Vervain
Intense enthusiasm for a cause, and an inability to let it drop
What it feels like
You care enormously, and you are right, and you cannot leave it. The conversation at dinner should have moved on twenty minutes ago and you are still making the case, because if they would only understand they would agree. You take on more than anyone should, campaign hard, work late for things nobody asked you to do, and you are genuinely tireless until suddenly you are not. Winding down is the difficult part. You lie in bed with your mind still going at full speed on something that will keep until Monday, and your shoulders have been up around your ears for two weeks.
Signs you might need it
- You try hard to convince people rather than letting them decide
- You cannot let a subject drop once you have started
- You take on far more than is reasonable for a cause you believe in
- You are tense, wound up and find it hard to switch off
- You work past the point of usefulness on principle
- You feel frustrated that others do not care as much as you do
What it helps with
The conviction stays and the strain goes out of it. People describe still caring deeply while being able to put it down at the end of the day, which usually makes them more persuasive rather than less.
Not to be confused with
Vine, which does not bother convincing anyone and simply tells them. Impatiens is irritated by slowness rather than driven by a cause, and Rock Water aims its intensity entirely at itself.
Those with fixed principles and ideas, which they are confident are right, and which they very rarely change. They have a great wish to convert all around them to their own views of life. They are strong of will and have much courage when they are convinced of those things that they wish to teach.
The plant
A wiry roadside plant with tiny pale lilac flowers spaced along stiff upright spikes. It looks unremarkable and was once one of the most revered herbs in Europe, used in ceremonies across several cultures.
How to take it
The usual way is two drops from the stock bottle into a small glass of water, sipped through the day. If you are mixing several remedies, put two drops of each into a 30ml bottle of spring water and take four drops from that, four times a day.
There is no need to time it around meals, and you can take it as often as you like. Most people give it two weeks before deciding whether it is doing anything. The full guide to taking them covers mixing bottles, timing and the alcohol question.
Often mixed up with Vervain
Often taken alongside
Common questions
These are about Vervain. The questions about the remedies in general, alcohol, children, timing, live in the FAQ.
What is the difference between Vervain and Vine?
Vervain wants to persuade you and will keep talking until you agree. Vine has no interest in persuading anyone and simply expects to be followed. Vervain argues, Vine instructs.
Is Vervain good for stress and tension?
It is the usual choice when the tension comes from your own intensity, the inability to stop pushing. If the tension is more about a mind that will not stop looping at night, White Chestnut fits better.
Will Vervain make me care less?
That is not what it describes. The conviction is the good quality here. What eases is the strain of never being able to put it down, which usually leaves people more effective, not less.
Not sure Vervain is the one?
Choosing works by recognizing yourself in a description, so if this one only half fits, it is worth seeing what else comes up. The quiz narrows all 38 in about a minute, and the over-care for others group holds the nearest neighbors.
Where to buy Vervain
Bach remedies are widely stocked. If you are buying online, check the bottle says Vervain and comes in the standard 20ml stock size.
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