Vervain Cut, 1 oz (Verbena hastata)

Protection and purification. Vervain wards a person and a space and cleanses them; its infused water is a classic asperging and altar-cleansing wash.

A herb of peace. It calms and settles, worked into peace and reconciliation charms for a quiet heart and home.

The all-purpose sacred herb. Holy to the Druids and Romans, vervain is added to nearly any rite to bless and strengthen it, the great generalist of the herb cabinet.

• Botanical name: Verbena hastata (blue vervain)
• Tradition: Cunningham places vervain under Venus and the element Earth
• Form: cut and sifted dried herb
• Weight: 1 oz
• For spiritual use only; not a food, drug, or supplement, and not for ingestion
• Storage: keep sealed in a cool, dark place

Few herbs carry as deep a sacred history as vervain. The Druids held it among their holiest plants, gathering it with ceremony for purification and blessing; the Romans swept their altars with it and called it holy herb; and folk magic across Europe kept it as a near-universal ally. Cunningham seats it under Venus and the element Earth and names an unusually long list of powers, protection, purification, peace, love, and money among them. That versatility is the point: vervain is the herb you reach for when you want a working warded, cleansed, calmed, and blessed all at once, and vervain-infused water is a classic asperge for cleansing altars, tools, and spaces.

Blue vervain, Verbena hastata, is the North American cousin of the European Verbena officinalis, and folk practice works the two in the same sacred, all-purpose way. Vervain is also a traditional medicinal herb, which is not what we offer it for; Plentiful Earth sells this herb strictly for ritual and spiritual use, not as a remedy, and it is not for ingestion.

1. Ward a space. Add vervain to a protection sachet or charm for a person or a home.
2. Asperge and cleanse. Steep vervain in water, cool, and strain, then sprinkle the water to purify an altar, tools, or a room, for external use.
3. Keep the peace. Work vervain into a peace or reconciliation charm.
4. Bless any rite. Add a pinch to almost any working to cleanse and strengthen it.
5. Store it sealed, in a cool, dark place between workings.

• Hyssop Cut, 1 oz: a classic purification herb for the asperging wash.
• Whole Lavender Flowers, 1 oz: a calm, peaceable herb for peace work.
• Mugwort Cut, 1 oz: another all-purpose witch's herb for ritual and the sight.
• Protection Oil: dress the warded charm or threshold.
• Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham: the source of these attributions.

What is vervain used for in magic?

As an all-purpose sacred herb: protection and purification above all, asperged as vervain water to cleanse altars and spaces, plus peace, love, and blessing. It is added to nearly any rite to ward, cleanse, and strengthen it. Cunningham places it under Venus and Earth.

Can I take vervain internally?

No. Vervain is a traditional medicinal herb, but that is not what we sell it for. Plentiful Earth offers it strictly for ritual and spiritual use, not as a remedy, and it is not for ingestion.

Why is it called an all-purpose herb?

Because folk tradition credits vervain with an unusually wide range of powers, protection, purification, peace, love, and more, and uses it to bless and strengthen almost any working. It is the great generalist of the herb cabinet.

What are vervain's correspondences?

Cunningham seats vervain under Venus and the element Earth, naming protection, purification, peace, love, and money among its powers. Blue vervain is worked in the same sacred way as its European cousin.

How should I store it?

Keep the cut herb sealed in a cool, dark place, away from heat and moisture. Dried vervain holds well when kept dry, so a sealed jar will carry you through many protection and purification workings.