Vervain Lore

Verbena Officinalis

Also, Known As:

• Herb-of-the-cross
• Ma Bian Cao
• Pigeon’s Grass
• Verbena
• Vervain

The ancient Romans held all species of the vervain in admiration and used the ‘sacred’ herb to sanitize their homes and temples. In addition, they knew several therapeutic advantages of the herb and used it to treat numerous disorders. Incidentally, despite its multi-purpose use, the vervain is a commonly growing herb that does not appear to be different from many other plants. In ancient times, remedies prepared with the herb were often used to cure snakebite and diarrhea. At the same time, the root of vervain was chewed by people with a view to strengthening their teeth and gums. Interestingly, the herb served to diverse purposes – a love potion for the medieval witches and a substance to cure people of the influence of the ominous spell cast by these witches. In fact, vervain also finds a…