Verbena

Drops

Family: Verbenaceae

Species: Verbena officinalis L.

Habitat: Meadows, uncultivated places, rubble.

Part used: Flowering plant.

Harvest period: late spring-summer.

Perennial herbaceous plant up to 100 cm tall. with rough, quadrangular stem, woody at the base branched in the upper part. The lower leaves are opposite, oblong, narrowing into a short petiole. The medians are larger, trilobed, with the central segment more developed than the 2 lateral ones, the latter being oblong, linear and toothed. The cauline leaves are sessile, lanceolate, toothed or whole and gradually reduce. All the leaves are leathery, gray-green, hairy and wrinkled. The flowers, from white to lilac, are collected in long spikes that form a panicle at the armpit of the small bracts.

Curiosity
Verbena derives from the Celtic "ferfaen" word composed of "fer" = "drive away" and "faen" = "stone" as the plant was used in particular for bladder problems especially stones. Others instead indicate the origin from “Herba veneris”, due to the aphrodisiac qualities attributed to the plant. Verbena was the classic Roman name for "altar plants" in general and for this species in particular, they used it for sacrifices, hence the vulgar name of "Herba Sacra".

Active principles:

Essential oils (citral, limonene, verbenone, geraniol), triterpenes (hops, sitosterol, ursolic acid), iridoids (verbenaline, verbenin, dihydrocornin, astatoside), flavonoids, saponins, mucilages, invertin, emulsin.

Internal use (hydroalcoholic solution)

Antidepressant, antineuralgic, spasmolytic, galactogenic, uterotonic properties.

Indications : depressive and melancholic states, trigeminal neuralgia, migraines, cholecystopathies, hypogalease, menopausal and menstrual cycle disorders.

Dosage : 40 drops in a little water three times a day between meals.

Herbal tea

Infused at 3%. For external use: 5% decoction.

Synergistic drugs : ALCHEMILLA, CIMICIFUGA, SALSAPARIGLIA

Warnings and side effects : do not take during pregnancy.