
Verbena officinalis
Verbenaceae
Verbena officinalis , Vervain
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Verbena
Tiny clusters of terminal very pale lilac flowers in summer. Deeply divided green leaves with curved teeth. Important medicinal herb.
• Hardiness: H6 (-15 to -20C)
• Type: Perennial
• Height: up to 90cm
• Spread: 30cm
Vervain can be seen at the herb farm in Jekka's Herbetum and is available to buy online as herb seeds.
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• Uses: Medicinal (Read Jekka's Guide to Medicinal Herbs for more information)
• Attracts pollinators: No
• Container suitability: No
• UK native: Yes
• Caution: N/A
• Indoor Sowing: In spring, into prepared plug trays or pots, cover with perlite. Place in a cold frame, germination is erratic.
• Outdoor Sowing: In late spring, into a well-drained soil, sunny position. Thin to 30cm apart.
• Propagation: N/A
• Maintenance: (Read Jekka's Blogs on Early Spring, Late Spring and Autumn maintenance)
• Harvest: N/A
Vervain is one of the sacred herbs of the Druids and is still widely used. It is regarded as a nerve sedative, tonic and thymoleptic, i.e. it is thought to be able to calm as well as lift a mood. For herbalists, this makes vervain a choice herb for depression, tension and to help restore an exhausted nervous system particularly where a person is convalescing after illness. Studies also reveal that vervain can help reduce gum inflammation, supports heart health and it supports brain health following stroke. It has other uses too; it is seen as a digestive tonic, so helps to tempt a poor appetite and is reputed to help encourage the production of breast milk in nursing mothers.

Caution: No major issues identified.
Please note: The information provided here is for educational interest only and is not intended to be used to diagnose or treat significant health problems. Any serious or long-term health concerns should always be discussed with a healthcare professional.
See our blog for more information about the National Institute of Medical Herbalists
For information on growing herbs from seeds please see Jekka's blogs on sowing seeds, sowing your winter culinary herbs or how to grow vegetables.
Jekka's "How to Grow Herbs" videos, includes Jekka's video on how to sow seeds for an informative step-by-step guide to seed sowing.
Growing indoors? Check out Jekka's blog on indoor herb gardening for some advice.
If you require pots or compost, see Jekka's Herb Kits that includes Jekka's Seed Sowing Kit. This kit contains all you need to sow a collection of herb seeds.
For more information on growing herbs plants please see Jekkapedia, Jekka's blog or our FAQs page.
Happy Herbs!
At Jekka’s we sell herbs in 1 Ltr and 2 Ltr pots. These are established and hardy herb plants that are grown following organic principals and to survive the UK climate. Please read Jekka's blog that contains her top steps to growing on your herbs.
There is also ‘Jekka’s Seasonal Tips’ series that covers growing and maintaining herbs in early spring, late spring, summer and autumn & winter. Together they form Jekka’s guide on how to grow herbs.
Our herbs are designed to be grown in containers or planted in the garden. Although some herbs will be quite happy indoors, most prefer being outside. Please see our indoor growing blog for more information.
If you require pots or compost, we have developed Jekka's Herb Kits, which includes Jekka's "Grow On" Kit. These kits contain all you need to grow on your herbs.
If you think your herbs need a little more attention we always recommend an environmentally friendly solution, and these are Jekka's top three:
- Maxicrop liquid seaweed: 'Feed on Fridays' as Jekka always says for all round good plant health.
- SB Invigorator: a safe and effective insecticide and fungicide to help control a wide range of pest species
- Epsom salts: the horticultural equivalent of what you put in your bath to top up magnesium and stop orange leaves.
For more information on growing herbs plants please see Jekkapedia, Jekka's blog or our FAQs page.
Happy Herbs!
One of our three core roots is that we are Environmentally Conscious and for the past 30 years all the herbs grown at Jekka’s have been raised following sustainable, environmentally friendly and organic approaches resulting in a remarkable biodiversity at the herb farm.
Our herb seeds are also untreated and can be used to grow organic herb plants.
You can read more about our sustainability approach to growing herbs in one of Jekka's Blogs or in Jekka's Guide to Climate Change.