Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium)
Health Benefits. Uses. Preparation. Safety.
- By Milla Ezman
- One Comment
- Edited by Jisselle Regis
Botanical name: Achillea millefolium
Plant family: Asteraceae (Sunflower) family.
Taste: Aromatic and Bitter.
Parts used: All aerial parts. The flowering tops are the most medicinally active as that is where we find the concentration of aromatic oils, though the leaves are higher in medicinal tannins.
Common names: Milfoil, Old Man’s Pepper, Soldier’s Woundwort, Knight’s Milfoil, Thousand Weed, Carpenter’s Weed, Bloodwort, Staunch Weed, Devil’s Nettle, Field Hop, Little Feather, Ya Luo, Warrior Plant.
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial found all over the world and is a remarkable herb to face the tough winter colds and flu with. And it has no less remarkable topical wound healing properties to face the cuts and bruises that are bound to come when you are raising active kids!
Yarrow is one of my absolute favorite herbs, my grandma used to say that there is nothing it cannot help! It is a very easy herb in every aspect!
Its diaphoretic action makes it a powerful fever reducer and an ally in cases of obstructed perspiration while helping the body expel toxins and supporting liver and lungs. Diaphoretic (induce sweating) plants “move the circulation toward the surface of the body, helping to cool it off through sweating, and increasing the immunological activity on the “front lines” of the body’s battle against the cold”. Yarrow can be very beneficial for the pancreas and the lungs when liver or pancreatic function is compromised due to high insulin levels or low digestive enzymes. Yarrow stimulates pancreatic function and boosts blood flow, which can benefit the anxiety and insomnia.
Yarrow contains flavonoids and bitter, aromatic compounds that increase saliva and stomach acid production, aiding digestion. Yarrow is a popular digestive bitter. Read my article “Herbs for INDIGESTION (Dyspepsia) Bitters. Carminatives. Demulcents.”
Yarrow is perhaps most famous for its benefits to heal wounds and stop minor bleeding. Its antiseptic and anodyne properties plus its ability to coagulate blood and stop bleeding make it the perfect ally in this case. It is also useful for hemorrhoids, postpartum care, bruises, cuts, as well as internal bleeding. Yarrow harmonizes blood circulation and hypertension. It is considered a skin tonic and can be very effective to improve complexion and provide protection against the sun and wind.
“Thou pretty herb of Venus’ tree
Thy true name it is Yarrow;
Now who my bosom friend must be,
Pray tell thou me tomorrow”
Uses:
High fever, UTI, Colds, Flu, Angina, and other respiratory issues, digestive issues, Cuts and Wound, Bruises, Sun/wind damage, Pancreas, lungs and liver malfunction, Detox, Hemorrhoids, Blood clots, Dysmenorrhea, Hypertension, Menorrhagia
Key actions:
Anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, stimulant, tonic, digestive, hypotensive, nervine.
Constituents: Bitters, chamazulene, proazulene, saponins, tannins, fatty acids.
History and Folklore
Yarrow is one of the oldest medicinal plants known to humans. In Iran, archeologists excavated burial caves that are dated up to 60,000 years old containing the pollen grains of 8 medicinal plants, and Yarrow was one of them.
“Thus, it is both cooling and warming, fluid generating and controlling. Remedies with contradictory but complementary properties are often of great utility since they are able to normalize opposing conditions. This is true for yarrow.” -Matthew Wood
The great 16th-century English herbalist Parkinson wrote “Achillea closeth bleeding wounds and preserveth them from inflammations, and it stayeth the flux of blood in women…“
Yarrow was called Supercilium Venus (the eyebrow of Venus) and it was dedicated to this Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Grace. German herbalist Maria Treben says “I cannot recommend Yarrow enough for women. They could be spared many troubles if they just took Yarrow tea from time to time!“
Growing Yarrow:
Yarrow grows over most of the world as a perennial garden and wild plant. Except the desert Southwest. Once its roots are established, it will come back year after year, without much work. The fern-like leaves and the flowers that may be yellow, red, pink, or a number of shades in between make it a very attractive plant for your backyard garden or landscape.
Yarrow is pest-resistant, drought-resistant, attracts butterflies, and is excellent for cutting and drying.
Plant in the spring in well-drained, average to poor soil. Yarrow thrives in hot, dry conditions; they will not tolerate wet soil. If you grow yarrow in rich soil, the plants may require stalking due to overgrowth.
Space the plants 1 to 2 feet apart. They are quick to establish and spread, though some species, like Achillea millefolium, are extra-aggressive growers, so be careful when choosing your plants. Most kinds grow to be about 2 to 4 feet tall.
Buy seeds at www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com or www.fedcoseeds.com
How to Harvest Yarrow: harvest all top part of the plant while it’s in the full bloom, discard all the damaged parts, separate leaves, flowers and stems. Cut the stems into 1-2 inch pieces so that they will be easy to use. dry and store.
Preparation and Dosage:
Tea and Infusion can be made from both fresh and dried cut leaves and flower heads.
Tea: Combine 1-2 tsp. of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Once you’ve added the herbs to the water, remove from heat. Cover and steep for 5-10 minutes . Strain the herbs and drink.
Infusion: 1 oz of dried herb to 1 pint(16 oz) of brought to a rolling boil water. Pour the water over the herb, cover your brew, so you don’t lose its aromatic properties, stip for 15-30 minutes. Drink warm or at room temperature in “wineglassful doses” a few times a day. The bitter taste can be masked with sweeter herbs and a bit of honey.
Learn about how to make teas and Infusions HERE.
Tincture: see the recipe below.
Fresh plant: If you have fresh yarrow growing in your garden poultice can be employed to stop bleeding, soothe wounds, in case of bug bites, stings and relieve bruising. My son chewed yarrow with plantain and applied on a bee sting last summer. He said the pain went away in a few seconds and it didn’t swell. He was very impressed with himself!
Dry Yarrow Topically: Dry Yarrow can be used to make an Herbal Healing Salve, or you can grind it into a fine powder and put directly onto cuts to disinfect and quickly stop bleeding. Yarrow is also used to soak (sitz bath, etc) and for compress preparations.
Native Americans used ground yarrow infused in water as a wash to treat sunburns.
Average Infants & Children Dosages:
6-12 months old – 1/10th of an adult dose
1-6 years old – 1/3 adult dose
7-12 years old – 1/2 adult dose.
Yarrow Tincture recipe.
in this recipe, I am using the Weight to Volume method with dry Yarrow making a 20% (1:5 plant to alcohol ratio) tincture with Organic 40%-60% Vodka or Brandy.
- 400 grams Dried ground Yarrow
- 2000 ml Organic 40%-60% Vodka or Brandy
-
Coarsely grind your dried Yarrow in a high-speed blender or food processor and place it in a large glass jar that can be tightly closed.
-
Add your measured alcohol, stir well, making sure all of the plant material is wet. Cap your jar tightly. Label.
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Shake tincture frequently for 6-8 weeks, then let sit for another day.
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Decant, press and filter.
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Pour in an amber bottle with a dropper, cap tightly and label. Always label! Mystery jars are so frustrating!
I use Organic cane or Grape Vodka but grain vodka is also safe.
Adult dose: 1-3 ml 3x a day.
Infants & Children Dosage:
6-12 months old – 1/10th of an adult dose
1-6 years old – 1/3 adult dose
7-12 years old – 1/2 adult dose.
Uses: as an herbal bitter, fever reducer, to strengthen the vascular system. UTI, Colds, Flu, Angina, and other respiratory issues, for Pancreas, lungs, and liver malfunction, Detox, Hemorrhoids, Blood clots, Dysmenorrhea, Hypertension, and Menorrhagia.
Not recommended with: Bradycardia, coagulation disorders, nephritis.
Yarrow safety: As yarrow’s ability to relax the smooth muscle of the uterus, pregnant women should not use yarrow unless under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner, because it could cause miscarriage.
Yarrow appears to be very safe to use whilst breastfeeding and certainly can and should be used as a healing herb by the young or elderly.
Note: Yarrow is an herb that has several look-alikes, some of which are poisonous and even deadly (poison hemlock and water hemlock). Before harvesting and using what you think is yarrow, be sure you’ve positively identified it first!
Allergy warning: Yarrow should be used with caution by those with allergies or sensitivities to plants in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family.
Science on Yarrow:
– Yarrow infusion was found to demonstrate anti-inflammatory and antipyretic (fever reducing) actions. The active ingredients were identified as protein-carbohydrate compounds within the plant (Goldberg AS et al: J Pharm Sci 58(8):938-941,1969)
– Yarrow tincture, in laboratory studies, was found to be effective against Staph.aureus, Bacillus subtillus, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, and Shigella flexneri (Moskalenko SA: J Ethnopharmacol 15(3):231-259,1986)
– more HERE.
The Best Kept Secret
“In 1929, Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin. It began to be readily available with WWII. At that time new antibiotics were being discovered daily. However, Dr. Fleming noted as early as 1929 that numerous bacteria were already resistant to Penicillin. At that time 14 percent of staph bacteria were resistant to penicillin. By 1995, with decades of widespread use of antibiotics, 95% of staph were resistant to penicillin. In 1960, when resistant staph had become the most common hospital-acquired infection, physicians started using methicillin to combat resistant strains. In just a year, MRSA (methicillin-resistant staph) emerged. 70 years from the introduction to antibiotics, some staph bacteria have become resistant to all known pharmaceutical antibiotics. Bacteria seem to be winning the “war on disease.”
Herbs are different than pharmaceuticals. Bacteria can develop immunity to pharmaceuticals because they represent only one, or a few, compounds. Natural herbs, on the other hand, are made up of hundreds of complex compounds that bacteria can’t develop immunity to. Bidens is a natural antibiotic that will successfully treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It outperforms penicillin, tetracycline, methicillin, and other antibiotics for both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.“
I appreciate your Comments, Shares, and Reviews.
yours truly, Milla Ezman
Resources:
Medicinal-plants in a Middle Paleolithic Grave Shanidar
“Herbal First Aid: Wound Care”. Natural School of Botanical Medicine.
“Yarrow (Ya Luo).” eastwesthealingacadamy.com, 2016.
“Yarrow: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Yarrow.” www.almanac.com, accessed online September 2016.
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** Information on the traditional uses and properties of herbs that are provided on this site is for educational use only, and is not intended as medical advice. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. Many traditional uses and properties of herbs have not been validated by the FDA. If you have any serious health concerns, you should always check with your health care practitioner before self-administering herbs. **
1 thought on “Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Benefits. Uses. Preparation. Safety. Tincture recipe.”
thank you siberiancedarland for giving me wonderful information