Verbena officinalis Health Dictionary

Linn.

Family: Verbenaceae.

Habitat: The Himalayas, Khasi and Lushai Hills, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

English: Vervain, Pigeon's Grass.

Unani: Saal-ul-hamaam, Faristari- un.

Action: Plant—nervine, antidepressant, anticonvulsant; prescribed in liver and gall bladder complaints (spasm of the bladder and strangury), nervous and menstrual disorders; also for bronchitis, asthma and febrile affections.

Included among unapproved herbs by German Commission E.

The plant contains an iridoid gly- coside, hastatoside; loganin; methyl- cyclopentane monoterpenoid, verbe- nalin; verbascoside and eukovoside. The stem and roots are quite rich in stachyose. Aerial parts gave lupeol, beta-sitosterol, ursolic acid, aucubin and artemetin.

The herb is credited with weak parasympathomimetic activity. Verbenalin exhibited mild purgative activity in animal studies. Emetic in high doses.

Vervain tea decreased absorption of non-heme iron by 59% in human subjects. (Sharon M. Herr.)