Vervain – 50 Seeds

Vervain (Verbena officinalis), is also known as Enchanter’s plant, Erba croce, Erba dei tagli, Herb of grace, Herb of the cross, Juno’s tears, Pigeon’s grass, Pigeonweed, Prostrate verbena, Verbena and Yerba de Santa Anaverbena. It is a slender herbaceous perennial, meaning it dies back to its roots each winter and then regrows in the spring. It produces small, pale lilac flowers borne on leafless spikes. This herb has both culinary and medicinal uses.

It is indigenous to the Mediterranean but has been cultivated widely throughout eastern Europe, North Africa, China, and Japan. Verbena officinalis should not be confused with lemon verbena, another herb used that also has medicinal properties and culinary uses.

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Vervain Culinary Uses

• The leaves are edible both raw and cooked.
• Young leaves can be used in salads or parboiled or added to soups and stews.
• Older leaves can be used for making tea.
• Flower heads can be used as a garnish, to flavor salt.
• The seeds can be roasted and used on baked goods or ground and added to flour.

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Vervain Medicinal Benefits

It is one of the 38 flowering plants used in a homeopathic tincture called Bach Flower Remedy, variations of which are still sold today. Among its purported benefits, it may help in the treatment of:

• Headaches
• General aches and pain
• Insomnia
• Digestive dysfunction
• Upper respiratory tract symptoms
• Urinary tract infections
• Depression and anxiety

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Growing Vervain

Indoor Sowing: Cold Stratification and then transplant seedlings in Spring.

Direct Sowing: Autumn.

• The plant is cold tender and seedlings will not survive under cold conditions.
• Seeds need to be cold stratified for 30 days, before sowing indoors. To stratify, use a moist, but not soggy, medium like a damp paper towel, coffee filter, or a mixture of peat and vermiculite/sand. Place the seeds and the moist medium in a sealed plastic bag or container. Place the sealed container in the refrigerator for about 30 days.
• After cold stratification, sow the seeds indoors or alternatively direct sow the stratified seeds in Spring.
• You can also direct sow the seeds in autumn without prior cold stratification and germination will take in Spring – this is the easiest method.
• Use a well-draining, moist potting mix when planting the seeds.
• Place a few seeds on top of the growing medium.
• For seed germination to take place, darkness is required, therefore cover the seeds with some soil.
• Keep soil moist, but not soggy.
• Optimal germination temperature is 15-21°C.
• Germination is erratic and can take as little as 30 days or up to 3 months, depending on when the seeds were sown, so patience is required. Generally seeds direct sown in Autumn will germinate in Spring and seeds direct sown in Spring will germinate in Summer.
• Once germination takes place, wait until the first set of true leaves appears before thinning the plants out.