Verbena, Vervain, Ma Bian Cao 马鞭草
Holy Herb, Pigeon’s Grass
Sacra Herba, Sideritis, Herba Sanguinalis, Columbina
Ma Bian Ca (TCM)
Iyara Butani (Unani)
Akmun-Bazan (Persian)
Ortus Sanitatis, Meydenbach, 1491
New Kreuterbuch, Matthiolus, 1563
Male Vervain (left) and Female Vervain (above)
Herbarum Vivae Eicones, Otto Brunfels, 1530
Flora von Deutschland (19), Kohler, 1884
Botanical name:
Verbena officinalis
Several different varieties are used including ‘Male’ and ‘Female’
Parts used:
Root, herb in flower
Temperature & Taste:
Neutral, dry (Salmon). Bitter, Pungent
Considered Cool in older TCM texts.
Classifications:
2D ATTENUATERS OF CONGEALED BLOOD. 2F. PURIFYING. 2T. GLUTINATE
4b. OPTHALMIC
TCM:
K. Move the Blood
Uses:
1. Clears Wind and Heat, Resists Poison, Promotes Sweat: (West, TCM)
-Colds, Flu, as well as Epidemic, Malignant and Pestilential Fevers-Sore Throat, Diphtheria
-Measles, Small Pox, other Eruptive Fevers
-various Fevers including Intermittent and Malarial Fevers; Gerard said it is of “singular force against the Tertian and Quartan fevers”.
-chronic Malaria (TCM)
-“The wine in which the root and leaves have been soaked, and drunk, cures Fevers”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-Abscesses, Toxic Sores, Gingivitis
-various Poisons, but especially against Venomous bites.
-“Its juice, drunk in wine, removes Poison from the body”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“Decoction of the Leaves drunk, is held to be very good against the Bitings of Serpents and venomous Beasts, for the Plague or Pestiience, and against both Tertian and Quartan Agues”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
2. Clears Heat and Toxin, Resolves Swellings: (West, TCM):
-abscess of the Breast, Mastitis, Scrofula
-Cholecystitis, Jaundice, abdominal Tumors, Hepatitis, Liver Cirrhosis, Ascites and Splenomegaly
-Cancer, including of the Liver and Ovaries.
-“The root, drunk in wine, helps Scrofula”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“good for dissolving hard mass”. (Ben Cao Gang Mu)
3. Moves the Blood, Promotes Menstruation: (West, TCM)
-“Excellent for the Womb” (Culpeper); used for Amenorrhea and Dysmenorrhea.
-promote Labor, taken in wine-promote Fertility, and has traditionally been said to have Aphrodisiac qualities.
-during Menopause to relieve symptoms
-TCM has used it for morbid Leukorrhea.
-“Verbena boiled in water cleanses the vagina of women, stimulates menstruation, if they drink the decoction”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“eliminates swelling of the male genitalia” (Li Shi Zhen)
4. Clears Wind, Calms the Liver, Moves the Blood:
-specific for Headaches; used for Tension Headaches, Liver Headaches, Headaches from Blood Stagnation and Migraines
-Toothache, Facial Neuralgia
-calms and promotes rest in Insomnia and is effective for Depression and Nervousness.
-Traditionally used for Epilepsy, Apoplexy, Paralysis and Insanity.
-“Its principal use is in the Pain and other Affections of the Head from cold Humours”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
-“causes a good Colour in the Face and Body”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
5. Kills Worms: (West, TCM)
-kills and expels Worms.
-“kills and expels Worms in the Belly”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
6. Promotes Urine, Clears Gravel and Stones: (West, TCM)
-nephritic Edema, Oliguria.
-Gout, Gravel and Stones.
-used as an auxiliary for Diabetes
-“drunk in a potion, it is used for Stones”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“notably wafts and expels the Stone”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
7. Clears Phlegm and Heat, Stops Cough and Wheezing: (West, TCM)
-heat-types of Coughs including Whooping Cough;
-Wheezing, shortness of Breath, Asthma
-‘Lung Ulcers’, Spitting of Blood, Pneumonia and Consumption.
8. Externally:
-poultices or plasters for Headache, Toothache, Rheumatic pain
-“For headache. Verbena herb, made into a crown and placed on the head, will relieve headache”, (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“Vervain laid under the Head or Pillow, or made into a Plaister with very sour Ferment and Oil of Roses, eases the Pain of the Head occasioned by drinking”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
-topically to move the Blood, ease Pain, and clear Bruising
-poultices, plasters, compress and washes for Sprains, Swellings, Sores, Wounds, Abscesses, Boils, Skin Inflammations and Tumors.
-“For recent Wounds. Verbena herb, crushed with butter, is placed on the wound”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-applied with honey to Ulcers of the Leg
-gargle for Sores and Ulcers of the Mouth and Throat.
-“a dram of leaves infused in wine for four days, and then the Mouth rinsed with it, it cures Ulcers of the Mouth”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“breaks up the crusts of the Tonsils with wine, and when gargled, it stops Ulcers”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“Verbena, crushed in a mortar, applied to Wounds, dries and heals”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“useful for moist, flowing wounds, and for inveterate Ulcers”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-ointment with Lard is applied to pain and swelling of the Genitals, especially in women.
-fresh herb is stamped with Oil of Roses and vinegar and applied to stop Falling Hair. The juice has been massaged into the scalp for all
-diseases of the hair including baldness and thinning.
-decoction or distilled water as as eye drops for weak, red, sore Eyes, and poor Eyesight.
-Herb mixed with Vinegar and used as a wash clears the skin of all freckles, spots and discoloration.
Dose:
INFUSION or BRIEF DECOCTION: 3–9 grams, up to 15 or 20 grams daily. In TCM, up to 30 grams is sometimes used in Decoction in stubborn or severe conditions, and 60–150 grams of the fresh herb is decocted for use in Malaria;
TINCTURE (1:5 in 40% alcohol): 2–5, 7, to 10 mls, up to 12 or 15 mls, 2–3 times daily;
FLUID EXTRACT (25%): 1–4 mls;
POWDER: 500mg–3 or 4 grams.
Used externally in washes, baths, plasters, poultices, enemas, douches etc.
Main Combinations:
Heat and Poison:
1. Fever:
i. Vervain with Willow bark
ii. Vervain with China root, Bitter Orange, Cinnamon (Inverni)
iii. “Whoever suffers from a Tertian Fever (Fever every 3 days), should take three roots of Verbena, so many leaves, and those together, soaked in wine for a night, will quickly repel that fever. As soon as the patient feels cold, he should drink the wine. In the same way, a person suffering from a Quartan Fever (Four-day Fever) should take the roots and so many leaves”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
2. Spotted Fevers, Small Pox, Vervain with Sage, Safflower, Peppermint, Pitchers Plant, Calendula (The Medical Herbalist)
3. Scarlet Fever, Vervain with Ground Ivy, Sage, Centaury
4. Viral Infections, Vervain with Rue, Plantain, Sage, Wormwood, Balm, Betony, Centaury, St. John’s Wort (as in Powder Against Rabies)
5. Malaria, decoct 30 grams of Vervain and take 2–4 hours before the Malarial Fever. (TCM)
Head / Wind diseases:
6. Headache, Migraine:
i. Vervain with Betony
ii. Vervain with Betony, Feverfew, Balm, St Johns wort
iii. Vervain with Betony, Horehound and Hyssop
7. Epilepsy, Vervain with Peony (Albertus)
Gynecology:
8. Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea:
i. Vervain, Motherwort (Yi Mu Cao), Cyperus rotundus Xiang Fu
ii. Vervain with Motherwort, Pennyroyal, Mugwort, Balm (as in Decoction for the Womb)
Swellings / Tumors:
9. Abscesses and Hard Swellings, Vervain boiled in vinegar and applied (Pliny)
10. Breast Swellings, Vervain with Agrimony and Betony (The Physicians of Myddvai)
11. Strumas [Scrofula/Goiters] and Parotids. “Verbena herb, crushed and applied, cures miraculously. Verbena herb juice is given to drink, boiled with wine, honey, and water, and immediately cures”,
12. Abdominal Masses, Vervain with Zedoary (E Zhu), Sparganium San Leng (TCM)
Urinary:
13. Edema: Vervain with Peony seed
14. Diabetes from Heat, Vervain with Nettle root and Caraway (as in Decoction for Diabetes from Heat)
15. Stones:
i. “For Calculi, Verbena root crushed with the best honey, given lukewarm, will quickly cure Calculi”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
ii. Betony, Vervain, Yarrow (Pliny)
16. Ascites, Vervain with Artemisia anomala Liu Ji Nu, Lobelia chinensis Ban Bian Lian (TCM)
Other:
17. Anemia, Chlorosis, Vervain with Chicory, Dandelion, Shepherds Purse, Centuary, Walnut leaf (Finsterwalder)
18. Liver Pain: “For pain in the Liver. Verbena herb picked at the solstice, reduced to powder, and give 5 spoonfuls to a strong man, taken with three cups of the best wine, it is believed to work wonderfully”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
19. Jaundice with spleen congestion, Vervain with Veronica, Wormwood, Agrimony, Horsetail, Chicory, Dandelion (Görgens)
20. Ulcers and Abscesses, Vervain with Dandelion and Violet
21. Trauma, Bruising:
i. Vervain, Myrrh (Mo Yao), Frankincense (Ru Xiang), Safflower (Hong Hua) (TCM)
ii. Vervain with Tormentil, Comfrey, Shilajit, Wintergreen, St. Johns wort (as in Universal Vulnerary Decoction)
22. Poor and Weak Eyesight:
i. The distilled water dropped into the eyes removes all films, clouds, and improves the sight
ii. “The seed of this plant, tempered with the juice of Fennel, and instilled into the Eyes, clarifies them”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
iii. Vervain with Celandine, Eyebright, Aloe and Zinc oxide as eye drops (Riverius)
iv. Vervain with Senna, Fennel, Betony, Eyebright, Rosemary (as in Powder to Cleanse the Sight)
Major Formulas:
Betony Infusion Compound
Decoction for the Womb
Decoction for Diabetes from Heat
Decoction to Cleanse the Sight (Riverius)
Powder Against Rabies
Powder to Cleanse the Sight
Powder Against Rabies
Universal Vulnerary Decoction
Water of Emperor Frederick for the Sight
Cautions:
1. Not used during Pregnancy
2. Use cautiously in weak and blood-deficient patients.
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Water of the Herb, Ointment of Vervain
Click the above Tabs for more information on this medicine
“Since it possesses so many Virtues and noble Qualities, what Wonder is it that it was in so much Honour of old, as to deserve the Appellation of Herba Sacra [Sacred Herb]?” (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
Dioscorides:
“It is a plant the twigs of which are about one or more cubits long, angular, covered with sparse leaves like the leaves of the Oak, except that they are smaller and finer, with dentate edges, and of a flavour not exactly sweet. Its root is longish and thin. Both the root and the leaves are good against the bites of Insects when drunk with wine, or when applied locally; and against Jaundice and chronic phlegmatic swellings.
When macerated in water and sprinkled about where people are drinking (wine) it makes them very sociable and pleasant. It is so called because it is used in purifications when hung on the walls. The name means “the sacred” or “the priestly plant”.
From HERBARIUM of APULEIUS.
i. For Wounds and Carbuncles and Glandular Swellings
ii. Again, for kernels or Glandular Swellings
iii. For those that have obstructed veins so that the blood cannot have its natural course, and for those that may not retain their food.
iv. For sore of Liver
v. For the infirmity in which Stones grow in the Bladder
vi. For Head sore (Headache)
vii. For bite of Snakes
viii. For bite of attorcrop (type of flying insect)
ix. For bite of Mad Dog
x. For new Wounds
xi. For bite of Adder
(Herbarium of Apuleius c. 1050, taken out of Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England, Rev. O. Cockayne, 1864)
GENERAL / REVIEW
–Verbena officinalis (Common Vervain) – A Review on the Investigations of This Medicinally Important Plant Species.
–[Studies on the chemical constitutents in herb of Verbena officinalis].
ANTIBACTERIAL
–Investigating In Vitro Antibacterial Activities of Medicinal Plants Having Folkloric Repute in Ethiopian Traditional Medicine.
–Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Three Essential Oils Extracted from Mediterranean Aromatic Plants.
–Chemistry, antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of volatile oils and their components.
ANTIFUNGAL
–Antioxidant and antifungal activity of Verbena officinalis L. leaves.
ANTIOXIDANT
–Chemistry, antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of volatile oils and their components.
–Antioxidant and antifungal activity of Verbena officinalis L. leaves.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
–Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of the topical preparation of Verbena officinalis L.
–Antiinflammatory activity and chemical composition of extracts of Verbena officinalis.
–Anti-inflammatory activity of leaf extract of Verbena officinalis L.
ANALGESIC
–Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of the topical preparation of Verbena officinalis L.
GINGIVITIS
–Short-term effects of Verbena officinalis Linn decoction on patients suffering from chronic generalized gingivitis: Double-blind randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial.
DIARRHEA
–Evaluation of the Antispasmodic and Antisecretory Activities of the 80% Methanol Extracts of Verbena officinalis L: Evidence From In Vivo Antidiarrheal Study.
HEPATOPROTECTIVE
–Differential effect of herbal tea extracts on free fatty acids-, ethanol- and acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in FL83B hepatocytes.
CARDIOPROTECTIVE
–Cardioprotection against experimental myocardial ischemic injury using cornin.
STROKE
–Cornin increases angiogenesis and improves functional recovery after stroke via the Ang1/Tie2 axis and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
NEUROPROTECTIVE
–Novel neuroprotective effects of the aqueous extracts from Verbena officinalis Linn.
SEDATIVE
–Anticonvulsant, Anxiolytic, and Sedative Activities of Verbena officinalis.
ANTICONVULSANT
–Anticonvulsant Effects of Aerial Parts of Verbena officinalis Extract in Mice: Involvement of Benzodiazepine and Opioid Receptors.
–Anticonvulsant, Anxiolytic, and Sedative Activities of Verbena officinalis.
ANXIETY
–Anticonvulsant, Anxiolytic, and Sedative Activities of Verbena officinalis.
DEPRESSION
–Evaluating the Antidepressant Effect of Verbena officinalis L. (Vervain) Aqueous Extract in Adult Rats.
ANTI-TUMOR
–Study on in-vivo anti-tumor activity of Verbena officinalis extract.
CANCER
–Verbena officinalis essential oil and its component citral as apoptotic-inducing agent in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
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