RARITYARare
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
The Soldier's Woundwort
HEALTH
POTENTIAL
Yarrow is the plant armies carried to stop bleeding, named after Achilles. It clots a wound, bitters the gut, and breaks a fever by sweating. In the garden it is one of the best plants for bees and beneficial insects, and one of the toughest groundcovers there is. It asks for almost nothing and grows where lawns give up.
The Rooms
THE GIFTSBody, kitchen, material, living world — what the plant gives.
LAYERSThe biography — past, present, future.
GOLD MINEThe action ladder — free moves to deeper plays.
- Do not use yarrow internally during pregnancy. It can stimulate the uterus.
- People allergic to the daisy family (ragweed, chamomile, chrysanthemum) can react to it. Patch-test on the skin first.
- Long stretches of yarrow tea can dry the body and increase sensitivity to sunlight. Use it for short courses, not daily.
- It can add to the effect of blood-thinning medication. Check with a doctor if you take one.
- Use the wound styptic for minor cuts on clean plants only. Deep, dirty, or serious wounds need medical care.
- Identify it correctly. Yarrow has feathery, many-divided leaves and flat white flower heads, and grows among look-alike umbellifers, some of which are poisonous.