YARROW USES AND FACTS

“Women could be spared many troubles if they just took yarrow tea from time to time!”

Treben

Family: Asteraceae

Latin name: Achillea millefolium

Other common names: common yarrow, nosebleed, carpenter’s weed, staunchgrass, thousand-leaf, old man’s pepper.

Yarrow, or Achillea millefolium, is a herbaceous, perennial, flowering plant that can be found in most parts of Eurasia and North America. The Latin name of the plant ‘Achillea’ traces its origin to the famous Greek hero Achilles who utilized yarrow in order to treat the wounds of his soldiers after battles.

The plant is usually about 0.2-1 m tall. The leaves of the plant are elongated (about 5-20 cm long), bipinnate or tripinnate, pubescent and arranged spirally on the stem. The inflorescences consist of 15-40 small white or pink ray and disc flowers grouped in capitulum clusters. The flowers are pollinated by insects. The fruit is represented by a small cypsela. The seeds are small, about 1.5-2 mm long. The plant can be propagated by seeds and rhizomes.

Yarrow can grow anywhere –on roadsides, forest edges, in meadows, fields, ravines, dumps, on the banks of reservoirs.

Parts used: above-ground parts.

Chemical Composition

• flavones
• coumarins
• ahilleine
• organic acids (salicylic, formic, acetic and izovalerianic)
• tannins
• resin
• asparagine
• mineral salts
• essential oils
• carotene
• choline
• vitamins C and K

Interesting Facts About Yarrow

• The leaves and flowers of the plant can be used for culinary purposes. They can be added to soups, salads, stews and egg dishes.
• Yarrow is known as a good nectariferous plant.
• Gardeners and florists highly appreciate the decorative properties of the plant, its undemanding nature and long flowering period. Therefore, the plant often makes part of the flower beds in parks and suburban areas.
• The useful properties of the plant were already known to the Native Americans and Tibetans.

Yarrow Tea Recipe

This tea might have a slightly bitter taste.

What you need:

• 1 tsp of dried yarrow herb
• 1 cup of water
• Some honey or a slice of lemon (optional)

Bring the water to a boil. Add the dried yarrow to it and steep the mixture for about 10-15 minutes. Strain the tea and add some honey or lemon according to your taste.