area or person of negative energies. It is also used in the bath as a protection from enchantments and to make dreams come true. Wearing or bathing in Vervain places one under the influence of Diana. A bath with Vervain can help the bather prepare for ritual work. After washing your hands in the infusion, it will be possible to engender love in the one you touch. When made into a wash, it is used on the hands before performing love spells for added power. Vervain may be used in love spells to rekindle a dying love. It may also be woven into bridal wreaths or carried in bridal bouquets to ensure love to the couple. In Iroquois witchcraft medicine, a cold infusion of smashed leaves was used to make an obnoxious person leave. A fairy herb, Vervain has been used in rites to summon and honor the fae and nature spirits. Drinking a tea made of Vervain is said to ward off vampires. Contact with Vervain (especially when mixed with holy water) will burn and weaken a vampire, and substantial amounts can badly wound or kill them. Use a mixture of Vervain, Garlic flowers, Wolf’s Bane, and Hawthorn blossoms to deter vampires and keep them from entering. In the British Isles, people held Vervain over the Beltane fire to protect their livestock and strewed it over their fields at Summer Solstice to make sure they would be fertile. Nowadays, Pagans strew it over their gardens for the same reason. A Vervain plant buried in the garden will bring abundant crops. Burying Vervain around your house and in your house plants will bring wealth and help the plants thrive. The leaves may be burned to attract wealth. When praying to the Gods and Goddess for release from fears, light a candle surrounded with Vervain daily and speak your prayer aloud as many times as you need. As a ritual for youth and beauty, on the night of the full moon, go outside with a chalice filled with water, Vervain and salt. Take also a candle and a piece of petrified wood. Dip the petrified wood stone into the water mixture and then pass it through the candle flame. Touch the stone to your feet, hands, shoulders, and head. As you do this ask for the blessings of youth and beauty. Repeat the process seven times. In its connection with the Underworld, it can be added to a cup of wine drunk on Samhain to aid contact with the Beloved Dead. Vervain can confer protection to the summoner when calling upon the spirits.  It is strewn around the ritual circle or triangle of manifestation.  For a similar effect it can be placed upon the altar. If wild-harvesting Vervain, do so just before flowering at the dark of the Moon, at the rising of the Dog Star Sirius, cut with your sacred Boline or Sickle, lifted in the left hand, and leave a gift like honey for the Earth. Mystical Intentions:  boosting magickal power, empowerment, power, protection from headaches, protection from snake bites, protection from evil, breaking hexes, protection from nightmares, breaking curses, home protection, protection from lightning, protection from storms, purification, consecration, asperging, ritual cleansing, blessing, cleansing negative energy, bring back a lost lover, enchanting, faithfulness / fidelity, marriage ceremonies, fae magick, protection from fae, protection from vampires, banishing, defensive magick, farming, agriculture, gardening, protection of livestock, money, fortune, prosperity, wealth, wish making, love spells, love magick, attraction, enchantment, beauty, youth, longevity, warding off unwanted visitors, creativity, artistic inspiration, calling ancestors, communicating with the dead, summoning spirits, exorcism, peace, chastity vows, divination, scrying, knowledge of fate, fae magick, fairy magick, boosting psychic power, invisibility, glamour, concealment, sanctuary, protection from enemies, dream magick, preventing nightmares Taste & Smell:  Vervain has an earthy and woodsy taste. Botany, Cultivation & Harvesting:  Blue Vervain is a North American native perennial herb, found growing along roadsides, in open sunny fields, and waste places throughout the United States and southern Canada. Butterflies and bees love it. A member of the Verbenaceae family, it is a slender, but erect, herbaceous perennial plant that grows 2-3 feet, but can reach a height of up to 5′ tall, branching occasionally in the upper half. This perennial plant prospers quite far north (zone 3) but does not like the Deep South. The green or red stems are square, sometimes with fine white hairs.  The opposite leaves are up to 6″ long and 1″ across.  They are lanceolate, serrate, conspicuously veined, and have short leaf stalks.  The margins are coarsely serrated with variably sized teeth. The upper stems terminate in a panicle of flowering spikes.  These erect spikes are up to 5″ long, and densely crossed all around with numerous small pale-lilac, violet, or reddish blue flowers. The plant is sometimes mistaken for Lilac. Each flower is a little less than 1/4″ across, and has 5 lobes flaring outward from a slender corolla tube.  There is no scent. Four reddish-brown, oblong nutlets are produced per flower.  The blooming period occurs from mid-to-late summer (typically from June to September). The root system has fibrous roots and short rhizomes. This is a great wetlands plant that blooms for a long time. Blue Vervain prefers full or partial sunlight and moist conditions, a good plant to locate near a small river or pond in a sunny location.  Found in river bottom prairies, moist meadows near floodplain woodlands, soggy thickets, borders of rivers and ponds, marshes, ditches, fence rows, and pastures.  This plant adapts readily to degraded wetlands and other disturbed areas. The soil should be moderately fertile loam or wet muck, well-drained (but moisture retentive). Stratify seeds for 2 weeks, then sow seeds or root divisions indoors in early spring.  Barely cover seeds to germinate in 14-30 days at 60-70°F (18-21°C).  Transplant the flowers to full sun by mid to late spring, spacing 12 inches apart, in light, rich soil after the seedlings get their second set of true leaves. Gather the entire plant just before flowers open if drying for later herb use. Leaves are best to harvest before flowers open. Dry leaves completely, cut into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Harvest roots in the fall, after the plant has died down. Contraindications & Toxicity: Do not use if pregnant or breast-feeding. There is evidence that Vervain may induce labor and can cause miscarriage. Because Vervain may depress heart rate, anyone with congestive heart failure history or a history of heart disease should not use it. The possibility of bronchial constriction might cause problems for asthmatics and those with other respiratory conditions. Intestinal stimulation might aggravate chronic gastrointestinal conditions, for example, colitis.   Constituents:  Iridoid glycosides (verbenalin, hastatoside, verbanaline) Caffeic acid derivatives (verabscoside) Volatile oil Mucilage Bitter substances (inc. verbenalol) Tannins Alkaloid Adenosine Aucubin Beta-carotene Citral Lupeol Ursolic-acid Verbenin     Sources: https://spiritartsandherbs.com/sources **IMPORTANT INFORMATON: Products are sold as curio items for entertainment purposes only and based upon historical and magical uses.  We do not imply or guarantee that any items provide specific abilities, powers, outcomes, remedies, or treatments. Any information provided on listings or through private conversation is intended for educational purposes only and are based on historical folklore and traditions, and should not replace the advice of a physician. 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