Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Vervain

Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. Today we're going to talk about another really interesting herb, and it's vervain. Vervain is a useful herb, but the history of it is really shrouded in mystery and mysticism. The lore is actually pretty hard to nail down. We're told that vervain was used ceremonially and medicinally in ancient Egypt, but there's no mention of it in the Ebers Papyrus. which is the oldest document we have of ancient Egyptian medicine, and scant reference elsewhere. The Ashkenazi Jews, from whom we get much knowledge of herbal medicine of ancient Egypt and Babylon, make no mention of it, at least in modern writings, and several authors say it was a favorite medicinal herb of Hippocrates, but I have found no evidence in his work to support that statement. So We do know that it was used ceremonially in ancient Rome, but little is said of it by its medicinal use by most ancient writers. The most detailed description of vervain found in the ancient world is from Dioscorides' Demeterium Medica, indicating that it was a known and used herb among Greeks and Romans. Several pre-Christian cultures seem to have associated vervain with magic and mysticism, yet the same herb, is at least as associated with Christianity through legend stating that it was the herb used to staunch the bleeding of Christ's wounds, and it's an herb dedicated to the Mother of God. So let's start with that of which we have written record from the original source, the Ascortes. But, you know, just an aside, so much of what has been written and taught about herbs and their use in the past hundred years or so is remarkably, patently false. Uh, they usually start with the, well, that's the reason that I always use original sources. Whenever I give, uh, you information or I find documentation, uh, whether it's going back to something like Dioscorides or Hippocrates, uh, or, um, you know, modern sources like Plants for Future, Maude Greaves, Modern Herbal, um, or the Physician's Desk Reference for Herbal Medicine. People say, um, Well, what usually happens, a modern author just simply quotes another modern author who said this herb was used by Hippocrates or this herb was used by the ancient fill-in-the-blank culture or tribe as a magical herb, they'll say. The Druids used this herb. The Druids actually left us no written records. So when anyone says the Druids used this herb, the only way they would know that is if the Romans, when they invaded Ireland, documented it. So yeah, any of those books that talk about like druid mysticism or Viking herbs and all this stuff, basically just full of crap. And most of the herbal stuff attributed to Native American tribes, totally made up. And gosh, that's true all over the world. You know, so many times they'll say that this herb was used by Hippocrates and I got all of Hippocrates' writings I could find. I went through them. He used like five plants and none of which very, I mean, barley water was his favorite or a meal made of grain, like a porridge. And then he used a couple of herbs like hellebore, which are toxic, which we don't even use anymore. So people say that stuff and they're just making it up or quoting someone else who made it up. And honestly, that's what gives herbal medicine a bad reputation. I mean, those blatant falsehoods make us look like fools and undermine the credibility of what they do. So, you know, it's their choice if they want to live in fantasy land, but I do wish they'd stop the hucksterism. That's why I always quote sources. I mean, I really can't stand the guru type personalities, but in all honesty, their books sell a lot better than my do. I mean, My books don't even compare to someone like Dr. Sebi. Dr. Sebi, who marketed cures for cancer and then fled the country on, what, tax evasion and embezzlement charges and died of cancer. He was, what, Oprah's guru doctor and Michael Jackson's guru herbalist. Yeah. No, I think that's who it was. If I said the wrong name, I apologize. Definitely don't want to slander anyone. But the one who was Oprah's guru and Michael Jackson's personal herbal physician, that's what became of him. And those people are what really undermine the credibility of herbal medicine. So for better or worse, I'm both confident in what I know and aware of my own limitations. And I have no need to gild my words with mysteries and fables. If I'm going to be proven a fool, at least I'm an honest fool. So, anyway, let's get into Vervain. Dias Cori's made two entries. He listed one he called Peristerion Orthos, and this seems to be Vervain. At least that's what the botanists of, what, the, gosh, 12, 1500s, like Tabor Montaneus, I think was his name. So, anyway, he says... It seems to be named this because doves gladly stop around it. Okay, then he describes it. And what he's describing is a plant that we know as vervain. He says, applied with vinegar, it represses erysipelas, that's a streptococcal skin infection, and rotten ulcers and joins new wounds. And with honey, it heals old ones. The upright herb... Oh, it was good for conditions of the genitals. I'm not exactly sure what this word means. And good for pain in the eyes, dimness of sight, and headache. It eases weariness. Bruised with vinegar, it immediately dissolves scrofulous tumors. So it's glandular swellings. Goiters and hardened tonsils. And anyone with shivers or fever would help. It would help anyone with shivers and fevers. It is called, well, it gives different names, what it was called in Egypt and by the Magi and in Rome and all that. And then another variety he called Hirabonbotane or something. I don't know. Yeah, this one seems to be more of a shrub form. Anyway, he said the leaves apply, let's see, a decoction of the leaves. With frankincense and old wine is taken as a drink for jaundice by one fasting for 40 days. Leaves apply less in inflammation and long-lasting edema and clean, foul ulcers. The whole herb, boiled in wine, breaks crusts all around the tonsils. Gargled, it stops erosive ulcers in the mouth. An infusion of it sprinkled in feasts is said to make the guests merrier. Apparently it has a relaxant quality. um, which is, you know, pretty interesting. And that may be why they thought it had certain magical properties in some cultures, you know, um, was, uh, given to those to drink who have paroxysms every third day. That's just the spasm essentially, um, probably malarial related. Um, let's see. Um, they call it Sacra Herba because it is suitable for use as amulets and in purification. So who knows? But anyway, um, He mentions, though, that Pythagoras was using it. That's another old herbalist. And he called it, well, I'm not even going to try to pronounce that one. All right, so the belief of the magical use of this herb likely comes from pre-Christian Celtic use. As I said, some people say it was used by the Druids. Who knows? If we know anything about that, it's because it was passed down in legends and folklore, you know. So somebody could have made it up at any time. But John Kehoe did write about Vervain in 1735. John Kehoe seems to have known nothing of any Druid traditions, but he was an Irish herbalist. Probably more from... All right, so the first main outpost of the Catholic Church outside of Rome, essentially, was Ireland. Ireland was the center of Catholicism until some Viking raids kind of wiped things out. But the first translations of the Bible into really more of like a common language that was illustrated, a way for people who didn't speak Latin or Greek or, you know, certainly Hebrew and all that was done by the Irish monks. And they were also known to be great herbalists and they opened hospitals in Ireland. And so Ireland has a great tradition of monastic herbalism that combined the herbal knowledge of Greece and Rome and all that with knowledge of indigenous Irish herbs and traditions. And the really, our best old source for that is John Kehoe, who wrote the Hibericum, let's see, the Herbarium Hibericum, I believe was the name of it, in 1735. And he said, it is good for alters of the mouth and jaw if the mouth is washed with a decoction. Such a decoction will also secure loose teeth and alleviate the pain of a toothache if the liquid is held in the mouth for a while. If it is mixed with the oil of roses and vinegar, it cures the headache. If the leaves are pounded with honey, they cure and heal fresh wounds. It is very good for all disorders of the brain and is excellent for strengthening the sight. So you can see that his use was pretty similar to Dioscorides. So now we have two cultural sources for medicinal as opposed to mystical or ceremonial use of vervain. essentially on two opposite ends of the spectrum of European herbal medicine, pre-Christian Greece and Christian Ireland. And from this point on, we find vervain in use among almost the entire Western herbal tradition. Among the Benedictine monks who founded monasteries and charitable hospitals throughout Europe, we find vervain listed as verbena officinalis, meaning it was an herb from the officina, the monastic apothecary of the Middle Ages. Um, from Ireland, we have the first patron saint of herbal medicine, St. Viacra. Uh, St. Viacra was born in Ireland around 600 AD. And, um, uh, wonderful, you know, legends about the early Irish Christians. I mean, uh, St. Patrick, who was, uh, uh, Roman, um, Catholic Christian was taken, um, as a slave by Irish pirates and escaped from Ireland, went back and had a vision telling him to go back and Christianize Ireland. And he challenged, just like in the Bible, he challenged the pagan druid, whatever you want to call them, but the pagan sorcerers. I mean, I don't know exactly the proper word for it. Priests and sorcerers and all that to, you know, set up an altar and they couldn't make it light. And, you know, he called down fire from heaven and it said he drove the snakes from Ireland. Well, that actually means he drove out the pagan religions. All the Celtic kings became Catholic and Ireland became the center of outside of Rome. I was probably Ireland first and then France. And then, you know, it was the Germanic regions took a little bit longer than most people realize. And England was completely wild at the time. I mean, England was, yeah, a pretty interesting place, actually. But anyway, so we're talking like 600 A.D. But anyway, I'm just going to run through some old history here. Stick with me for a minute. We'll get back into modern use. So St. Theocra did not leave any writings. But let's see. I'm skipping ahead, skipping ahead. Yeah. Next patron saint of herbal medicine came from Belgium. She was St. Gertrude Nivelle, whatever. Keep going on. All right, so St. Hildegard, about 1100, 1080 AD. She was in Germany, and she recommended a poultice of vervain for worm-eaten flesh and placed around the neck for sore throats. About 800 years later in the German tradition, Brother Aloysius recommended it for cramps of the spleen, liver and kidney complaints, as well as a febrifuge for fever, hoarseness, headache, mouth ulcers, loose teeth, migraines, liver disorders, jaundice, colic, chest complaints, and chronic cough. Girard wrote of the use of Vervain in England in the 1500s, mentions a bit of its ancient history of use, Let's see. He said that vervain are herbs that were taken from the altar from some holy place. So then Pliny also write it in his two and 20th book, 11th chapter, that vervina and segmina will be all one. I have no idea what that means. Herb taken from the altar in which place. Yeah, we've done enough history. Let's get into what he calls the virtues of vervain. Leaves of vervain pounded with oil of roses or hog's grease doth mitigate and appeaseth the pains of the mother being applied thereunto. That would be vaginal issues. The leaves of vervain and roses stamped with a little new hog's grease and emplastered after the manner of a poultice doth cease the inflammation and grievous pains of wounds and suffereth them not to come to corruption. And the green leaves stamped with hog's grease takes away the swelling and hot pains of hot impostumes and tumors and cleanseth corrupt and rotten ulcers. You know, Elizabethan English is a little tricky, as anyone knows who's ever studied Shakespeare. But let's see if I can make this a little bit easier. He talks about old wives' fables written in Bervain to protect one from witchcraft and sorcery. And all that. And he says. He will not include them for I'm not willing to trouble your ears with reporting such trifles as honest ears abhor to hear. Well, apparently not in our time. People go more for that than they go for the real cures. Let's see. Herb stamped or mashed together with roses and vinegar or an oil of roses keepeth the hair from falling. And yeah, so good for baldness remedy, I guess, or prevent prevention. Probably just the anti-inflammatory, like it would help with, what am I trying to say? The psoriatic dandruff, the dandruff caused by eczema or psoriasis would probably help soothe that skin. And, you know, let's see. Remedy against putrefied ulcers. It healeth up wounds. It cures fistulas. Take away the heat of inflammations. Decoction of the roots. Good for toothache. And Ultras of the Mouth. And let's see. Let's see. Culpeper, about 100 years later, he was really into the witchy woohoo side of things. In fact, he was really into astrology is what it was. But as far as his legitimate use, he said it helps the jaundice, dropsy, and gout. Kills and expels worms in the belly. Causes a good color in the face. Strengthens as well as corrects diseases of the stomach, liver, and spleen. Helps the cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. And all the defects of the reins and bladder. It's kidney and bladder. Expelling the gravel and stone. It is held to be good against the biting of serpents and other venomous beasts. Against the plague and torching quatrain agues or fevers. And, you know, we talked about that earlier. It consolidates and heals all wounds both inward and outward. Stays bleeding and used with some honey. heals old ulcers and fissures of the legs and other parts of the body, and also those that happen in the mouth. Used with hog's grease, it helps swellings and pains in the secret parts of man or woman, and also for the piles of hemorrhoids. Let's see. Good for cleansing the skin, taking away morphine, freckles, fistula, and other like inflammations and deformity of the skin in any parts of the body. Distilled water of the herb dropped into the eyes cleanses them from films, clouds, and mists that darken the sight and wonderfully strengthens the optic nerves. Huh. That's interesting. So by 1930 or so, though, most of the fascination with Vervain had kind of passed. Even given, Miss Greaves said it was useful in more than 30 complaints. But she said that the name vervain actually was derived from the Celtic vervain, meaning to drive away a stone. So probably our use of vervain does come largely from the Irish traditions. Also, yeah, she talks about all that. And medicinal actions and uses. It is recommended in up to 30 complaints, being astringent, diaphoretic, antispasmodic, It is said to be useful in intermittent fevers, ulcers, ophthalmia, pleurisy, and to be a good galactagogue. That means it increases mother's milk. It is still used as a febrifuge in autumn fevers. That means it helps break a fever. Apoltis is good for headache, ear neuralgia, rheumatism. That's good. Said to be good medicine in purging, easing pain in the bowels, and often applied externally for piles or hemorrhoids. So up to modern use, let me get a sip of water here, and then we'll take a look at plants for future. Vervain, which has tonic and restorative properties, is sometimes used as a domestic herbal remedy. It is useful when taken internally in the treatment of headaches, fevers, nervous exhaustion, depression, gallbladder problems, gallbladder problems, I should have said, insufficient lactation, et cetera. It should not be given to pregnant women, though it can be used to assist contractions during labor. Externally, it is used to treat minor injuries, eczema, sores, neuralgia, and gum disease. The leaves and flowering stems are analgesic. That means it helps with pain. Antibacterial, anticoagulant, antispasmodic, astringent to purification. diaphoretic, mildly diuretic. A menagogue galactagogue breeds on menses and stimulates milk. Stimulates tonic and vulnerability. That would be tonic to the stomach. And wound healing is what vulnerability means. Let's see. Oh, Sophie Hodrick's NAB wrote, the very best book on the Polish herbal medicine tradition. Beautiful book. I love that book. Beautifully illustrated. And it's really nice. Anyway, she said it was important medicinal herb in Poland. And Poland, by the way, is one of the few countries in which monastic medicine is still practiced in ancient monasteries by Catholic monks. So she's going to give us really the European tradition. She said verbena is one of the herbs blessed by priests on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. who was honored in Poland as Our Lady of the Herbs. It is an herb believed to have both medicinal and spiritual healing powers when it's been blessed. And she writes, One of the much-loved herbs dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, Vervain, was often taken at church to be blessed on the Feast of Our Lady of Herbs. Polish women believed it helped in matters of heart, but was chiefly used as a tear tonic to promote easier childbirth. And we've already discussed that use. And so, in keeping with our two original sources and tracing the development of this herb in both cultural and medicinal use, we've documented the value of this herb with no need to make up fantastical stories. We've seen that vervain is an herb that is both revered for its medicinal use and has spiritual connotations for both pagan and Christian traditions. Recorded history does not provide us with the origins of the herb's use, but perhaps like many herbs that are strongly bitter, our ancestors first found it useful to settle the stomach and promote digestion. While some have found it an herb with which to conjure, I find the history of this herb one to ponder. The mysteries of nature and the means through which a loving God shows all his diverse creation, the virtues of plants he made for our use and well-being. And of course, this comes from my book, The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Herbs. I write more eloquently than I speak naturally. So that's what... That's where we'll end that one. Y'all, I hope you enjoyed it. Vervain is such an interesting plant. Not much used in herbal medicine these days, but I think we can find much use for it, and it's one you'll probably have to grow in the garden because most herb shops and such don't really carry vervain. So anyway, y'all, have a good one, and I'll talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. Government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb has helped me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares. And you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. 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