Since ancient times, verbena officinalis is famous for its various beneficial properties. Celtic Druids called her "holy." Verbena was used by healers and doctors in their medical practice.
In this article, we will consider the chemical composition, useful medicinal properties of verbena, restrictions on its use, its use in cooking, the collection and storage of raw materials of verbena.
The chemical composition of verbena officinalis
Each part verbena rich in essential oils, has a bitterness, and mucus steroids (sitosterol), tannins, flavonoids (artemetin) iridoidglikozid (verbenalin) hastatozid, triterpenoids (lupeol, ursolic acid), carotenoids, verbenamin, aucubin, silicic acid, vitamins micro and macronutrients. Verbena leaves contain ascorbic acid.
Did you know? About two hundred types of vervain are known, but only one - verbena officinalis - is used in medicine.
Medicinal properties of verbena officinalis
The range of medicinal properties of verbena is very large. Verbena acts as a blood-purifying, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and fortifying agent. It can also improve the functioning of the liver, digesting food, increase appetite and restore the cells of the body, the secretion of gastric juice increases, the metabolism returns to normal.
Preparations containing vervain help reduce temperature, increase sweat and bile, remove muscle spasms. Citral is able to lower blood pressure, has reserpinopodobnym and hypotensive action. Verbena is treated for thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, rheumatism and gout.
Effective also cleaning vessels with vervain. It is endowed with astringent properties, precisely because it is used for stomach disorders, impaired digestion, in the absence of appetite.
Verbena perfectly helps with anemia, various allergies, colic in the intestines, cholecystitis, gastritis, hepatitis, laryngitis, catarrhal diseases, pneumonia, and also it has antiseptic properties.
Important! In large doses, flavonoids and glycosides useful for the human body are stored in verbena.
The use of verbena medicinal in diseases
Verbena is distinguished by a huge number of medicinal properties, and is therefore used in the treatment of various diseases: colds and flu, cough, atherosclerosis, insomnia and migraine, headache and toothache, rheumatism, gout, nervous exhaustion, hypotension, poor menstruation, general weakness of the body and many others.
Did you know? Ancient magicians considered verbena to be grass of wish fulfillment. They believed that if the body was rubbed with this grass, then everything desired would come true.
Cough
Get rid of cough will help you decoction and tea from vervainwhich can be prepared by pouring a tablespoon of verbena leaves and flowers with a glass of boiling water and leaving to infuse for 20 minutes. This infusion is necessary to use inside four times a day before meals.
Cold and flu
Verbena is a very effective assistant in the fight against extremely unpleasant colds (bronchitis, pharyngitis, ARVI and others). It reduces body temperature to normal. It also has expectorant properties (airways clear of mucus).
For colds, treatment is necessary. verbena teawhich is done like this: brew one tablespoon of verbena grass in half a liter of boiling water, boil for five minutes, then let it brew for twenty minutes, after which the broth is filtered and taken three to four times a day, 50 ml.
Insomnia and Migraine
Herb Verbena Tinctures simply invaluable in the fight against insomnia, headache and migraine. For these ailments, an infusion is made, prepared as follows: Pour two teaspoons of verbena potion with 200 ml of boiling water and after 10 minutes strain it, take it twice a day for 100 ml (an hour and a half before meals).
Atherosclerosis
Probably one of the most manifested beneficial properties of verbena is anti-atherosclerotic. Verbena perfectly cleans the vessels of low-density cholesterol plaques. At the same time, blood circulation improves significantly, and the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases becomes much less.
Recipe for infusion while this disease is quite simple: Pour a few teaspoons of herbs with one glass of boiling water and strain after a few hours. Take an infusion of one tablespoon every hour.
Physical fatigue and nervous tension
Verbena perfectly rescues with exhaustion, loss of strength and chronic fatigue, it invigorates, gives strength and improves the tone of the body. Also, the use of this herb eliminates many problems with the psyche and nervous system - intense emotional distress and stress, nervous disorders and strong tensions, depression, hysteria and epilepsy.
For this we prepare and accept such decoction: Brew a glass of boiling water with one tablespoon of verbena, strain after a couple of hours and take three times a day for 100 ml.
Violation of the menstrual cycle
Essential oil and infusion of verbena officinalis will help with insufficient and short-lived menstruation. Verbena normalizes the menstrual cycle in women and significantly reduces the symptoms of PMS and menopause, helps to overcome itching in the vagina. For this drink infusion, prepared according to the same recipe as with migraine and insomnia.
How to use vervain in dermatology
The healing properties of vervain are used in dermatology. Lotions, washings and compresses of verbena are used externally for purulent and infectious-allergic skin diseases - rashes, acne, boils, ulcers, eczema, scabies, furunculosis, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, scrofula, lichen planus, as well as difficult to heal wounds.
Infusion against skin diseases easy to cook: three tablespoons of chopped herbs are brewed in half a liter of boiling water, then it is wrapped up so as not to cool, and settled for three hours. It is used as lotions and compresses, only in the form of heat. On hard-to-tighten wounds and bruises are applied on top of the pounded leaves of vervain.
Important! The use of decoction of vervaina is possible in the form of a rinse to get rid of bad breath and inflammation of the gums.
Preparation and storage of medicinal raw materials
Medicinal raw Verbena - this is the entire aboveground part of the plant and the root of the verbena.
Verbena officinalis is going to during its flowering period (July, August, September), it is then that the plant has the maximum amount of essential oil (source of citral).
The roots harvested in spring and autumn. Drying the workpiece in the shade in the fresh air, spread out in a thin layer, or in special dryers. Stored medicinal raw materials in a dry place.
Did you know? Verbenu was considered the seventh grass of Venus.
Verbena medicinal in cooking
The use of vervaina in cooking is widely known. It is used for the preparation of marinades and pickles, in order to endow them with a special spicy smell and strength, and the aerial part of the verbena, when it blossoms, is used as a surrogate of tea.
Contraindications
Products containing vervain are contraindicated people with individual intolerance to any of the components and with hypertension.
Drug intake should be limited. children under 14, and also it is necessary to abstain from teas and infusions, decoctions and essential oil pregnant women since verbena causes uterine tone, which can lead to disastrous consequences - premature birth or abortion. During lactation Vervain can be used only after consulting with your doctor.
Important! Prolonged use of drugs with verbena can cause problems with the intestinal mucosa. It is imperative to go to a doctor before using verbena, so that he will choose the right dosage and form of the drug and designate the duration of the treatment.
As you can see, verbena has a wide range of healing properties, and knowledge of how to treat a particular disease with verbena will be useful to everyone.
Be healthy!
