Blue Vervain

(Verbena hastata)

Other Names:
American vervain, Swamp verbena, Verbena

Range:


Family:
Verbenaceae - Verbena Family

Growth Type:
Herbaceous perennial

Height:
Can grow to approximately 5ft in height

Leaves:
Simple, lance shaped, coarsley serrated leaves, arraigned opposite along the stems. They are conspicuously veined, and have short petioles.

Stem/Trunk:
Slender, erect, branching, square stems, that are green to reddish in color. they will sometimes have hairs.

Root:
Fibrous rhizome

Flower Season:
Summer

Flower Appearance:
Multiple Small, purple, 5 petaled, flowers borne in panicles of flowering spike at the top of the stems. the base of the individual flower is tube shaped.

Seed/Fruit:
Each flower will ripen to four tiny nutlets

Miscellaneous characteristics:
This plant will often grow in large colonies.

Habitat:
This plant loves to have its feet wet. It grows in sunny locations along rivers and streams, as well as along pond and lake margins. It is also frequently found in river bottoms, and moist flood lands.

Parts Used:
Aerial parts of the plant

Culinary Uses:
None known

Energetics
Taste: Bitter
Thermal: Cooling
Humidity: Drying

The following text is meant for informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness or injury. Always consult with a physician or other qualified medical care provider concerning the diagnosis and treatment of any illness or injury.

Medicinal Uses:
Verbena has been used to treat Angina, Anxiety, Asthma, Arthritis, Bloating, Depression, Flatulent Dyspepsia, Gastritis, Gastroenteritis, Gout, Hypertension, Mycosis, and Tuberclulosis. This highly medicinal plant truly shines as a nerve tonic. It has been used to treat depression, and anxiety. It can be used to help stave off anxiety and nervousness as well as treating acute bouts. A sedative and diaphoretic in the early stages of simple viral infections.

Medicinal Actions:
Antiasthmatic, Antimicrobial, Anxiolytic, Bitter, Cardiac, Nervine, Tonic: Cardiac, Tonic: Nerve