Question 1

Can you use blue vervain as a rinse diluted with water for grey hair?

Accepted Answer

I use it for joint and back pain it work great for me. But I have to mix it with a little juice because the taste is awful. Never read anything about it working on grey hair.

Question 2

How well does this work for major anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Herbs are not one-size-fits-all (and for that matter, neither are pharma drugs/anxiolytics, even though they try and pretend to be). No herb (or drug for that matter) will work for everyone--blue vervain might be just the thing for you (and you continue to let it help you for years), whereas for me it might be albizzia julibrissum. Or some combo of herbs that work well.Blue vervain does have some specific traditional indications (meaning specific signs and types of personalities it tends to be particularly suited for). These include: anxiety manifesting as upper neck/back tension and people who tend to "shoulder" too much of the responsibility for the people/things around them (this tends to mostly be women/moms but can be anyone). Most of the time herbs are also not "quick fixes" (even at sufficient doses")--usually it takes at least a few days (sometimes weeks) of steady usage to see effects--which also often enough applies to pharma drugs. That said, some folks might take a given herb and notice an effect RIGHT away--which is great but in my experience (2nd-year med herb student) not typical. Depends on person and on the herb.Another major factor: DOSE! This is tricky, and it's where buying tinctures OTC can (for some people/herbs) get expensive. There are some people who are "low-dose" people; at the extreme of this spectrum are folks who can take just ONE DROP of a tincture and they feel notice a discernible effect (or they seem to just be able to look at it or smell it!)--these tend to be people who are SUPER sensitive to pharma drugs (and foods, and a million other things), and you generally know if you're "one of those people." The vast majority of folks, I'm learning, need higher doses. And (usually unfortunately), in the US esp, people do not take ENOUGH of a given herb to see an effect--at which point they give up and say "XYZ herb did nothing for me." If you've never taken a given herb, ideally your first 1 or 2 doses will be low. After that, work your way up (in pharma this is called "titrating")--blue vervain can be safely taken by most people (assuming no medications, I have not looked up interactions) at significantly higher doses than you'll see on the bottle and for a very long time (if necessary). For liability reasons, MOST (NOT all!) herbs have dosages written by manufacturers that are on the low end of what's likely to work (in case that 1 in 20,000 person who's extra extra sensitive takes too much). For other herbs (one ex: poke root!) you do NOT want to exceed a recommended dosage. Blue vervain is in the former, safer, safe to use everyday in more substantial doses category. My advice? 1) Esp since you mention MAJOR anxiety, this person should SEE A REGISTERED/QUALIFIED HERBALIST, preferably one who's been credentialed throught the American Herbalists Guild (their website has a section where you can look up herbalists where you live; if you live remotely you could arrange consultation by phone or internet as well, which is still preferable if you are really serious about healing! --and if you find that low/printed dosages of an herb are not working! A good one will get a "big picture" of what is going on with you--as well as some other factors you might not have thought were contributing to your anxiety (mineral deficiencies? thyroid issues? maybe you don't eat frequently enough...? Or don't have enough good fats in your diet? Or your liver isn't clearing your hormones (reproductive and stress hormones for instance) quickly enough so they overcirculate? ....). A good herbalist will work with you like a detective of sorts--and they KNOW these plants, and can formulate an UBER safe way to effectively treat you in the long term. The awesome part about using herbs, esp for long-term nervous issues--even though they take more effort/love than popping a pill--is that in the long run they heal you and nourish you--I mean that chemically/materially (giving you stuff your body NEEDS instead of crap it doesn't need and has to work harder to cope with and purgeand downregulate from, which pharma drugs usually do even at their best). But getting intimate with plants is also something ALL of our ancestors did, so that in itself also feels awesome and will probably help you "rewire" your nervous system.  --if this has been a problem for a long time, THAT should be your ultimate goal (I know it's mine, and I'm on my way, but not all the way there yet!). Plants can help SO much with that!2) Get to know the plant! How it LOOKS (google "blue vervain"--it's gorgeous), FEELS (blue vervain I would describe as "very cooling!"), and TASTES (for blue vervain, I would say "very bitter! quite clean!"). Maybe the herb pharm tincture does nothing for you, but a guy 10 miles away makes a tincture (using plants from YOUR region, in a particular season, using only the flower and NO stem) that hits the spot! ...maybe the tincture doesn't work but a tea before or during a particularly stressful day hits the SPOT for you!  (Or vice versa!) Different parts of a plant have different efficacy--and a plant grown on the east coast during a rainy year might be a little differnt than one on the left coast, or grown in a dryish year. ...In other words, there are no quick fixes and I think you should get some professional help. If blue vervain is appropriate for you (not saying it is), you might be someone who needs an ounce a day (which would get expensive). If you spend $ upfront on the advice/direction, you will probably save yourself some $ AND a lot of anxiety in the long run.Best wishes--be well,B

Question 3

does this help with sleep?

Accepted Answer

Yes

Question 4

Can i mix this with almond oil for perfume?

Accepted Answer

I suppose you could' but this product has very little odor and would not produce a perfume.

Herb Pharm Certified Organic Vervain Liquid Extract, Blue, 1 Fl OzUSDA Organic

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