VERVAIN

Herbaceous plant commonly growing in central and southern Europe and also widespread in other continents. The plant should not be confused with Lippia cittiodora Kunth, native to Chile and now acclimated around the Mediterranean basin, from which verbena oil is prepared. V. officinalis grows to 40 cm (16 in.) in height; it has spindle-shaped roots, opposite, coarsely serrate, irregularly crenate leaves and very small, purplish flowers clustering in terminal panicled spikes. L. cittiodora, on the other hand, is a woody shrub, usually growing more than 1 m (39 in.) high. It has opposite, lanceolate leaves grouped in threes or fours. The leaves exhibit glandulose ciliate edges; the flowers are externally white and internally purplish-blue. While verbena essential oil finds use in perfumery and in flavors, V. officinalis L. essential oil is not produced because of the very low oil content in the plant.

Vervain is reported to contain artemetin, aucubin, citral, cornin, dihydrocarnin, geraniol, limonene, lupeol, β-sitosterol, ursolic acid, verbacoside, verbenalin and unidentified terpenes. Chemical investigations of petroleum ether and chloroform extracts of V. officinalis L. led to the isolation of β-sitosterol, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, 3-epiursolic acid, 3-epioleanolic acid and minor triterpenoids of derivatives of ursolic acid and oleanolic acids. Methanol extract yielded two iridoid glucosides, verbenalin and hastatoside, a phenylpropanoid glycoside, verbascoside and β-sitosterol-D-glucoside.*

Taste characteristics at 30 ppm: sweet, lemon, citrus, spice, waxy with a hay-like nuance.