Newsletter Archive ewsl
Yarrow
Linda Hogan -Chickasaw
"Calling Myself Home"
There were old women who live on amber.
Their dark hands
laced the shells of turtles
together, pebbles inside
and they danced
with rattles strong on their legs.
There is a dry river
between the mandus.
its banks divide up our land.
Its bed was the road
I walked to return.
We are plodding creatures
like the turtle
Born of an old people.
We are nearly stone
turning slow as the earth.
Our mountains are underground
they are so old.
This land is the house we have always lived in.
The women,
their bones are holding up the earth.
The red tail of a hawk
cuts open the sky
and the sun
brings their faces back
with the new grass.
Dust from yarrow
is in the air,
the yellow sun.
Insects are clicking again.
I come back to say good-bye
to the turtle
to those bones
to the shells locked together
on his back,
gold atoms dancing underground.
http://www.snowwowl.com/histswritnawomen.html
Dear Friends-
Suzanne and I send our kind greetings with hopes that you may all be enjoying the company of family and friends as the Winter Soltice approaches.
Interspersed with the Aromatic Database Newsletters will be a number of other newsletters highlighting some special topic. Todays is on Achillea/Milfoil/Yarrow.
This wonderful healing plant is found growing wild extensively throughout the world and the cultivated varieties are great favorites in home gardens. Here on the Olympic Pensinsula the wild growing white flowered Achillea millifolium displays its great tenacity, power and vigor in that one can still find it sporadically blooming in the midst of December. This area was once solely populated by the Native American people and was an important part of their healing traditions as it was amongst many tribes throughout North America. A few of its key uses amongs the Native Americans are highlighted below.
Lore: The aroma of smoldering Yarrow or a decoction poured on hot stones was used byNative American Shaman to ward off evil spirits and revive those in comas. It is one of the plants used to protect one who was to walk on hot coals or otherwise be exposed to great heat. It seems it was used both internally and externally for such a purpose. Some tribes smoked the dried flower heads for ceremonial events
It was also used as a very effective coagulant and was used to quell the flow of blood for everything from deep gashes to arrow and/or spear wounds. The leaves were soaked in water and packed into the nostril(s) to stem the flow of nosebleeds. Yarrow leaves were boiled by both Native Americans and early settlers to creat a wash for eyes irritated from dust, glare and snow blindness. The same wash also provided great relief as a fever wash and was applied to areas suffering painful, persistent itching such as from poison ivy or poison oak. A poultice of bruised Yarrow leaves was laid over or bound to the forehead to relive headache pain. The mashed leaves were also inserted into the outer ear to relieve earache pain almost instantaneously. Native Americans also favored Yarrow baths for the treatment of arthritis.
http://www.ionxchange.com/species_pages/a/achillea_millifolia.html
Used sparringly as a potherb.
Known as the 'life medicine' to the Navaho, used as astringent, salve, and pain killer for toothaches. For earaches Indians poured into the ears an infusion made from the tops of yarrow.
The flowers produces a light green dye.
http://www.nativetech.org/plantgath/yarrow.htm
These quiet and unassuming members of the botanical community have a unique beauty and charm when we stop to admire their simple ways. For thousands of years, yarrow and countless other plants
of the wild have offered their healing virtues for body, mind and soul of those who have developed the ability to appreciate the gifts inherent in their leaves, roots, stems and flowers . One of the gifts which Yarrow possesses is its ethereal volatile oil distilled from its flowers.
The oil distilled from the wild growing white flowered variety of Achillea millifolium ranges in color from white to green to blue depending on the area in which it grows, the technique of distillation etc.
Recently I obtained a wonderful oil from organicall grown Bulgarian Yarrow/Milfoil which has a fine light blue color. It has a soft, sweet rounded herbaceous bouquet with delicate hay like notes. It has a wonderful depth to it. The soft sweetness draws one into its aromtic heart in a most charming way. Those interested in this lovely oil can find it under Yarrow on the web site.
Following is a bit more information on Yarrow which I hope all of you will enjoy.
"Forgive me," said the Harvester gently. "Just now I am collecting catnip for the infant and nervous people, hoarhound for colds and dyspepsia, boneset heads and flowers for the same purpose. There is a heavy head of white bloom with wonderful lacy leaves, called yarrow. I take the entire plant for a tonic and blessed thistle leaves and flowers for the same purpose."
The Harvester-Gene Porter-Stratton
Description
A native perennial upright, aromatic herb, with tough, erect, furrowed woody stems up to 50cm high, growing from a creeping rhizome. The finely-divided alternate leaves are 5-12cm long, bi- and tri-pinnate, accounting for its Latin name meaning 'thousand-leaf'. The composite flowers are arranged in dense flat-topped terminal corymbs, white to pink, each flower being about 4-6mm in diameter and with a characteristic odour. It is common in pastures, grassy banks, hedgerows and waste places in dry sunny positions throughout most of Europe,
Yarrow grows from 10 to 20 inches high, a single stem, fibrous and rough, the leaves alternate, 3 to 4 inches long and 1 inch broad, larger and rosette at the base, clasping the stem, bipinnatifid, the segments very finely cut, fern-like, dark-green, giving the leaves a feathery appearance. The flowers are several bunches of flat-topped panicles consisting of numerous small, white flower heads. Each tiny flower resembling a daisy. The whole plant is more or less hairy, with white, silky appressed hairs. Flowers bloom from May to August.
Varieties: A tomentosa, A. filipendulina, A decolorans. The white blooming A. millefolium is the most cultivated for medicinal use.
http://houseofstrauss.co.uk/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=338
THAT day was composed of dawn, from one end to the other. All nature seemed to be having a holiday, and to be laughing. The flower-beds of Saint-Cloud perfumed the air; the breath of the Seine rustled the leaves vaguely; the branches gesticulated in the wind, bees pillaged the jasmines; a whole bohemia of butterflies swooped down upon the yarrow, the clover, and the sterile oats; in the august park of the King of France there was a pack of vagabonds, the birds.
Les Miserables--Victor Hugo
Origin of the name Achilliea/Yarrow
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium Linnaeus) was used from the time of the ancient Greeks to treat wounds especially those received in battle. The modern common name comes from the Middle English name, yarowe. This name derived from the Old English gearwe and the Old High German garwa. The closely related Anglo-Saxon name was gearuwe meaning healer.
Linnaeus based his scientific classification for yarrow, Achillea millefolium (Species Plantarum, 1753), on two older common names. Millefolium, muriophullon, and myllophullon were Greek and Roman names (4) meaning "thousand-leaved" or "many-leaved" (9), referring to the finely divided leaves of this plant; `milfoil,' a name used occasionally even today, is a direct descendant. Achillea we have already seen, in the person of the mighty Achilles. Though possibly less romantic, the generic name also may refer to Achillo, an ancient Greek doctor who used the plant to cure a wounded warrior (10). Many common names for yarrow refer to its fine foliage: milfoil, thousand seal (10), thousand leaf (6), and thousand weed (12). My favorite, though, is the whimsical Latin supercilium veneris (4), meaning "eyebrow of Venus" (14).
"Yarrow" comes from `garawa,' the Old High German name for this plant; further back than this, the word's origin is unknown (11). In the hands of the Anglo-Saxons, the word became `gearwe,' and was used as a synonym for "mirifillo" in literature of 725 A.D. (11). By 1503, the word "yarrow" was used as it is now (11). This root also has given us such obvious derivations as yarroway (12) and yarra grass (6)YARROW AS A SOLDIER Martial names for A. millefolia were common in the first century: stratiotice ["of a soldier" (9)] and herba militaris ["soldier's herb" (9)] (4). Greek and Roman soldiers carried the plant with them as part of their supplies (7). The Gauls of the time called it beliucandas (4) and carried it away as booty when they invaded the Roman Empire (7). In this way, yarrow and its reputation reached all comers of Europe. By the eighth century, yarrow was being used in Britain (7). The knights of the Middle Ages knew yarrow as staunchgrass, bloodwort, knight's milfoil, or sanguinary (10); and during the American Civil War, it was called soldier's woundwort (2). That the plant could be useful to those in civilian occupations is reflected by the more placid name carpenter's grass; presumably yarrow served as a relief for the usual chisel and cutter wounds sustained by woodworkers (6).
http://www.wssa.net/photo&info/larrymitich_info/yarrow.html
There a magic drink they gave him,
Made of Nahma-wusk, the spearmint,
And Wabeno-wusk, the yarrow,
Roots of power, and herbs of healing;
Beat their drums, and shook their rattles;
Chanted singly and in chorus,
Mystic songs like these, they chanted.
Song of Hiawathat-H. D. Longfellow
Linnaeus tended to retain names in general use, especially those names from Greek and Roman mythology. The generic name, Achillea, was in wide use by herbalists well before Linnaeus. Yarrow was believed the same as the legendary herb used by Achilles' soldiers during the Trojan War.
At one point, the war was going badly for the Greeks. Eurypylus, carrying a message to Achilles, was shot by an arrow. Patroclus found him and Eurypylus begged:
"There is no more hope for the Greeks. They will fall among the ships....But save me. Take me to the ship, cut this arrow out of my leg, wash the blood from it...and put the right things on it—the plants they say you have learned about from Achilles who learned about them from Cheiron, the best of the Centaurs....
"...Patroclus took a knife and cut the sharp arrowhead from his leg and washed the black blood away....Then he crushed a bitter root...and put it on the wound. The root took away all the pain. The blood stopped and the wound dried." (Homer, The Iliad, xi, 800 BCE, trans. I.A. Richards).
http://www.killerplants.com/whats-in-a-name/20020802.asp
A LOW stone wall bordered the lane on either side. There were clumps of tansy and yarrow with straggling bushes of meadow-sweet and hardback clustering closely around the loosely piled rocks. Plenty of poison ivy vines clambered over them too. The lane was narrow and grassy; even the deep wheel-ruts through the center were overgrown with grass. And everything was dusty; there had been a little drought lately; the leaves were powdered thick with dust.
A Wandering Samaritan-Mary Wilkins
Yarrow-traditional uses
Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium Linnaeus) [a ki lee' ah mil i fo' lee um] is native to Europe and western Asia. The plant is naturalized over much of North America, Australia, and New Zealand. It is often considered a weedy or nuisance species in cultivated fields. advertisement
Yarrow
Disk-shaped yellow flowers bloom mid- to late summer. Gray-green, fern-like foliage grows to 42 in. Excellent flower for drying.
When John Gerard wrote The Herbal in 1597, the yarrows were known as Millefolium (thousand leaves). Gerard also listed numerous "bastard names", among them: Panaces Heracleion (Heracles or Hercules heal-all), Supercilium Veneru (Venus' eyebrow), and Militaris (of the military).
The yarrows have been used to treat injuries since the early Greeks. Gerard wrote of its 'vertues', "The leaves of Yarrow doe close up wounds, and keepe them from inflammation, or fiery swelling: it stancheth bloud in any part of the body...it stoppeth the laske (diarrhea), and being drunke it helpeth the bloudy flixe (dysentery). Most men say that the leaves chewed, and especially greene, are a remedy for the tooth-ache."
Although, yarrow was usually used to stop bleeding, it was also used to induce bleeding. Gerard mentions a common English name, Nose-bleed. "The leaves being put into the nose, do cause it to bleed, and ease the paine of the megrim (migraine)."
http://www.killerplants.com/whats-in-a-name/20020802.asp
But already, higher up, a few Bengal roses scattered among the airy lace of the daucus, the feathers of the marsh-flax, the marabouts of the meadow-sweet, the umbellae of the white chervil, the blond hair of the seeding clematis, the neat saltiers of the milk-white cross-wort, the corymbs of the yarrow, the spreading stems of the pink-and-black flowered fumitory, the tendrils of the vine, the sinuous sprays of honeysuckle; in fine, all that is most dishevelled and ragged in these naïve creatures; flames and triple darts, lanceolated, denticulated leaves, stems tormented like vague desires twisted at the bottom of the soul; from the womb of this prolix torrent of love that overflows, shoots up a magnificent red double-poppy with its glands ready to open, displaying the spikes of its fire above the starred jasmine and dominating the incessant rain of pollen, a fair cloud that sparkles in the air, reflecting the light in its myriad glistening atoms.
Balzac-Frederick Lawton
Yarrow-Traditional uses
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Of all plants, yarrow has one of the longest histories of medicinal usage.
Some research indicates the Neanderthals possibly used it as far back as 60,000 years ago. From the ancient Chinese and Greeks through modern times, yarrow has been an important and versatile herbal medicine.
Three thousand years ago, during the Trojan war, Achilles used yarrow on his soldiers’ wounds to stop bleeding. Hence, the generic name Achillea. Yarrow was a very important herb for the Native American Indians in which at least 46 tribes used it for 28 different ailments. British herbalists John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper noted the use of yarrow for swelling and wounds. The plant was called nosebleed in the 16th century due to its ability to cause a nosebleed, an old remedy for headaches. Yarrow appeared in the US Pharmacopoeia during the 19th century and in European pharmacopoeias of this century.
Wounds & Inflammation
Throughout history yarrow has been used for wounds and inflammation, spawning the name Herba Militaris, the military herb in ancient Greece. In the 1950s an alkaloid from yarrow was found to make blood clot faster. These findings concur with the historical usage of yarrow as a vulnerary, an herb which promotes the healing of cuts, wounds and burns by protecting against infection and stimulating cell growth. Yarrow contains azulene, a volatile oil which has an anti-inflammatory activity. This presents some insight into how yarrow has been used for ulcers, rashes and as an eyewash. Fresh yarrow poultices were used in China for all wounds (including dog bites and snake bites) while the dried herb was used for internal bleeding (including menstrual and hemorrhoidal bleeding).
Colds & Fevers
Yarrow has an excellent history of usage for colds, flu and fevers due to its diaphoretic and febrifuge qualities which, respectively, cool the body and reduce fever. The tea is commonly used at the beginning of a fever, often with a little honey and cayenne pepper. It has also been used for the onset of measles and other eruptive diseases. Yarrow contains similar derivatives to aspirin or salicylic acid which help reduce pain and fever.
With such a long history of health related uses, yarrow has been used for just about everything. Rinsing the head with a decoction of yarrow is said to prevent baldness. Chewing on the leaves may help toothaches. Other traditional uses include rheumatism, female complaints, hypertension, lack of appetite, stomach cramps, flatulence, diarrhea and gastritis.
Yarrow’s versatility is a welcome addition to anyone’s herbal vocabulary. It spans folklore to modern pharmacopoeias as being an important part of good health. This is a comforting reminder of how such a common, simple plant can play such an important role in the history and well-being of humanity.
References
• Grieve, M. A Modern Herbal Vol. II. Dover Publications, 1982.
• Kowalchik, C. & Hylton, W. Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Rodale Press, 1987.
• Leung, A. & Foster, S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used In Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. Wiley-Interscience Publication, 1996.
• Millspaugh, C. American Medicinal Plants. Dover Publications, 1974.
• Schauinberg, P. Guide to Medicinal Plants. Keats Publishing, 1990.
• Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations. C.W. Daniel Company, 1988.
http://www.kroegerherb.com/h_yarro.html
With what doubting eyes, oh sparrow,
Thou regardest me,
Underneath yon spray of yarrow,
Dipping cautiously.
Fear me not, oh little sparrow,
Bathe and never fear,
For to me both pool and yarrow
And thyself are dear.
Archibald Lampman-A Re-Assurance
Yarrow in Lore and Legend
Perhaps because of its pungent (and to many unpleasant) odor, Yarrow was said to be one of the devil's herbs and was probably called Devil's Plaything and Devil's Nettle for this reason. In any event, it has been long associated with magic and witchcraft. As is so often the case, however, the plant could actually be employed to give protection against the very same spells that it was an ingredient of.
Yarrow was strewn across the threshold of a house to keep out evil influences and was worn to guard against evil spells. Country people tied sprigs of it to a baby's cradle to protect the infant from witches who might try to steal away its soul, which they believed to be a real possibility in cases where there had been a delay in baptizing the infant.
To ease childbirth, Yarrow that had been gathered on St. John's or Midsummer Eve (June 21, the summer solstice, a day of great and powerful magical significance since very ancient antiquity) was given to a woman in labor. She held it pressed to her right side, but it had to be taken away as soon as the child was born.
A strange Anglo-Saxon charm "for a fiend-sick man or demonic, when a devil possesses the man or controls him from within with disease" is recorded in one of the tenth-century leechbooks. The charm proceeds to describe the thirteen herbs needed, one of which was Yarrow, to be made into a "spew drink" (to cause vomiting-that is, the "vomiting out" of the evil) to be drunk from a church bell. Seven Masses were then sung over it, and garlic (an ancient protector against evil spirits) and holy water were added.
Not only was this mixture to be drunk from a church bell-and one wonders exactly how this was accomplished-but the brew was to be added to everything the sick man ate or drank. Psalms 119, 67, and 69 were sung over it, it was drunk out the church bell, and the Mass priest afterward said a benediction over the sick man. This was a complicated ritual, and from it one may infer that demonic possession was believed a reality and received serious attention. One wonders how frequently this procedure, with its peculiar combination of pagan and Christian elements, was resorted to.
Yarrow was a plant of Venus (this was odd, because most devil's herbs were plants of Saturn) and, as such, was frequently consulted where love matters were concerned. One famous love charm required that a handful of Yarrow be sewn into a flannel square and put under the pillow, and the following rhyme said aloud:
Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree,
Thy true name is Yarrow.
Now who my bosom fried must be,
Pray tell though me tomorrow.
One's future husband or wife would appear that night in a dream.
Another love divination was based on Yarrow's well-known ability to cause nosebleed. A Yarrow leaf was inserted in the nostril and gently rotated while the following was recited.
Yarroway, Yarroway, bear a white blow [flower].
If my love loves me, my nose will bleed now.
If my love do not love me, it won't bleed a drop,
If my love loves me, 'twill bleed every drop.
Another charm recited to ensure the appearance of a future husband or lover in a dream was common in the south of England. A girl picked a sprig of Yarrow from the grave of a man who had died young, reciting:
Yarrow, sweet Yarrow, the first I have found,
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pluck it from the ground.
As Jesus loved sweet Mary and took her for his dear,
So in a dream this night,
I hope my true love will appear.
She then took the plant home and put it under her pillow. This charm is an odd one, to say the least. It might even be considered blasphemous. After all, Jesus did not take anyone "for his dear," much less someone named "sweet Mary"! The Virgin and numerous saints were frequently begged to intercede for or otherwise come to the aid of lovers, but as far as I know, few love charms invoke the name of Jesus. I do not know the history of this particular invocation, or how ancient it is, but a possible explanation is that the charm is indeed a very old one, and the names of Jesus and Mary were substituted (as was the case with many other charms) at a later date, to replace the names of pagan gods and goddesses.
Yarrow was frequently included in wedding bouquets and garlands, where its presence was said to guarantee true love between the married pair for seven years!
There were other beliefs associated with Yarrow. The juice, if rubbed into the hair, made it curly. To dream of it after gathering the plant for medicine meant the dreamer would hear good news. In the Orkney Islands of Scotland, Yarrow tea was a cure for melancholy, while in the Hebrides, a leaf of Yarrow held against the eyes gave "second sight."
Yarrow was considered a beneficial medicinal herb among the Chinese. It was said to be useful in improving respiration, skin, and muscle tone and if taken for a long while was believed to increase intelligence. It is called shih in Chinese and is said to grow in exceptionally plentiful amounts at the grave of Confucius. According to a Chinese legend, one hundred Yarrow stalks grew from a single root. When the plant was a thousand years old, three hundred stalks would grow from the root. Such was the power of this plant that wolves, tigers, and poisonous plants would never be found near it.
Yarrow has special significance to the consulters of the I Ching. Stalks from a closely related species (Achillea sibirica) are the source of the famous "stalks of divination" to be used in consulting this oracle. These stalks were sold in parcels of sixty-four, and their length was very important. For the Son of Heaven (the emperor) the stalk were nine feet long; for feudal princes, seven feet; for high dignitaries and government officials, five feet long; and for graduates (probably of the mandarinate), three feet.
http://www.ashtreepublishing.com/Book_City_Herbal_Yarrow.htm
BLUE-EYED grass in the meadow
And yarrow-blooms on the hill,
Cattails that rustle and whisper,
And winds that are never still;
Blue-eyed grass in the meadow,
A linnet's nest near by,
Blackbirds caroling clearly
Somewhere between earth and sky;
Blue-eyed grass in the meadow,
And the laden bee's low hum,
Milkweeds all by the roadside,
To tell us summer is come.
Mary Austin.
Medicinal Uses-
Yarrow
© David L. Hoffmann B.Sc. (Hons), M.N.I.M.H.
Achillea millefolium
Compositae
Names: Milfoil
Habitat: Native to Eurasia and naturalized in North America, found intemperate zones.
Collection: The whole of the plant above ground should be gathered when in flower between June and September.
Part Used: Aerial parts.
Constituents:
• Volatile oil, containing [[alpha]]- and [[beta]]-pinenes, borneol, bornyl acetate, camphor, caryophyllene, eugenol, farnesene, myrcene, sabinene, salicylic acid, terpineol, thujone and many others, and including the sesquiterpene lactones. Many samples contain high concentrations of azulenes, up to about 50%, including chamazulene and guajazulene.
• Sesquiterpene lactones; achillin, achillicin, hydroxyachillin, balchanolide, leucodin, millifin, millifolide and many others.
• Alkaloids and bases; betonicine (= achilleine), stachydrine, achiceine, moschatine, trigonelline and others.
• Miscellaneous; acetylenes, aldehydes, cyclitols, plant acids etc.
Actions: Diaphoretic, hypotensive, astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-microbial, bitter, hepatic.
Indications: Yarrow is one of the best diaphoretic herbs and is astandard remedy for aiding the body to deal with fevers. It lowers bloodpressure due to a dilation of the peripheral vessels. It stimulates the digestion and tones the blood vessels. As a urinary antiseptic it is indicated in infections such as cystitis. Used externally it will aid in thehealing of wounds. It is considered to be a specific in thrombotic conditions associated with hypertension.
Priest & Priest tell us that it is a "mild, slow & stimulating diaphoretic: indicated for the first stage of acute febrile reactions. For atonic & relaxed tissues where there is free discharge or passive haemorrhage of bright red blood. Cold preparations stimulate the appetite and tone the digestive organs." They give the following specific indications: Acute stage of colds, influenza and respiratory catarrhs. Chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. Epistaxis, intestinal haemorrhage and bleeding haemorrhoids. Uterine haemorrhage, profuse protracted menstruation and leucorrhoea.
Ellingwood considered it specific for "hot, dry burning skin, at the beginning of acute asthenic fevers, with suppressed secretion; deficientrenal action, with renal or urethral irritation; acute or chronic Bright'sdisease in its incipient stage. Leucorrhoea with relaxed vaginal walls. Menorrhagia and amenorrhoea; haemorrhoids with bloody discharge, atonic gastric and intestinal dyspepsia; passive haemorrhages." In addition he recommends it for the following patholgies: haematuria, uterine haemorrhage, intestinal irritation, leucorrhoea, fevers, ureamia, oedema, tonsillitis, epididymitis.
Combinations: For fevers it will combine well with Elder Flower, Peppermint, Boneset and with Cayenne and Ginger. For raised blood pressure it may be used with Hawthorn, Linden Flowers and European Mistletoe.
Preparations & Dosage: Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto l-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for l0-l5 minutes. This should be drunk hot three times a day. When feverish it should be drunk hourly.Tincture: take 2-4ml of the tincture three times a day.
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=1769
Yarrow is a very useful medicinal herb. As already mentioned, it is a premiere vulnerary that staunches bleeding. The juice or dried powder can be applied to bleeding wounds. A strong tea may be taken for internal bleeding. Its anti-inflammatory action will reduce swelling and heal inflamed cuts or wounds. Internally, Yarrow acts as a soothing relaxant on the voluntary nervous system. It counteracts cramps and spasm of the stomach, abdomen and uterine system. At the same time, its bitter principles support the digestive system by acting on the gallbladder and liver. Yarrow also supports the urinary system and is an effective anti-inflammatory and diuretic in cases of urinary infections, such as cystitis. It is an excellent women's herb that can bring on delayed menstruation, soothe painful periods and menstrual cramps and reduce excessive bleeding. The fresh juice is recommended as a tonic. Yarrow improves peripheral circulation by dilating the blood vessels. It is indicated for high blood pressure and angina pectoris. It is also one of the best herbs to induce a cooling sweat to reduce fevers. It can also be used for inner cleansing, e.g. prior to a sauna or sweatlodge. Yarrow's overall cleansing and toning properties, combined with its anti-inflammatory action may explain its use in the treatment of rheumatism. Yarrow can be described as a tonic and alterative that over time will improve the overall function of all the main bodily systems, as well as being of excellent service in the treatment of acute problems.
Caution:
Some individuals are sensitive to Yarrow and may develop allergic reactions on exposure.
http://www.sacredearth.com/Ezine/September2005/autumn05.htm
CHEMISTRY OF YARROW Yarrow contains the alkaloid achilleine, which is an active hemostatic agent (2). Achilleine also promotes perspiration; this substance was prescribed into the late 1800s for fevers, especially in southern Europe. Other chemicals found in yarrow act as expectorants, providing relief from cold and flu symptoms (2). Yarrow's strongly fragrant foliage, rich in aromatic oils such as camphor and menthol contains substances that kill bacteria-hence its power to prevent infections-and provide local anesthesia (2). Yarrow also inhibits seed germination and' repels insects (2). Experiments reportedly have shown that yarrow planted in a garden stimulates growth of neighboring plants and improves the taste of herbs (6). It seems to repel blight and to encourage vegetable production (7).
http://www.wssa.net/photo&info/larrymitich_info/yarrow.html
Yarrow Hydrosol
by Ann Harmon
Grown, distilled and presented by Celestial Body Aromatherapy
21298 Pleasant Hill Road Boonville, MO 65233
660-882-6858
Latin Binomial: Achillea millefolium
Plant Family: Asteraceae {Compositae}
Parts used: Flowering Tops
Hydrosol extracted: Steam Distillation using a copper still.
Yarrow Wildcrafted in Boonville, MO
Yarrow photography are hand picked and distilled fresh
Yarrow grows all over the U.S. in field and roadsides. An American ditch weed, brought over from Europe. The photography are mostly white in dense, flat, small flower clusters growing above the fern and feather like leaves. Its Latin name millefolium translates to “thousand leaves”. Achillea for the Greek God Achilles, a hero who used Yarrow to treat the wounds of his soldier during the Trojan war.
When distilled a beautiful pale blue hydrosol is supplied the azulene very noticeable. There is a thin layer of royal blue essential oil that slowly becomes part of this hydrosol making these waters very therapeutic. The initial puffs of scent from the stills condenser are reminiscent of a rich, ripe banana and build to a more dry herbaceous scent.
Achillea millefolium is an age old herbal medicine and its hydrosol may be used for a wide variety of complaints including fever, kidney stones, respiratory infections, digestion, rheumatism, most skin problems. Yarrow is hormone balancing and helpful from menstruation through menopause. Its hydrosol take the itch out of about everything!
Its actions are anti inflammatory, anti- pyretic, antiseptic, astringent, anti rheumatic, anti spasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, expectorant, stomachic, and tonic.
Yarrow hydrosol is being tested for its anti-oxidant properties now, but its effect on psoriasis and eczema require no further testing. Alone Yarrow stops the itching on contact, calms the inflammation and helps heal the basal layers of the skin leaving them less raw and painful when exposed. Yarrow should be your first choice for insect and spider bites, poison ivy, rashes and all else that gives you the itch. Sprits undiluted on adults where needed [dilute with water 25% to 50% if you feel the need to].
For acne spritz area daily or add 1 table spoon to a basin of water and splash 20 times.
Great first aid for wounds. Wash wound with hydrosol, helps to stop the bleeding. Use in daily treatment for wounds that will not heal. Lay compresses of Yarrow hydrosol on varicose veins and cuperose. Use in a spritz bathe for hemorrhoids and after child birth. For digestion and harmone balancing add a tablespoon a day to diet and sprits face or body often.
The scent of Yarrow Hydrosol is unusual. If you aren’t crazy for the scent mix it with other hydrosols or add a drop or two of a pleasing essential oil. Add the unique scent of yarrow to an aromatic misting blend.
Yarrow has a long history of meta-physical purposes. Used in the ‘I Ching’ 5000 years ago. The ancient Greeks used Achillea millefolium for divination and spells. Used in Witchcraft through out history. In the middle ages yarrow was called Devils Nettle and Devils plaything used to “give the sight”, women sewed Yarrow photography into their pillows to see their future husbands. Also used by Achilles in the Trojan war to heal his soldiers by crushing the Yarrow leaves and placing it on their wound to stop bleeding.