Garden of medicinal plants
Photos Credit: Salagon Museum. Text : Marie Josèphe Moncorgé. Translator: Jean-Marc Bulit
Common vervain
Verbena officinalis is 35 to 80 cm tall, with small lilac coloured flower. Just as clary sage, vervain was a medieval panacea (universal remedy):
Platearius recommended to hang the root around the patient's neck to heal swelling of the neck, to wear the vervain made in a crown against headaches, to give it grinded in powder against chest achings. Vervain heals spider bites (wine), rabid dog or snake bites (plaster of leaves), jaundice, terce fever and ague.
Vervain, sorcerer's herb or sacred herb was used for magic or divinatory practice. Platearius has such a recipe: To get the love of a man, oint your hands with the juice of vervain then with them touch the one you want to be loved by.