Vervain: Magical Properties & Uses

Vervain is the enchanter's plant: it adds power and potency to any working it is added to, making it among the most useful all-purpose magical herbs in the apothecary. Its primary magical uses are in protection, love, and the direct amplification of other workings. Where lavender calms and rosemary clarifies, vervain ignites: a small amount added to almost any blend increases its effectiveness. It is associated with inspiration and divination, and in Druidic tradition was specifically used to open the mind to prophetic vision. It is also strongly protective, particularly of the home and its inhabitants.

Vervain (Verbena officinalis) has been used medicinally throughout Europe since antiquity. Culpeper recommended it for liver complaints, headaches, and nervous conditions, and it has a long tradition of use as a bitter digestive tonic. In European herbal medicine it is used as a mild anxiolytic and nervine, included in several commercial herbal preparations for mild anxiety and sleep disturbance. It has demonstrated mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory studies. It should not be used in pregnancy.

Thor, Juno, Cerridwen, Isis, Aradia, Mars

Vervain is one of the three most sacred herbs of the ancient Druids: alongside meadowsweet and water mint. It was cut with an iron-free sickle at a specific phase of the moon and used in the most serious ritual contexts. The Romans called it herba sacra (the sacred herb) and used it in treaties, embassies, and the purification of altars. It is the verbena of Roman religious ritual, carried by heralds who declared war and peace. Throughout medieval Europe it was one of the primary protective and magical herbs; Culpeper called it a hot, dry, Venusian plant and gave it extensive medicinal applications.