Lemon Verbena: Magical Properties & Uses

Lemon verbena is primarily a herb of love workings and psychic clarity: it draws love that is also friendship and mutual admiration, and it clears the mind for divination and psychic work. Where heavier love herbs draw passion, lemon verbena draws the kind of love that begins with genuine liking and grows from there. In divination it sharpens the mind and dispels the dullness that can prevent clear reception. In purification workings it lifts the spirits rather than conducting a serious clearing: it is the herb for when what is needed is not a deep cleanse but a refresh. In protection workings it specifically guards against psychic intrusion and the misdirection of one's attention and intention.

Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) makes an excellent herbal tea with a clean lemon flavour and mild sedative properties. Medicinally it has been used for anxiety, insomnia, and digestive complaints in South American and European herbal traditions. It has demonstrated antioxidant and mild anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory studies. There is some evidence for its use in reducing oxidative stress after exercise, making it of interest in sports nutrition. It is generally considered safe; some people develop contact sensitivity to the essential oil. The tea is gentle and well-tolerated.

Venus

Bright, citrus-sharp, and delicate: lemon verbena is the love herb of clear minds and clear dreams. Native to South America, it came to Europe with the Spanish in the 17th century, where it was immediately absorbed into herbal medicine and magical practice. The Victorians used it extensively in potpourri and the language of flowers associates it with enthusiasm and the pure enchantment of something entirely new. In Spanish folk tradition it was used in love magic and carried for luck. A few leaves beneath the pillow are said to turn the sleeper's dreams toward the desired outcome; the dried herb in a sachet draws love with a lightness and clarity that heavier herbs lack.