Hi just a quick question fist time using vervain in a spell and woah the smell was awful ! Is that normal or do you think it’s some how gone off ?
Thank you in advance mandy
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@amanda44 hi I have vervain and the smell is very mild. It’s not exactly pleasant but it does not smell bad at all. Here is a pic of mine to help you compare
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Vervain should it smell horrible
No, it should not. It’s uses are wide, from medicinal to offerings to the gods. The smell should be mild unless it’s lemon vervain which should have a lemony grass odor. I’d discard your vervain and buy new.
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Greetings @amanda44!
I agree with what Crystal and Garnet say- if the herbs you are using smell horrible, then it is likely that something happened and they have been contaimined/gone bad.
May I ask if you using fresh, dried, or another version of vervain?
→ Dried herbs are less likely to go bad (that’s not to say it doesn’t happen) but the smell tends to be more mild.
→ Fresh herbs contain a large amount of water and are especially prone to rot, mold, and decay.
→ Essential oils or concoctions usually have a high percentage of alcohol/preservative that prevents them from spoiling. However, if the substance was not prepared correctly or there was an issue in production (whether with the vervain or another ingredient in the blend) this could potentially lead to it going bad.
If the herbs are uncomfortable to handle, I would suggest not using them in any spellwork and disposing of them safely.
Good luck and blessed be! 
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