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Characteristics:

• The plant has white, pink or purple composite flowers in dense cymes with small capitula. The bracts are imbricate, long, thorn-tipped and taper to a point. There are 5 white female florets. The disc florets are tubular, yellowish-white and androgynous. The fruit is 1.5 to 2 mm long.
• Yarrow plants are 0.1 to 1.5 m high with hardy, horizontal rhizomes which grow from underground runners. The stem is simple, erect and hairy. The leaves are lanceolate and multi-pinnate with short acute tips.

Habitat:

• Yarrow is a common wayside plant found in most temperate climates of the world.

Parts Used:

• The dried flower clusters and above-ground parts of the herb are used medicinally.

Collection and Harvesting:

• Yarrow herb consists of the fresh or dried, above-ground parts of Achillea millefolium, harvested at flowering season. Yarrow flower consists of the dried inflorescence of Achillea millefolium.

Constituents:

• Yarrow volatile oil contains α- and β-pinene, borneol, bornyl acetate, camphor, α-caryophyllene, and 1,8 cineole)
• Yarrow also contains sesquiterpene lactones (achillicin, achillin, achillifolin, millifin, millifolide), tannins, flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, isorhamnetin, rutin), alkaloids (betonicine, stachydrine, achiceine, moschatine, trigonelline, and others), phenolic acids (caffeic, salicylic) and coumarins.
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Actions:

• Yarrow possesses diaphoretic, antipyretic, hypotensive, astringent, antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, diuretic, antimicrobial, bitter, hepatic, and urinary antiseptic properties.
• Chamazulene is a component of the blue oil produced by steam distillation of chamomile (Matricaria recutita), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). In addition, sesquiterpene lactones found in these plants are converted to matricin and achillin during distillation. Chamazulene has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities.
• Achillin is found in yarrow (Achillea millefolium and other Achillea spp.) and in several Artemisia species. It functions as a plant growth inhibitor. During steam distillation, achillin is converted into chamazulene, which has antiinflammatory properties.
• Antimicrobial activity against a range of bacteria has been reported for water and ether extracts of the plant.

Indications:

• Yarrow is most useful in colds, influenza, measles, smallpox, chickenpox, fevers and acute catarrhs of the respiratory tract.
• Traditionally, yarrow has been used for bruises, swellings, strains, fevers, common cold, essential hypertension, amenorrhoea, dysentery, diarrhoea, and specifically for thrombotic conditions with hypertension, including cerebral and coronary thromboses.
• Achillea is an important diaphoretic herb and is a standard remedy for helping the body deal with fever.
• Achillea stimulates digestion.
• As a urinary tract antiseptic, it is indicated in infections such as cystitis, for which it is most effective if used fresh.
• Achillea tones blood vessels. It is considered a specific in thrombotic conditions associated with hypertension, and is thought to lower blood pressure through dilation of peripheral vessels.
• Its anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic actions are related to its content of flavonoids.
• Used externally, Achillea aids in wound healing.
• Achillea has the following specific indications: acute stage of colds, influenza, and respiratory catarrhs; chronic diarrhea and dysentery; epistaxis, intestinal hemorrhage, and bleeding hemorrhoids; uterine hemorrhage, profuse protracted menstruation, and leukorrhea.

Combinations:

• Gypsy Cold Care Remedy: This combination of herbs will help the body perspire, which will help lower a fever. The tea can also be used to treat allergies, hay fever, and sinus congestion.
  • 1 part elder flower
  • 1 part peppermint leaf
  • 1 part yarrow flower and leaf
• To make the tea blend: Prepare an infusion of the herbs, letting the herbs steep for 45 minutes, to make a very strong brew.
• To use: Sip throughout the day as needed.

Preparation and Dosage:

• Liquid extract 2–4mL (1 : 1 in 25% alcohol) three times daily.
• Tincture 2–4mL (1 : 5 in 45% alcohol) three times daily.
• To make an infusion, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 - 4 g) of dried herb and infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. This should be drunk hot three times a day. When the patient is feverish, it should be drunk hourly.

Contraindications:

• Yarrow may cause an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, especially those with an existing hypersensitivity to other members of the Asteraceae.
• Yarrow should not be taken during pregnancy. It is reputed to be an abortifacient and to affect the menstrual cycle, and the volatile oil contains trace amounts of the abortifacient principle thujone. In view of the lack of safety information use of yarrow should be avoided during lactation.

Drug Interactions:

• None documented. However, the potential for preparations of yarrow to interact with other medicines administered concurrently, particularly those with similar or opposing effects, should be considered. There is limited evidence from preclinical studies that achilleine, a constituent of yarrow, has anticoagulant activity, although the clinical relevance of this, if any is not clear.

History and Origin:

• Yarrow grows the world over and this perhaps explains its popularity among indigenous tribes. It is one of the most widely recognized and used herbs among all indigenous peoples.

Ethnobotany:

• In the ethnobotany of Britain and Ireland, yarrow was most commonly used for staunching bleeding from wounds, cuts, scratches or sores, usually by means of an ointment but sometimes by merely applying the fresh leaves as a poultice.
• Familiar to the Romans and doubtless for millennia before them, this function of the plant is reflected in the names it bears in Welsh and Gaelic as well as such English ones as 'soldiers woundwort' and 'carpenter's grass'. Other, more specialised applications of this property of the plant are for stopping nosebleeds, reducing high blood pressure, for uterine haemorrhaging and cramp.
• Yarrow was used in a wide variety of medicinal preparations by the First Nations: by the Haida as a poultice; by the Tsimshian as a sore throat gargle; by the Nuxalk as a bronchitis medication; by the Kwakwaka'wakw for a variety of purposes; by the Ditidaht as a childbirth medication; by the Nuu-chah-nuklth as a cold and cough medicine; by the Sechelt for colds; by the Squamish to cure measles; by the Cowichan as a blood purifier; by the Songish as a headache poultice; by the Saanich as styptic and poultice; by the Swinomish as a bath for invalids; by the Klallam as a cold medicine with bitter-cherry bark; by the Quinault as a general tonic and eyewash; by the Aquaxin as a stomach tonic; by the Skagit and Snohomish as a diarrhea medicine; and by the Makah as a childbirth medicine.

Growing Information:

• Yarrow grows freely in the wild and in the garden. A perennial, it germinates easily from seed and, once established, will self-sow readily. Yarrow will thrive in most types of well-drained soil with a pH of 4 to 7 and prefers full sun, but it happily adapts to a variety of situations: full sun or partial shade, cold or hot weather, wet or dry conditions. For medicinal purposes, look for the wild white yarrow (Achillea millefolium) or native pink varieties.

Personal Impressions and Experiences:

Historical Botanical Illustrations: