Yarrow – Nature’s Band-Aid

This is the time of year that plants popping out of the earth feel like nature’s band-aid for a billion reasons. One fun fact about Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is that was the first way I learned to refer to this plant – “nature’s band-aid” – I’ll tell you why in just a minute.

Yarrow is in the Asteraceae or daisy family and she’s not hard to find. In fact, I found her all winter long on trails near my home. Montana’s snowfall broke records this year, but seeing yarrow was a nice reminder that spring was coming again, someday.

Yarrow’s other name is Milfoil. She is also known as nosebleed, sanguinary, soldier’s woundwort, and thousand-leaf. I mean look at her, thousand-leaf checks out.

Yarrow is a perennial plant, who flowers from June-November. You’ll find yarrow all over the world in waste places, fields, pastures, meadows, along railroad embankments, on mountaintops and roadsides. She grows out of the curb at the base of our yard and into the street. I’m always so careful when I park on our street, but that isn’t the case when we have visitors. Yarrow goes unnoticed, maybe because she is so common.

There are 140 different species of Achillea, which are characterized by their clustered flowers and hairy, aromatic leaves. My father-in-law has pink and yellow yarrow growing in his yard. Swoon, what a lovely addition to a bouquet. The spiritual properties of this plant offer protection against invasive thought forms. Yarrow can clears blockages, and is cleansing to the body and aura.

How do we use Yarrow in our family?

Let’s get back to ‘nature’s band aid’. We’ve used chewed up yarrow leaves, picked along the banks of a river, to stop a wound from bleeding. We didn’t have an official band-aid with us and yarrow was the next best option. The paste made from the leaves can be applied, like a poultice, directly to a wound to help coagulate blood.

Historically, Yarrow has been used in this very same manner. Her genus name, Achillea, refers to the warrior Achilles in Greek mythology, as he used yarrow to treat his soldiers’ wounds.

At Coming Up Rainbows we have a product called Dandy Salve. Our salve is great for dry or damaged skin and areas of inflammation or bruising. 

Herbal Actions:

Some of Yarrow’s herbal actions are antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, diaphoretic, hemostatic, and tonic.

Yarrow is often used medicinally to treat fevers (colds/flu), as a warmer (diaphoretic) yarrow can promote sweat.

Some like to drink yarrow tea to help with lack of appetite, stomach cramps, gas, gallbladder and liver support. One might find Yarrow in a sitz bath that could ease lower abdominal cramping relief.

Meet Yarrow

Psst: I’m not a doctor. I’m not making recommendations. I’m only here to share the love I have for this plant.