How I use herbs - yarrow

Jul 20, 2015by Liz Beavis

I haven't found the best spot for yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in my garden yet, but when it does grow well, it has a number of uses.

How to grow yarrow
According to this link, yarrow will tolerate a sunny position and doesn't like wet soil. I currently have yarrow in a pot with my other herbs and occasionally it flowers, but more often it looks like its struggling to survive, especially if the pot dries out. I really need to find a more permanent position for it, maybe if it has deeper roots it will be more resilient. Yarrow can be propagated by division or from seed. When it does grow well it can be a vigorous ground cover.

How to use yarrow

In the garden, yarrow's flowers attract beneficial insects and the plant is used as a compost activator, and in biodynamic preparations
The plant contains volatile oils (linalool, camphor, sabinene, azulene), flavonoids, bitter alkaloid (achilleine), and tannins
It has medicinal uses as a diaphoretic (inducing sweat), and is therefore, good for fevers, cold and flue
It also stimulates digestion, lowers blood pressure, is good for circulation and can regulate the menstrual cycle
And applied topically it aids in healing wounds, having an anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic effect

For topical application I like to add it to a salve by infusing olive oil with yarrow leaves (and usually other skin herbs such as chickweed, calendula, borage and comfrey). I also add dried leaves to a herbal mixture which I drink daily as an infusion.

Do you grow yarrow? (What am I doing wrong?) And what do you use it for?

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