Herb Profile

Verbena Officinalis

Verbena officinalis

Verbena Officinalis (Verbena officinalis) carries a Grade C rating — limited evidence.

Last reviewed: 3 sources citedReport a correctionProfile-wide ·C Limited

Use extra caution May cause drowsiness or impaired alertness. Details

Evidence
Limited Evidence
Typical onset
Varies by prep
Safety rating
High caution
Best for
Nervine, Anti Anxiety, Liver Support, Stress
Avoid / review if
Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Without Clinician Supervision, Known Allergy To The Plant/Family, Potential Interaction Concern With Sedatives/CNS Depressants
Verbena Officinalis monograph visual
Generated profile category visual

At a glance

From this profile's structured data
Evidence
Grade C
Safety
May cause drowsiness or impaired alertness.
Profile context
nervine, anti_anxiety, liver_support
Next steps

Continue reading

Safety

Safety & Cautions

May cause drowsiness or impaired alertness. Avoid combining high dose extracts with alcohol, sedatives, or other CNS depressants.

High caution

Caution level: High. Multiple caution categories apply, or the record uses avoid/contraindication language.

  • Interaction-AwareMedication or interaction context is explicitly noted.
  • Pregnancy/Breastfeeding CautionPregnancy or breastfeeding caution language is present.
Detailed safety fields

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and contraindications

  • Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Without Clinician Supervision
  • Known Allergy To The Plant/Family
  • Potential Interaction Concern With Sedatives/CNS Depressants
  • Immunosuppressants
  • Use Clinician Review For High Dose Extracts Or Chronic Use.

Safety classifications

  • Interaction-Aware: Medication or interaction context is explicitly noted.
  • Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Caution: Pregnancy or breastfeeding caution language is present.

Full safety note

  • May cause drowsiness or impaired alertness. Avoid combining high dose extracts with alcohol, sedatives, or other CNS depressants.

Safety labels

  • Interaction-Aware
  • Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Caution

Evidence-based safety

Caution when combined

Severity and certainty are shown separately. A high-priority caution can still be theoretical: these pairings are screened from shared contraindication mechanisms and are not automatically documented clinical interactions. Provenance identifies the source fields that produced each flag; it does not upgrade the certainty of the pairwise claim.

Evidence

Evidence Summary

Evidence lens

Read as directional context, not settled clinical proof.

LimitedLimited Evidence

Human clinical evidence: Not the primary signal

Mechanistic / preclinical: Mechanism mappedStress Response Modulation · NF KB Modulation

Research maturity: Theoretical / mechanistic researchMechanistic or unresolved evidence is kept separate from established human outcomes.

Safety boundary: Safety note availableMay cause drowsiness or impaired alertness.

This profile cites 3 human studies.

Study design details
Evidence Grade

Grade C: Limited Evidence

Evaluation of methodological rigor, population reach, and evidence alignment.

Design Match
Narrative review
Risk of Bias
High
Consistency
Not assessed
Strongest recorded design is a narrative review, drawn from 3 recorded studies, none of which measured an outcome in people.
How evidence grades work

Each grade reflects the strength and consistency of published human evidence — not marketing claims. Grades are based on study count, design quality, effect size, consistency, and recency.

Strong
Multiple RCTs, consistent direction, adequate effect size
Moderate
Some RCTs or consistent observational data in humans
Preliminary / Mixed
Animal or in-vitro only, or conflicting human data
Traditional / Theoretical
Traditional use only; no controlled human trials
Clinical Study Summaries (3)0 human evidence sources · 0 human trials · Participant totals not consistently reported · Consistency not yet classifiable

What the evidence actually shows

This table contains 3 structured sources, including 0 human evidence sources; 0 are human trials. A reliable participant total cannot be calculated because sample size is not consistently structured in the cited sources. Source-to-conclusion relationships are not classified in this structured set, so consistency is not yet classifiable.

Profile-wide evidence grade: see the profile grade above · Confidence: not separately assigned

What would change our conclusion?

Larger, well-controlled human trials using comparable populations, doses, preparations, and clinically meaningful outcomes could materially strengthen or weaken this conclusion. Replication in a different population or a high-quality synthesis resolving current disagreement could also materially change confidence.

StudyDesignNDoseDurationPopulationOutcomeResult & magnitudeSource

Plant Extracts as Skin Care and Therapeutic Agents

Michalak M et al. · Int J Mol Sci · 2023

Background
Narrative review

Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.

PubMed

Vervain

PubMed indexed authors · 2006

Background
Narrative review

Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.

PubMed

Verbena officinalis (Common Vervain) - A Review on the Investigations of This Medicinally Important Plant Species

Kubica P et al. · Planta Med · 2020

Background
Narrative review

Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.

PubMed

Dosing & Timing

No standardized dose
Preparation specific; use standardized product label for Preparation varies by tradition and product form and require source backed dosage review before therapeutic claims.
How Verbena Officinalis works

Simplified mechanism pathway based on preclinical and pharmacological evidence. Does not confirm clinical efficacy.

Mechanism Pathway — How Verbena Officinalis Works

How Verbena Officinalis WorksVerbena Officinalis acts on biological target pathways via hpa axis (modulation), leading to nervine.Verbena OfficinalisBiological TargetBiological pathwayHPA AxisModulationNervineObservable outcomeNF KB InhibitionParallel pathway
CompoundTarget / ReceptorMechanismEffect / Outcome
Mechanisms & biological pathways

Preclinical pathways. Proposed mechanisms from in vitro and animal research; these do not confirm clinical outcomes in humans.

  • Stress Response Modulation
  • NF KB Modulation

Active Compounds

Key constituents studied in Verbena Officinalis, with full pharmacology and safety profiles.

Compare related active botanicals

Explore botanicals with similar chemistry, effects, or safety considerations in the Botanical Activity Atlas.

Guides that use Verbena Officinalis

Compare & Sourcing

Compare side-by-side tradeoffs or verify active marker guidelines.

Safety first · Harm reduction

This information is educational and not medical advice. Start low, avoid risky combinations, and consult a licensed clinician before making health decisions—especially if you use medications, have diagnosed conditions, or are pregnant/breastfeeding.

Learn how we evaluate confidence, safety, and intensity on the methodology page.

Editorial Review

Checked against primary sources, cited evidence, and contraindication language before publication. Evidence claims, safety language, and affiliate modules are reviewed independently. Not personal medical advice.

Editorial Standards →

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Botanical profile context

How to interpret Verbena Officinalis

Verbena Officinalis herb profile with evidence context, key research topics, source notes, safety context, and references presented in an evidence-first… Use this herb profile as a starting point for evidence review, not as a recommendation to start a new supplement. Botanical products can vary by plant part, extract ratio, standardization, dose, and contaminant testing, so two labels with the same common name may not behave the same way.

When reviewing Verbena Officinalis, compare the traditional-use context against the human evidence, mechanism notes, and safety cautions. Pay special attention to pregnancy, breastfeeding, liver or kidney disease, blood-pressure effects, sedation, stimulation, anticoagulant use, antidepressants, and any prescription medication overlap.

For product decisions, prefer transparent labels, named extracts, clear serving sizes, and third-party quality testing. Avoid treating a long list of possible mechanisms as proof that an herb will solve a specific condition.