Wild Blue Vervain Mini Original

If you’re fortunate to meet blue vervain, you’ll appreciate vervain’s long history as a sacred herb in a variety of cultures, including Northern European. Its other name “Verbena” means “altar plant,” and was used as such by Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Northern Europeans. Medieval Europeans used it to protect them from the plague, snakebites, and evil spirits. Growth reaches 1-2 feet, some varieties even taller, with square stems, with alternating serrated leaves and purplish-blue tiny flowers on showy spikes. Bloom time is mid-summer to early autumn. Other names include “swamp vervain” and “Simpler’s joy.”

Indigenous peoples utilized blue vervain for medicine and consumption. The leaves and roots were harvested year-round for medicinal purposes. The leaves were first dried, then boiled to create a tea used as a spring tonic to strengthen organs such as the liver, kidneys, intestines, and lungs, as well as soothe the nervous system. The roots were typically used for a wide range of illnesses and conditions such as depression, fevers, colds, epilepsy, insomnia, headaches, and stomachaches, among others.

Vervain is accompanied by honey bee, highlighting the important partnership between prairie plants and pollinators.

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame.