Yarrow Plant Information
Health, Herbal and Medicinal Uses and History
Once upon a time, old wives’ tales were the words people used to live by. Experience on a personal level guided the use of herbs, roots, possets and poultices. Distillations were applied to the most common illnesses after a period of experimentation and word of mouth about effectiveness. Yarrow root figures in early literature and chronicles of medical healing.
Without encyclopedias and without household physicians, only the botanical herb lore in a neighbourhood or country served a populace. Physicians were expensive and only for the nobility or those who could pay. Thus yarrow root and the herbal form of yarrow in tea distillations and direct early botanical herbalists used topical applications widely in Europe and Asia.
Yarrow is also used to fill in green spaces and replace more care intensive lawn grass. Yarrow is a perennial flower whose roots grows underground and may appear to some as a weed. Yarrow plants can withstand full sun and grow on the shallow surface area of soils. Yarrow efficiently resists dying by its drought resistant properties and underground spreading. This makes it the perfect companion plant for any garden or greenspace.
Yarrow grows in a fernlike vertical plant form and its flowers are culled from the yarrow plant stems tips for herbal remedies and healing. Yarrow’s proponents claim that applications of yarrow yield anti inflammatory and coagulant results from the yarrow plant’s various chemical properties. Yarrow’s astringent and healing properties make it a common addition or ingredient in botanical and herbal compounds.
Infusion of concentrated yarrow in oil taken internally produces concentrated treatment for menstrual pain, stomach and intestinal discomfort, and possible even hemorrhoids. Little wonder then that the yarrow plant was recognizable to Middle Europeans, scholars, soldiers and agricultural practicing monks. Yarrow seeds can be bough online or obtained without a prescription or medical license.
Yarrow root would have been a valuable resource for soldiers to recover from wounds, and women to heal menstrual aches and pains, as well as those suffering from kidney and stomach bloating and cramping. Yarrow must have revelled to the new world of been indigenous because folklore claims the Pawnee and Chippewa tribes use infusions of yarrow plant to steam away headaches.
Folk use of yarrow plants and yarrow flowers may have attempted to cure the common cold as well as arrest bleeding in battle injuries. Folklore traces the use of yarrow to classical antiquity, where Achilles allegedly used yarrow to treat battlefield injuries. The species name for yarrow root is Achillea millefolium.
Yarrow makes an aromatic all-purpose addition to any garden. Yarrow makes a nice salad herb and can also be used in a potpourri or soup infusion root bundle. Yarrow’s pleasant appearance and effective botanical health properties make it a welcome addition to garden or home for aesthetic enjoyment or practical use.