Yarrow has been utilised for thousands of years in ancient healing practices such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Well-established in traditional herbal practices of diverse Indigenous populations across the Americas, it is a staple herb in the Western herbal apothecary. A digestive aid and an ally to help the body manage a fever, yarrow can also be used to assist healing tissues and support the artful balance of fluids amongst body systems.
Yarrow’s aerial parts (above the soil) act primarily on vascular tone, making it a useful herb to supplement first aid when tending to conditions of excessive bleeding or bruising. Herbalist Matthew Wood2 describes yarrow as ‘master of the blood,’ identifying its unique action on blood flow to and from surface tissues. Yarrow employs this same mechanism in its diaphoretic action, helping the body deal with fever by increasing peripheral circulation and opening up the pores to assist with bringing on a sweat, releasing heat from the body and regulating fluids. Yarrow can lend these same regulatory mechanisms to highly vascularised organs such as the digestive tract, kidneys, and womb. From an energetics perspective, yarrow can offer balance to opposite conditions, like cooling or warming, toning or relaxing, and drying or moistening in the body, making it a versatile herb.
Rich in antioxidants, yarrow contains a robust profile of flavonoids as well as tannins, alkaloids, sterols, coumarins, volatile oils, and phenolic acids, which all contribute to its utility in addressing inflammatory conditions. Yarrow is a source of vitamins A, C and thiamine, and the minerals calcium and potassium.
From a traditional healing standpoint, yarrow is described as protective and strengthening for energetic boundaries. Its sweet and bitter taste makes it palatable in teas, and best of all, it’s plentiful—found easily in woods, open fields, and alongside roads, both rural and urban.
In my practice, I utilise yarrow in tea blends to aid in a range of digestive symptoms. As a diffusive aid added to cold and flu formulas, especially in conditions where dry fever or stubborn mucous is present. I also find it useful in some menstrual formulas to support balance in conditions of stagnant menses or dysmenorrhea. It is immensely soothing as a topical preparation; I opt to include both leaf and flower in salves or bath soaks for conditions of irritated or inflamed skin. In addition, yarrow prepared in a poultice is excellent for insect bites and stings. I also work with yarrow flower essence as a support for those who become emotionally overwhelmed. To me, yarrow represents one of herbal medicines’ most important principles: approaching health as a harmonious dynamic amongst systems with reverence for the relationships of our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions.
THE HISTORY OF YARROW
Native to many parts of Europe and Asia, yarrow’s use dates back at least 60,000 years. Fossils of processed yarrow pollen were found in Neanderthal burial caves in modern-day Iraq and Spain. Its botanical Latin name Achillea millefolium, describes the plant's connection to the Greek warrior Achilles, who fought in the Trojan war. As the myth describes, Achilles utilised yarrow as a vulnerary on the battlefield, tending to the wounds of his soldiers. The Latin species name ‘millefolium’ refers to its leaf structure, meaning ‘thousand-leaved.'
Widely utilised by Indigenous populations in traditional healing practices worldwide, yarrow has been employed by the Algonquin and Micmac as topical relief for headache, as a cough and cold remedy, and as a tonic for chronic respiratory ailments. Also used as a febrifuge, vulnerary, gastrointestinal aid, and reproductive tonic, yarrow was referred to as ‘blood medicine’ amongst many Indigenous peoples. The Ojibway have worked with yarrow for ceremonial purposes, smoking florets of the plant or placing them over coals, and inhaling the aromatic smoke of the plant to help bring a fever to resolution. Anishinabe people have traditionally worked with yarrow as an energetic support, pouring a mixture of sand and dried yarrow powder across doorways or around the foundation of a home, as its presence is believed to offer protection.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A hardy perennial, yarrow is often found growing in compact acidic soil. It has delicate, fern-like leaves divided into woolly leaflets that extend into bipinnate and occasionally tripinnate formation and grows two to six inches in length. Stalks are typically grooved with characteristic small woolly hairs. A mature yarrow stalk stands between one and three feet tall and by mid-June is topped by flat inflorescences of tight, rounded clusters of small white (occasionally pink) daisy-like flowers. Yarrow is rich in nectar and faintly smells of licorice and pine—crushing the leaves or flowers between your fingers will intensify the scent.
Yarrow can resemble poison hemlock. It’s important not to forage unless you are sure of proper identification.
PROPERTIES AND INDICATIONS
Circulation and Blood
Yarrow’s aerial parts contain a phenolic acid called salicylic acid (isolated and synthesised, this compound is the active ingredient in the pharmaceutical aspirin). This, combined with yarrow’s unique profile of flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, and volatile oils, is believed to contribute to its anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic action on vessel walls, targeting peripheral blood flow. Yarrow can offer support in conditions of excess bleeding and is also utilised in conditions that involve stagnant, tense or congested tissue.
Indications
- Fever (sudden onset) may be accompanied by rash with or without chills—Supports bringing blood flow to the periphery of the body.
- Varicose veins—Fresh or dried herb can be added to the bath.
- First aid conditions such as nosebleeds, traumatic wounds or lacerations, and arterial bleeding—Ground dried leaves have traditionally been applied as a styptic.
- Hardened bruises.
Digestion
Yarrow’s tannins have an astringent and toning action on the gastrointestinal mucosa. Its bitter flavour helps stimulate digestive secretions and smooth muscle contractions in the bowel, making it ideal for approaching symptoms of bloating and indigestion. The alkaloid betonicine present in yarrow leaf and the flower is being studied for its positive effects on digestion.
Indications
- bloating, indigestion, digestive cramping, colic
- decreased appetite
- inflammatory bowel conditions
Reproductive Health
Yarrow contains anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic flavonoids and the sesquiterpene-lactone ‘achillein,’ which is being researched for its use in menstrual pain and cramping.
Indications
- menstrual cramping
- conditions of inflammation of the reproductive organs
- uterine fibroids
- scanty menses
CONSIDERATIONS & CONTRAINDICATIONS
Those with sensitivity to the Astraceae family should avoid the therapeutic use of this plant. Not to be consumed during pregnancy.
PREPARATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
Dosage: 2–4 grams dried herb daily. 3–5 ml pressed juice from fresh herb up to three times daily.
Tincture: 2–4 ml three times daily (1:5 in 25%)
Tea (infusion): Pour 1 cup of low-boiled water over 1–2 teaspoons of dried herb; steep infusion, covered for 10–15 minutes. Drink hot up to three times per day. During a fever, infusion can be drunk hourly. Please consult your practitioner or trusted reference for dosages intended for children.
Dried: Gather stems of yarrow early in bloom, wrap in garden twine, and hang upside down in a cool place away from direct light.
Fresh Tincture: Harvest leaves and flowers and fill a sterilised jar two-thirds full with plant material. Add menstruum spirit, such as vodka, to cover one inch above the plant material, making sure it is submerged. Cover with wax paper and seal with lid. Store the preparation in a cool place out of direct sunlight, and gently shake or stir the contents of the jar daily for a minimum of four weeks. Ensure all plant parts remain submerged in the menstruum. Strain through cheesecloth and press out remaining herbal material. Enjoy your homemade fresh tincture preparation for up to two years.
