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Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium)
Parts
Used: The parts of Yarrow that are most used are
the flowers and leaves. However, there are also many uses for
the stems. So it would be safe to say, the entire above
ground plant - harvested while flowering.
General
Medicinal Uses: There are so many uses for Achillea millefolium
that it's hard to generalize. I would say that this should be
an herb in your 'natural' field medicine kit and that it is most
notably used on wounds.
General
Folklore: The most famous use is as a divination
tool created for I-Ching. For this 50 stems are cut, cleaned
and used to 'throw' hexagrams. However Yarroway is widely
documented for many psychic uses.
General
Culinary Uses: The leaves are used in some Gin
recipes, it can replace hops in a very intoxicating beer and, ground,
it
becomes a very interesting spice to add to special dishes.
THIS PAGE IS STILL
UNDER CONTRUCTION
Alternate
Common Names:
Achillea, Arrowroot (this name belongs to another plant), Bad
Man's Plaything, Carpenter's Weed, Death Flower, Devil's Nettle, Eerie,
Field Hops, Gearwe, Hundred Leaved Grass, Knight's Milfoil, Knyghten,
Lady's Mantle (this name belongs to another plant), Milfoil, Militaris,
Military Herb, Millefolium, Noble Yarrow, Nosebleed, Old Man's Mustard,
Old Man's Pepper, Sanguinary, Seven Year's Love, Snake's Grass,
Soldier's Woundwort, Stanch Griss, Stanch Weed, Tansy (this name
belongs to another plant), Thousand Seal, Wound Wort, Yarroway, Yerw
Gender:
Female
Planet:
Venus
Element:
Water
Native
American Element: It is listed in all
directions because if it's diversity.
Astrological:
Libra
Specific
Warnings: Some people can experiance sensitivity
in the handling of
Achillea millefolium.
It should NEVER be used internally while pregnaunt, nursing
or
given internally to children under 2 years of age. In
addition -
before external application is used - a sensitivity test should be done.
Identification:
Achillea
millefolium is soft to
the touch and has a slight fragrance of pepper or pine. I
personally
feel like it is more of a pine scent. The leaves are very
lacy and
finely dissected often forming a rosette of large leaves at the
bottom
and tiny versions alternately traveling up the stem. The
flowers
are in flat clusters at the top, usually white in the wild.
However,
cultivated varieties and varieties from other countries are pink
&
yellow to deep oranges and reds. It generally begins
flowering in early summer and continues till late autumn.
From a distance many
people mistake Wild Carrot for this plant. Once you've really
gotten
to know Yarrow however, you won't make this mistake again.
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Below,
a Cultivated Yarrow Flower
Below,
a Wild Yarrow Flower
Below,
a Yarrow Leaf
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Cultivation:
It is most often found
in fields and places where the soil has been disturbed
(roadsides).
It tolerates poor soil but likes full sun. The funny thing
about
Yarroway is that it seems to know when someone is building
something.
It sprouts up all over the place. We have an area down town
that
was supposed to have a grand building. The ground was broke
and building
started. Then they ran out of money and the place was
deserted.
Keep in mind this was Down Town with no Yarrow in sight for
miles.
That summer there was the most BEAUTIFUL display of these flowers I'd
ever
seen.
Well I didn't harvest any of it (to close to people) but I kept
wondering
if it was begging the land owner to come and sit. "Come sit
with
us and we'll help relieve your stress."
Gardeners plant Achillea
millefolium
near plants that are having trouble. It is said to intensify
and
activate the disease resistance of nearby plants. I've
noticed this
in my own garden. I use this plant as one of my ‘herb
doctors’ in the garden.
For years naturalist
farmers have been using Yarroway to speed up the decomposition of
their
compost piles. Its said that a small child's handful will
work on
a full wheelbarrow full of compost material.
Medicinal:
To
learn how to make a good Yarrow tea, click here.
Acne – Oily Skin:
Yarrow, many
forms, has been made to
counter oily skin. It has a strong reputation in the cosmetic
industry
for such applications.
Anti-Allergenic: The
flowers
were put to boil and the
steam inhaled for many kinds of mucus problems, including hay
fever.
A long time reliever for people prone to runny noses, catarrh,
sinusitis,
hay fever and dust allergies is to drink a cup of Achillea millefolium
tea with Elder
Flower and Peppermint.
Asthma: The steam was
used to
relieve the constricted
passage ways.
Blood Tonic: Used to
increase
circulation and given for
all cardiovascular complaints. For cold hands and feet it was
often
blended with a little Hawthorn and Ginger.
Colds & Flu: The
essential oil was made into chest
rubs to help relieve stuffiness. This was often in
combination with
Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Hyssop and / or Thyme.
Cramps: Achillea millefolium
tea was served to people suffering from
all manner of muscle cramps. In sever cases a poultice was
placed
on the cramping area as well.
Cuts, Wounds & Bruises:
Used as a poultice to stop
bleeding, relieve pain and reduce swelling. Also used as a
disinfectant.
Digestive: Used to
relieve
gas, and stimulate appetite.
Disinfectant: This
'Military
Herb' was discovered to be very anti-bacterial.
It was often used on wounds. Many old Doctors were said
to wash themselves, their equipment and bedding in strong Yarrow Teas.
Eczema: The tea was made
into
creams, lotions and ointments,
or used straight, for relief of skin rashes and eczema.
Fevers: Used to cause
sweating
to ‘sweat out’ a fever.
Often given with Elder flowers.
Inflamed Joints & Muscles:
A
combination of Wound Wort and St.
John's Wort were made into massage oils, creams & lotions and
applied
warm to relieve swelling and pain.
Intensify: Many of the
old
books call for one teaspoon to be added to any preparation to
intensify the medicinal actions
of the other herbs.
Itch: A strong Cream
(often
combined with Jewelweed)
was made for all kinds of itchy rashes and bites.
Menstrual Disorders: The
tea
was sipped for tummy cramps.
It was used to slow bleeding when too heavy. It was also used
during
Menopause to ease the nervous tension and relieve (they called)
flooding
(to much blood in the system).
Migraines: The fresh
leaves
were placed up the nose to
start a nosebleed. This was thought to relieve a migraine
headache.
Nosebleeds: The fresh
leaves
were used to stop nosebleeds.
Other texts say they can start them.
Radiotherapy: Achillea millefolium
tea is supposed to be supportive
during this time.
Toothache: Fresh or
dried
leaves were turned into a herb
paste (herb and water, usually chewed by the person) and packed around
the inflamed tooth. It was said to relieve the pain and kill
the
infection.
Urinary Disorders: A
tincture
or tea was often prescribed
for all manner of Urinary infections and disorders.
Varicose Veins: Hot
compresses
were used (and are still
often used today) to relieve the pain and swelling of Varicose Veins.
If I'm allowed only one herb
to use
for medicine,
It'd be Yarrow that I choose.
- Unknown Civil War Doctor
Aromatherapy:
History, Folklore, and Magical
Belief:
Lets start with Cunningham,
he begins with suggesting it be worn for protection and “when
held in
the hand, it stops all fear and grants courage.”
There are several
sources that suggest hanging it over the wedding bed (or any bed) to
ensure
love however he goes on to say, “or yarrow used in wedding
decorations
ensures a love lasting at least seven years.” And
he says it
should be used in love spells. Back to carrying it, it's
supposed
to attract friends and relatives, that you want to contact.
Cunningham
says, “It draws the attention of those you most want to see.”
He suggests drinking a Yarroway tea to improve psychic
powers. Its
supposed to prevent baldness (but won't cure it). And is also
supposed
to repel evil and negativity from a person, place or thing.
On that
last note I know of a Minister who has a woven cross of Yarrow flower
stalks.
Gerina Dunwich calls
it, “an herb of the magickal arts,” She
affirms many of the
things Scott Cunningham says but adds, “worn as a charm
against sorcery,
demons, negativity, and ghosts.” She also suggests
that it
be, “hung in houses on Midsummer's Eve to protect the
inhabitants against
sickness throughout the ensuing year.” However, her
reason for
wearing the herb at weddings (handfastings) is “to dispel
negative influences.”
Claire Nahmad calls Achillea
millefolium a, “witch's herb and a woman's herb,
and should be offered in
a little posy to the newly married bride, for it brings the blessing of
conjugal happiness. Yarrow is a talisman and a breaker of
spells.
Its tea is a panacea for maidens and mothers.”
Paul Beryl goes into
a little more detail in other areas. He points out that “in
the
Orkney Islands yarrow is widely used for dispelling
melancholy. Yarrow
is an important herbe when healing someone burdened by troubled
emotions,
helping cleanse them of an unhealthy sorrow or a depression which has
lasted
too long. Albertus Magnus uses yarrow in combination with
nettles
to treat fear and self-negation.” His book was also
the first,
Non Oriental book that spoke of the straight stems of the Yarroway
flowers
being used as the 50 I-Ching sticks to ‘throw’ hexagrams. He
quotes
the Master Book of Herbalism as saying, “The most prized
yarrow is that
which grows upon the burial site of Confucius.” He
further points
out that Yarrow is sacred to the Horned God. And last, he
speaks
of a ritual waiting for the first bloom and making a wish upon
it.
The wish should come true by the time harvest begins.
Even Mrs. Grieve,
in a Modern Herbal, has things to say about historical magickal
use.
Here is what she writes, “Yarrow, in the
eastern counties, is termed, Yarroway, and there is a curious mode of
divination
with its serrated leaf, with which the inside of the nose is tickled
while
the following lines are spoken. If the operation causes the
nose
to bleed, it is a certain omen of success:
‘Yarroway,
Yarroway,
bear a white blow, If my love loves me, my nose will bleed now.’
Druids used Yarroway stalks to divine seasonal weather.
The old Myth concerning
its name sake, Achilles, states that his Mother made a strong tea of
Yarrow
and, at his birth, dipped him in it. This made him totally
invulnerable
except for the heal that she held him by, the Achilles Heal.
Culinary:
Sources:
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All
information, shared on
this web site, is for enjoyment and study only and is NOT meant to
diagnose or treat any medical condition. Only your
health care professional is qualified to diagnose or treat medical
conditions. Do not risk your health! Just because
something is 'natural' does NOT make it safe. Do not, under
any
circumstance, ingest or use herbs in any form
without consulting your Doctor. If you do, you do so
at
your OWN RISK.
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Rights Reserved 2009, Sandy Marie.
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