84 THE NEW ZEALAND FAMILY HERB DOCTOR. 
BLUE VERVAIN (Versena Hastata.) 
This is a very valuable herb. Professor P. O. Brown, in 
the ‘Complete Herbalist,” speaks of this herb in the most 
flattering terms. With him it is an emmenagogue, 
expectorant, diaphoretic, antispasmodic, hepatic, splenetic, 
febrifuge, stimulant, antiscorbutic, lithontriptic, emetic, 
astringent, stomachic, and a super-excellent tonic. We think 
he is just a little too much given to exaggerating, especially 
when he says he was the first to bring vervain to the notice 
of physicians twelve years ago. His book is dated 1885, 
while Coffin, in his lectures delivered in 1850, fully describes. 
it, and tells of its great virtues. Dr. Dale, in his book, 
‘The Botanic System,” published in 1855, does the same; 
also Fox, Stevenson, Skelton and Robinson. We can hardly 
understand why a man could fall into such an error unless It 
is his desire to appear original. Honesty in all things. 
Still vervain is a first class diaphoretic. Coffin says it 1s 
the most powerful innature. In intermittent fevers it 1s about 
the best remedy, and for what is known as cold and difficult 
menstruation. To bring and keep out eruptions in fevers, small- 
pox, measles, and scarlet fever. The green leaves bruised and 
mixed with slippery elm is reckoned the finest thing for bruises 
and discolourations resulting therefrom, and as a remedy for 
epilepsy, Mr Brown declares it unequalled, used in infusion 
in the ordinary way, half a teacupful every hour to produce a 
sweat, which may also act as an emetic on weak stomachs 
If this is desired the dose may be doubled. The powdered 
herb may be used, a teaspoonful to a cup of boiling water, 
strained and sweetened. For a tonic the cold decoction of an 
ounce to the pint; dose, a wineglass three times a day is the 
best way to take it. For fits it is compounded with other 
medicines which will be found in our treatment of epilepsy. 
For a picture of this herb see illustrations. Weare happy tosay 
++ is now introduced into the colonies. We saw it in 
Christchurch last summer and intend to get some of the 
seeds. The latest discovery that we know of as a diaphoretic 
is the 
