Blue Vervain

Verbena hastata

Blue vervain is native to North America. It grows in wet meadows, prairies, and on streambanks. Blue vervain is a tall, slender plant. Branching spikes of small blue-violet flowers bloom in midsummer and last into early fall. Flowers on a spike open from the bottom of the spike upward, so that pollinators have weeks of nectar. 

Native Americans and early settlers used blue vervain as a nervine to soothe the body and steady the mind [1][2]. Leaves and flowers were often brewed into a tea to help with anxiety, restlessness and sleeplessness. It was also taken internally for coughs, fevers, and digestive upsets. Blue vervain has been found to have a balancing action on the body and nervous system. 

Herbalists today use it as a mild nervine that supports the nervous system and helps to bring the body into balance. It can be helpful with tension and restlessness. It is a good plant to take at bedtime to promote restful sleep [3]. Blue vervain is also mildly bitter, and can settle the stomach, especially when stress results in digestive upset. Among its many chemical constituents are iridoid glycosides, tannins, and volatile oils [4]. 

Blue vervain is not only a useful plant for humans, but for pollinators as well. Bees and butterflies have flowers to feed on in the middle of summer, when many other plants are done blooming. A plant of quiet strength, connecting ecology and herbal medicine.

[1] Mind & Body Pacific Northwest. “Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata).” 2023. In Native American herbal medicine, Blue Vervain was utilized for its calming properties and as a remedy for coughs, colds, and fevers. https://mindbodypnw.com/blue-vervain-verbena-hastata/

[2] The Passionate Herbalist. “Blue Vervain Monograph.” Native to North America, with a long history of use among Indigenous peoples and later in Western herbalism as a calmative and digestive stimulant. https://www.thepassionateherbalist.com/monographs/blue-vervain

[3] Botanical Institute. “Blue Vervain: 4 Key Benefits, Dosage, and Safety.” 2024. https://botanicalinstitute.org/blue-vervain/

[4] Liu, X., et al. “Chemical Constituents of the Whole Plant of Verbena hastata and Their Inhibitory Activity Against the Production of AGEs.” Natural Product Communications 16, no. 3 (2021). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1934578X211009727