What is medicinal verbena and how to grow it on your site?

Many plants have become little known, such as medicinal verbena. Our ancestors knew this flower well and used it to treat various diseases.

Nowadays, mainly decorative species of this culture are grown in gardens. From this article you will learn how to properly care for this miracle plant, what problems you may encounter when growing, and how to prevent the development of diseases.

What is this grass?

Verbena officinalis - perennial growing in meter high. The culture is unpretentious in care, it can be found on the edges, along the roadway, in gorges and in summer cottages, where it is perceived as wild weed grass.

The flowers of the verbena officinalis are plain with white or creamy eyes; it has no decorative properties like other types of this plant. Like most annual weeds, in the plots it is spread by seeds.

Healing properties

The fees of this plant are used not only in traditional medicine, many doctors use it as an adjunct in the treatment of ailments. Verbena contains a large number of glycosides, which have an extensive spectrum of action, for example:

1. fights against microorganisms harmful to humans;
2. it has an expectorant effect, so the extract from this plant is introduced into cough lozenges;
3. dilates blood vessels;
4. favorably affects the immune system;
5. is an antioxidant;
6. able to lower the level of "bad" cholesterol;
7. calms the nervous system, so it is often prescribed for fatigue, insomnia, irritability;
8. possesses a disinfecting property;
9. with dystonia;
10. improves immunity and calms the nervous system;
11. used for severe edema, as it is a diuretic.

The composition of medicinal verbena contains bitterness, which helps to improve appetite and good gastrointestinal tract. It is a choleretic agent and helps to cope with exhaustion and neurotic conditions.

The rich chemical composition of Verbena helps to cure a large number of skin diseases, including: furunculosis, psoriasis and weeping eczema. Verbena broth is advised to rinse the mouth with sore throat, SARS, ingestion is prescribed for hepatitis, bronchitis, laryngitis.

You can buy medicinal verbena grass in a pharmacy, or you can grow this herbaceous crop on your site in the open ground, and then harvest it for the winter. In medicine, flowers, leaves with stems, which are collected during the period of abundant flowering, are used, dried in a shaded, well-ventilated place.

You can read about the medicinal properties and contraindications to the use of verbena in this article.

Watch a video on how to use verbena in the treatment of varicose veins:

Photo

Next you can see how the plant looks.

Conditions of detention

Verbena officinalis does not require special care, but nevertheless you need to know some of the nuances in order to get high-quality medicinal material:

• Lighting.

  The plant loves open sunny places - it is a photophilous culture that tolerates prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. If you plant medicinal verbena in a shaded place, the bush will stretch out a lot, the leaves will be thin and not juicy, while the flowering process may not start, or move to the end of summer.

• Air and temperature.

  Verbena is afraid of frost and temperature extremes. In warm countries, this is a perennial culture, but in our harsh climate, Verbena roots freeze in the winter, and it is cultivated as an annual plant. Young seedlings can tolerate a drop in temperature to -2 degrees, but it is better not to risk it and plant a flower in a permanent place in late spring or early June. The optimum air temperature for good growth and timely flowering is 20-25 degrees.

• The soil.

  Verbena has a special relationship to soils. It does not grow on loams and on moist, heavy lands. For good growth and rapid flowering for the culture should be prepared soil. An ideal option for Verbena would be a mixture of sand and peat in equal quantities. If loam prevails in the area, then good drainage, sand, wood ash, peat and some complex fertilizers should be added to each onion during transplanting.

• Watering - strictly moderate.

  Verbena does not tolerate waterlogging and from water stagnation it can die. With the agricultural technology of this plant, good drainage and water drainage should be equipped. If the flower grows in a flowerpot, then during rains it must be transferred to a protected place. During flowering, you need to water often, but little by little.

• Top dressing.

  Over the entire season, complex fertilizers are applied several times, this must be done with caution - the plant can begin to increase leaf mass and not bloom. It is advisable not to use organics at all, if only a little humus is added to the hole during the landing of Verbena in open ground.

Transplant and landing

It is not difficult to breed such a plant as Verbena officinalis on its site. It is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings, which are then planted in open ground.

Verbena seeds have a very low germination, which can be as little as 30% - this must be taken into account when sowing.

The soil for sowing should be light, it is a mixture of perlite, sand, garden soil and peat in equal amounts. Verbena seeds are not sprinkled with humus after sowing. The boxes should be covered with glass or polyethylene to create a greenhouse effect and put in a warm place.

As soon as the first shoots appear, the boxes with seedlings are transferred to the windowsill, closer to the sun. The optimum sowing time is the end of February. In late May, early June, as soon as the night frosts cease, Verbena is planted in open ground.

The transplant is carried out as follows:

1. Prepare a place for seedlings.
2. Dig holes at a distance of 25 cm from each other. At the bottom of which a drainage layer of broken brick or expanded clay is laid.
3. Add a little complex fertilizer to the soil to maintain the plant during rooting.
4. Pour water into each well and let it soak. When planting a plant after rain, watering is optional.
5. Seedlings must be removed from the ground carefully so as not to damage the delicate roots.
6. Dip the plant in the hole and sprinkle with earth, slightly compacting it.

The first few days Verbena is often watered so that the rooting process is faster. Read more about planting and subsequent care for verbena here.

Breeding

There are several ways to reproduce Verbena officinalis, which are worth considering in detail.

Seeds

Verbena officinalis seeds can be collected in the fall from your site or bought in a specialized store. This is the easiest and most popular way that almost all gardeners use.

Dividing the bush

It is a medicinal plant that can multiply by dividing the bush. This is not difficult to do - a plant is carefully dug out of the soil and a large bush is divided into several small elements. In this case, you need to try so that the rhizome is with minimal damage.

Diseases and growing problems

The plant is unpretentious and very rarely attacked by pests and diseases, but if the plant is not properly taken care of, the flower can become sick and die.

The most common diseases are:

• Powdery mildew. A cold climate, improperly selected soil composition, can cause this disease. To rid the plant of this ailment, it is enough to lighten the soil with sand and peat and to cover the plant during night frosts.
• Lack of flowers or their small quantity. Although leaves are mainly important for Verbena officinalis, the collection of raw materials begins only during flowering, if this does not happen, it should be transplanted to an open, sunny place.
• Aphids often attack Verbena, it sucks the juice of the plant and can destroy it. To combat this pest, you need to treat the bushes with special preparations. At home, prepare a soap solution, or a weak ammonia concentrate, which is processed.

Conclusion

Verbena officinalis does not have a high decorative effect, but its beneficial properties make this plant indispensable in any household plot. For the treatment of diseases, you can prepare raw materials for the winter. Take as teas, infusions and decoctions. Some experienced gardeners transplant the plant into a flowerpot in the fall and bring it home to have fresh leaves on hand that are added to tea.