Yarrow, which blooms at the height of summer, is a hot-weather plant that can treat wounds instantly and help cool down the body, just as it lowers winter fevers.
The plant is widespread and familiar, with flower stalks growing about knee-high, topped by an umbel of small white blossoms that resemble wild carrot, also known as Queen Anne’s lace, but are less lacy, more densely compact, and slightly grayish in hue. At the peak of flowering, the blooms have tiny yellow stamens that usually go unnoticed but exude a delectable honey-like aroma when held close to the nose. The rest of the plant has a distinctive, astringent smell that can be detected by rubbing the leaves or flowers.
The basal leaves, which sprout directly from the ground when the plant is young, are long, narrow, and feathery, its leaflets dividing into smaller and smaller components so that the effect is wholly one of grace and softness. One “pets” a patch of yarrow leaves just for the gentle pleasure of its touch. The leaves that sprout from the flower stems are similar in shape but smaller and said to be less potent medicinally than the basal leaves and flowers. The taste is pungent and bitter, too strong to make yarrow palatable as a vegetable, but some find the tea pleasant-tasting in a medicinal way, and it can have a cooling effect on the body on hot summer days.
Yarrow is common in dry fields, and while it can be found in gardens, herbalist Matthew Wood says it is more effective medicinally when harvested from poor, dry, rocky soils. He attributes yarrow’s action in the body to its ability to open up the venous circulation, decongesting the capillaries to remove heat and tenderness. It is used for wounds and bruises (applied internally and externally), fever and chills, excess heat in the digestive tract, and excessive menstrual bleeding, especially with bright red blood.
The plant’s Latin genus name, Achillea, comes from the legend that the Greek warrior Achilles applied yarrow on the battlefield to stop the bleeding of his soldiers’ wounds, and it is still used with great effectiveness as a wound healer. The species name, millefolium, refers to the many tiny leaflets in each feathery leaf.
To treat an injury, even a severe one, pick leaves or flowers, chew them to a pulp, and apply directly to the wound. Yarrow rapidly halts bleeding and prevents infection. It also neutralizes nettle stings.
Most wild yarrow has white flowers, although there are popular cultivars in yellow, magenta, and other hues. Some herbalists use yellow yarrow, but most stick to the white.
Energetically, yarrow is known as a protective plant. Take a drop of tincture before having x-rays to protect against radiation, or burn dried yarrow in ceremony where protection is desired. Famously, yarrow stalks were used to throw the I Ching in ancient China.
