Verbena officinalis (Verbenaceae): Pharmacology, Toxicology and role in female health

Abstract

Verbena officinalis Linn (Verbenaceae), the common verbena or vervain, a traditional herb with immense cultural and medicinal significance in the European, Greek, American, Roman and Egyptian countries. Phytochemical analysis suggests the presence of iridoid glycosides, secoiridoid glycosides, phenylethanoid glycosides, flavones, pentacyclic triterpenoids, monoterpenes, sterols and their derivatives. Owing to the presence of these phytochemicals, wide range of pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antidiarrheal, antitumour, antidepressant, anxiolytic, gastroprotective and hepatoprotective, etc are reported. Literature survey highlights the distinct role of Verbena officinalis in treating dysmenorrhoea, vaginitis, endometriosis, premenopausal night sweating, herbal tonic for pregnant women and lactating mothers and its use as emmenagogue. The review aims to promote studies on Verbena officinalis for its therapeutic role in female reproductive health and other ailments. The scientific databases used for compilation of the data were Google scholar, Pubmed the data made available specifically from 2010 to 2022.