Wild Harvesting - Yarrow

Here is a great one with a lot of mystical significance as well as being a medicinal herb. Yarrow leaves are fern like - the flowers ( I took this photo before) grow in several forked bunches with small, white heads - each tiny flower resembles a daisy. The most medicinally active part of the plant are the flowering tops. Gather stem, leaves and flower heads in bloom, dry for later herb use. The dry herb edible as a spice or flavoring, strong sage flavor.

Uses:

• Yarrow is commonly used as a tea or in a bath (flowers) to help raise your body temperature. The salicylic acid derivatives are a component of aspirin, which may account for its use in treating fevers and reducing pain. Yarrow tea is also said to be able to clear up a cold within 24 hours.
• It is believed that anti-allergenic compounds can be extracted from the flowers by steam distillation.
• The flowers are used to treat various allergic mucus problems, including hay fever.
• Flowers used in this way are harvested in summer or autumn, and an infusion drunk for upper respiratory phlegm
• The flowers can be used externally as a wash for eczema.
• Inhale a steam containing the flowers for hay fever and mild asthma.
• Soak a pad in an infusion or dilute tincture to soothe varicose veins.

Properties

Yarrow is a very valuable medicinal herb, with much scientific evidence of use in alternative medicine as an antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, stimulant, and tonics, vasodilator and vulnerary.

Yarrow is used against colds, cramps, fevers, kidney disorders, toothaches, skin irritations, and hemorrhages, and to regulate menses, stimulate the flow of bile, and purify the blood. Medicinal tea is a good remedy for severe colds and flu, for stomach ulcers, amenorrhea, abdominal cramps, abscesses, trauma and bleeding, and to reduce inflammation.

The main constituents are volatile oils including linalool, camphor, sabinene, and chamazulene, sesquiterpene lctones, flavanoids, alkaloids including achilleine, polyacetylenes, triterpenes, salicylic acid, coumarins, and tannins which prove these uses in alternative medicine to be effective.

The herb contains sterols, which have actions similar to hormones and aids in controlling the menstrual cycle. That yarrow is an extremely beneficial remedy for women; it is established from the fact that the herb moderates serious bleeding during menstruation as well as heals uterus blockages. It also helps in providing relief during heavy periods. Yarrow’s versatility as a herbal medication is again proved when it is said to be useful as a stimulant or tonic for the nervous system.

Interesting Points

• Yarrow was one of the herbs dedicated to the Evil One, it is also known as Devil's Nettle, Devil's Plaything, Bad Man's Plaything, is used for divination in spells.
• Yarrow oil has been traditionally used in hair shampoos.
• Some caution is advised , large or frequent doses taken over a long period may cause the skin to be more sensitive to sunlight.
• Yarrows can be planted to combat soil erosion due to the plant's resistance to drought.
• The stalks of yarrow are dried and used as a randomising agent in I Ching divination.
• In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of a herbal mixture known as gruit used in the flavouring of beer prior to the use of hops.
• Infusions of yarrow, taken either internally or externally, are said to speed recovery from severe bruising.
• A folk belief states that if you hang a bunch of dried yarrow or yarrow that had been used in wedding decorations over the bed, you can thus ensure a lasting love for at least seven years.
• Yarrow was one of the herbs put in Saxon amulets. These amulets were for protection from everything from blindness to barking dogs
• Chinese proverbs claim that yarrow brightens the eyes and promotes intelligence.

Recipe

An aromatic tea: To 1 tsp. dried herb add 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10 min. sweeten to taste. Take at bedtime.

Sources:

• http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_yarrow.htm
• http://www.altnature.com/gallery/yarrow.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Koeh-149.jpg