FAST FACTS: Aids Digestion, Relieves Depression, Thwarts Headaches, Eases Minor Aches and Pains
During the Middle Ages, healing herbs were often called simples, and herbalists were known as simplers. Vervain was prescribed so frequently for so many conditions, it became known as simpler's joy. The name has some basis in fact. It turns out that vervain acts like mild aspirin, relieving minor pains and inflammation. It also has mild antidepressant effects.
In Egyptian mythology, vervain grew from the tears of Isis, goddess of fertility, as she grieved for her murdered brother/husband, Osiris. A thousand years later, vervain entered Christian mythology as the herb pressed into Christ's wounds to stanch his bleeding, hence one of its names, herb-of-the-cross.
Vervain has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Hippocrates recommended it for fever and plague. The 12th-century German abbess and herbalist Hildegard of Bingen prescribed a medicinal tea of vervain and vermouth for "toxic blood" (infections), toothache and "discharges from the brain to the teeth." Our word vervain comes from the Celtic ferfaen, from fer-, "to drive away," and -faen, "stone" -- a reference to its traditional use in treating kidney stones.
THE RODNEY DANGERFIELD OF HERBS
In modern times, vervain has fallen by the medicinal wayside because its actions are mild. "But that's no reason to neglect this herb," says Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. "It's a valuable tonic. Unfortunately, tonics don't get much respect in American pharmacology."
A tonic is a substance that doesn't have a dramatic action, but over time, its subtle effects strengthen the body and contribute to vitality. Vervain, Dr. Mowrey says, is slightly astringent, which helps digestion. It's mildly pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory, so it helps control minor aches and pains. Vervain has mild laxative action to help keep the digestive tract running smoothly. And it's a mild antidepressant, so it may improve mood, says Dr. Mowrey. No wonder medieval herbalists called vervain simpler's joy.
To make an infusion to treat headache, mild arthritis and other minor pains, use 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink up to three cups a day. You can mask vervain's bitter taste with sugar, honey and lemon, or mix it with some other herbal beverage tea. If you buy a tincture, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day.
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