Know your Herb

Latin Name: Verbena hastata
Herb Class/Action: nervine, tonic, antispasmodic, relaxant, diaphoretic, stimulant, galactagogue
Parts Used: aerial parts (leaves, stems, flowers)
Flavors: bitter, acrid
Energetics: Cooling, drying, stimulating
Traditional Benefits: nervous system support, liver support, female reproductive system support, lymph support, urinary system support, musculoskeletal system support

Traditionally used to calm the nervous system and unwind tension, blue vervain is a classic remedy for those who do too much, tend to overthink, and find themselves wound a little too tight. 

Blue vervain is the herb for those who just can’t stop doing. The thinkers, the list-makers, the caretakers who hold everyone and everything together. It’s for the individuals who wake up already feeling tense in their shoulders and jaw, whose minds have trouble shutting off, and who are always striving for better. 

Tall, upright, and square-stemmed, blue vervain quite literally stands like the ones it so faithfully serves: steady, strong, proper, and angular. Even its tiny blue-violet flowers bloom from the bottom up, in an orderly sequence that mirrors the consistency and discipline of those who color-code their calendars and power through their daily tasks. 

Blue vervain’s herbal power is helping us unwind all that gripping and holding. Its cooling, bitter nature releases tension from the neck, shoulders, and jaw, soothing both body and mind. Herbalists reach for this plant when stress shows up as clenching, tightness, headaches, and burnout that comes from chronic overdrive.

As a bitter tonic, it also engages the liver – the master processor of physical and emotional overload. When we’re overextended or suppressing frustration, stagnation and heat can build up internally. Blue vervain helps move that energy along to restore ease and flow, and also cools excess heat to offer a sense of calm clarity where there once was irritability.

Energetically, this herb speaks to those who feel responsible for everything and everyone, struggling to rest unless their world is in order. Yet blue vervain teaches us that rest is, in fact, productive and that softening doesn’t mean failure. It’s a reminder that we can be strong AND grounded, without being overly rigid.

The flowering tops are traditionally gathered in midsummer and prepared as a tincture or tea. The taste is unapologetically bitter (we’re not going to lie to you), but that’s part of the medicine as it wakes up the senses, digestion, and awareness. 

Once considered sacred to Venus, blue vervain was used in rituals of peace and protection. Fitting for a plant that helps us reclaim our inner calm and restore sacred balance within ourselves.