Omnia Sana · Plant Monograph
Vervain
Verbena officinalis
This monograph compiles 3 documented constituents, 7 pharmacological actions, 13 traditional / indicated uses, supported by 13 cited sources, drawn directly from the Omnia Sana plant database.
Key Constituents
Characteristic constituents; verbenalin has a dopaminergic effect.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory constituents.
Supporting antioxidant and aromatic constituents.
Pharmacological Actions
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic
Nervine / anxiolytic for nervous tension and mild anxiety; supports sleep (traditional) - a crude extract showed anxiolytic, sedative and anticonvulsant activity in animal models
Nervine / anxiolytic for nervous tension and mild anxiety; supports sleep (traditional) - a crude extract showed anxiolytic, sedative and anticonvulsant activity in animal models
Digestive bitter and relief of mild mental stress
Traditional & Indicated Uses
Nervine / anxiolytic for nervous tension and mild anxiety; supports sleep (traditional) - a crude extract showed anxiolytic, sedative and anticonvulsant activity in animal models
more plants for anxiety →detailed sources →inferred from anti-inflammatory action
more plants for arthritis / joint pain →detailed sources →inferred from analgesic action
more plants for back pain →detailed sources →inferred from digestive action
more plants for bloating →detailed sources →inferred from antidepressant action
more plants for low mood / depression →detailed sources →inferred from analgesic action
more plants for headache →detailed sources →inferred from digestive action
more plants for indigestion →detailed sources →inferred from anti-inflammatory action
more plants for inflammation (general) →detailed sources →inferred from sedative action
more plants for insomnia / sleeplessness →detailed sources →Nervine / anxiolytic for nervous tension and mild anxiety; supports sleep (traditional) - a crude extract showed anxiolytic, sedative and anticonvulsant activity in animal models
more plants for nervous tension →detailed sources →inferred from analgesic action
more plants for pain (general) →detailed sources →inferred from anti-inflammatory action
more plants for skin irritation →detailed sources →Digestive bitter and relief of mild mental stress
more plants for stress →detailed sources →Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
Generally well tolerated in traditional use. Avoid during pregnancy - vervain has a traditional uterine-stimulant (oxytocic) reputation linked to verbenalin.
May add to the effect of sedatives; use in breastfeeding is not recommended in the absence of data.
References
REF-1358, REF-1359, REF-1360, REF-1361, REF-1362, REF-1363, REF-1364, REF-1365, REF-1366, REF-1367References & Sources
- Bekara, A., Amazouz, A. and Douma, T.B (2020) 'Evaluating the Antidepressant Effect of Verbena officinalis L. (Vervain) Aqueous Extract in Adult Rats', Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 11(1), pp. 91-98. doi:10.32598/bcn.11.1.3 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.32598/bcn.11.1.3 - Rodrigues Oliveira, S.M., Dias, E., Girol, A.P., Silva, H. and others (2022) 'Exercise Training and Verbena officinalis L. Affect Pre-Clinical and Histological Parameters', Plants, 11(22), pp. 3115. doi:10.3390/plants11223115 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223115 - Dong, J., Du, C., Xu, C., Wang, Q. and others (2023) 'Verbenalin attenuates hepatic damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in alcohol-associated steatohepatitis by regulating MDMX/PPARalpha-mediated ferroptosis', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 307, pp. 116227. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2023.116227 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2023.116227 - Nisar, R., Adhikary, S., Ahmad, S. and Alam, M.A (2022) 'In Vitro Antimelanoma Properties of Verbena officinalis Fractions', Molecules, 27(19), pp. 6329. doi:10.3390/molecules27196329 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27196329 - Dai, X., Zhou, X., Shao, R., Zhao, R. and others (2023) 'Bioactive Constituents of Verbena officinalis Alleviate Inflammation and Enhance Killing Efficiency of Natural Killer Cells', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(8), pp. 7144. doi:10.3390/ijms24087144 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087144 - Zhang, W., Zhang, P., Xu, L.H., Gao, K. and others (2023) 'Ethanol extract of Verbena officinalis alleviates MCAO-induced ischaemic stroke by inhibiting IL17A pathway-regulated neuroinflammation', Phytomedicine, 123, pp. 155237. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155237 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155237 - Kubica, P., Szopa, A. and Ekiert, H (2017) 'Production of verbascoside and phenolic acids in biomass of Verbena officinalis L. (vervain) cultured under different in vitro conditions', Natural Product Research, 31(14), pp. 1663-1668. doi:10.1080/14786419.2017.1286477 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2017.1286477 - Yang, J.Y., Guo, C.S., Su, L., Xu, C.X. and others (2023) 'Four undescribed triterpenes from the aerial parts of Verbena officinalis', Fitoterapia, 170, pp. 105670. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105670 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105670 - Chen, Y., Gan, Y., Yu, J., Ye, X. and others (2023) 'Key ingredients in Verbena officinalis and determination of their anti-atherosclerotic effect using a computer-aided drug design approach', Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, pp. 1154266. doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1154266 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1154266 - Peng, S., Li, F., Yu, K., Zhou, F. and others (2022) 'Integrating transcriptome and chemical analyses to reveal the anti-Alzheimer's disease components in Verbena officinalis Linn', Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, pp. 955075. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.955075 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.955075 - (2020) 'Verbena officinalis (Common Vervain) - A Review on the Investigations of This Medicinally Important Plant Species', Planta Medica. doi:10.1055/a-1232-5758 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1232-5758 - European Medicines Agency (HMPC) (n.d.) 'European Union herbal monograph on Verbena officinalis L., herba (Verbenae herba)'. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/verbenae-herba Traditional / reference
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/verbenae-herba - Khan, A.W., Khan, A.U. and Ahmed, T (2016) 'Anticonvulsant, Anxiolytic, and Sedative Activities of Verbena officinalis', Frontiers in Pharmacology. doi:10.3389/fphar.2016.00499 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2016.00499
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