Yarrow – Achillea millefolia (Asteracea) is a great plant ally. Seen here is a photo of yarrow in flower. This plant is commonly worked with as a tea, in a salve, or tincture. A tea or tincture of yarrow is good for cold and flu and heats up the body to induce sweating. It’s also famous as an antiparasitic tea or tincture.
A salve of yarrow has been long worked with topically for wound healing by increasing the speed of healing wounds, reducing scarring, and keeping out infection. In clinical studies it has been shown to regrow the epithelial tissue of skin, confirming what the ancient traditions have already been saying without subjecting rats to torture, or spending millions of dollars.
As a styptic and coagulant, the leaf can be broken up and directly applied to a cut, although it will burn. In the herbal tradition, yarrow and comfrey together combine to hasten wound healing wonderfully; comfrey healing the internal skin layers, and yarrow healing the outer layers. In clinical
With many plants in the aster family, including yarrow it is important to harvest what are called the “flowering tops”; this means stem, leaf, and flowers harvested a few inches up so that the plant can still reproduce itself and go to seed. (Seen Below)
Another great way to work with yarrow is for every time anyone would use hand sanitizer. Instead, you could use fresh yarrow leaf and rub it into your hands. It’s also a great bug repellent too when rubbed on the skin. Chemically this is because those smells are of course plant-chemicals and those chemicals are made by the plant to repel bugs from eating their own bodies, notice how no bugs eat yarrow.
Remember, when foraging around, it is best to harvest no more than 30% of what you find in any given area. Harvest sustainably and with care always. Check out my video series on yarrow medicine making and much more at www.returntonature.us
Here are 2 videos on foraging and identifying yarrow, and indigenous medicine perspective of plant-sense-meditations.
Enjoy,
Dandelion
Foraging for Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Return to Nature – Pt 1
Here is a video discussing ways to work with yarrow to tap into our innate indigenous awareness that has built our brains and bodies.
Yarrow and Indigenous Medicine Perspectives – Return to Nature – Pt. 2
