Verbena
(Verbena )
It is a representative plant of the Verbena family. Its homeland is unknown, but it grows in many parts of the world and in our country. It is a durable perennial herbaceous plant that can grow up to 60-100 cm. Its four-sided, dark green and hairy trunk branches towards the top of the plant. Its hairy and shiny dark colored, deeply toothed and stemless leaves resemble elongated oak leaves.
The small flowers that start to open in midsummer by forming a spike or umbrella shape and continue to open until the first frost are in lavender, blue and sometimes variegated colors. The center of the flower resembles small eyes with its white and black appearance. The mature flowers produce single-seeded hard fruits. This plant, which likes sunny or partially shaded places near the sea, lakes and streams; well-draining, fertile, loose soils mixed with sand and clay, reproduces by the seeds it sheds.
Verbena contains bitter-sweet glycosides called verbalins, volatile oil, sticky plant fluid and tannins. In some places, the leaves of the plant are added to dishes, raw in salads and home-made drinks.
Verbena, which is not a very showy plant, was considered sacred and praised in ancient Egypt, Greece, China, Rome and early Christianity, and was added to love potions.
Today, the benefits of the plant that have been identified justify these praises. The medicinal effects of the plant and the methods of using them can be listed as follows:
Diseases Used: Vervain is a plant used against many diseases. It has a calming, strengthening and immobilizing effect on the nerves. It is used against colds, weakness, fatigue (body and mind), stagnation of fluids in the body, liver and spleen inflammation, etc.
Vervain is used by folk medicine against headaches, stones and grit in the bladder and kidneys, anemia, whooping cough, malaria and other diseases. Stems boiled with vinegar are used as a bath against pleurisy, stems boiled with water are used as a bath against acne and fungus, as a compress against eye inflammations and as a gargle against strong bad breath.
1. It is a tonic that strengthens the nerves. Due to its stimulating effects on the body, it provides beneficial effects in fatigue, exhaustion and insomnia. It has a calming effect by reducing tension and stress. It is effective in easily overcoming hysteria attacks.
2. It has a spasm-relieving effect on various parts of the body.
3. It is a diaphoretic. It is effective in overcoming colds. It removes phlegm. It also helps in overcoming melancholy and depression that may occur after flu.
4. It facilitates digestion and provides comfort.
5. It regulates menstrual cycles in women and relieves pain.
6. It reduces inflammation in gallbladder and jaundice.
To obtain these effects, all aboveground cuttings of verbena are collected in midsummer before the plant blooms. They are dried as quickly as possible in a shady, dry and airy place. 1-3 teaspoons of the dried plant are taken and 1 cup of boiling water is poured over it. The infusion obtained by infusing in this way for 10-15 minutes is drunk three times a day, one cup at a time. In case of insomnia, one cup is taken before going to bed.
This infusion obtained from verbena is used as a gargle for tooth decay and gum disease.
