Botanical Name: Achillea millifolium | Family: Compositae
Common name(s): Yarrow, Chipmunk’s tail, Soldier’s woundwort, Milfoil, Nosebleed
GROWING
- Perennial; herbaceous | Zone 3-9 | 2-3 feet tall | White* flowers in mid- to late summer
- Full sun/partial shade | Disturbed, well-drained, soil | Likes open, grassy areas
HARVESTING
Harvest aerial parts mid- to late summer, while in flower
PREPARATION / DOSAGE
Infustion: Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of the dried herb. Steep for 10-15 minutes. Drink hot 3x/day or hourly when feverish.
Tincture: 2-4ml 3x/day
External: Apply the powdered herb directly to wounds to stop the bleeding.
MEDICAL
Constituents: A bitter alkaloid, essential oil,flavonoids, tannins
Actions: Anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, hemostatic, hypotensive, stomachic
Uses: Cold, flu, fever, hypertension, bleeding, painful menstruation, hemorrhoids, amenorrhea,menorrhagia, leucorrhea
Combinations: Combine equal parts yarrow, elder flowers, lemon balm, and mint for early stages of a cold (drink the tea, get into bed with covers on until sweating occurs, get out of bed and do a cool sponge bath, then hop back into bed).
CHINESE MEDICINE
Warm, bitter, spicy
SOURCES
- The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra
- Holistic Herbal, David Hoffmann
- Homegrown Herbs, Tammi Hartung
- photo credit: John Rusk J20160901-0057—Achillea millefolium—RPBG via photopin (license)
* There is a variety of yarrow that has yellow flowers. That kind is not medicinal. There is a rose-colored variety of the medicinal plant, A. millefolium var. rosea, which is also okay to use. So white and shades of pinks/red are good, yellow is not (although it’s probably really pretty…nothing personal, yellow yarrow).
