Yarrow

[Patchouli]

I will have to pay attention. Usually I wear a mask when I mow because the dust bothers my lungs, so I dont smell anything.

are you familiar with the herb, Sweet Annie? That stuff smells so good! The foliage is feathery too.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/wormwood/wormwood-plant-growing-sweet-annie.htm

 

[The Innkeeper]

are you familiar with the herb, Sweet Annie? That stuff smells so good! The foliage is feathery too.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/wormwood/wormwood-plant-growing-sweet-annie.htm

I have occasionally seen it but didn’t know what it was. I will keep my eye open and maybe throw one in my herb garden

 

[Peanut]

My yarrow babies are all grown up. One bunch is actually going to bloom. Not bad for being cut out of a county road shoulder about 30 days ago.

 

[Peanut]

The yarrow I dug up from the shoulder of road is blooming! Yea! @Grizzleyette___Adams have you ever seen yarrow fronds grow so large?

The worst part... last year I grew something else in these two pots but don't remember what... and the year before that... I have no idea what the soil/nutrient mixture I have in these two pots.

I have never seen yarrow in the wild or cultivated when it grew so large.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Wow...beeeeyoutiful!!!!

My guess is that the soil is rich in nitrogen as indicated by the super lush leaf growth. Showing blossoms this young is probably a good indication of adequate phosporus in the soil as well! It also appears to be enjoying good soil tilth (fancy schmancy word that means "stability of aggregated soil particles, moisture content, degree of aeration, rate of water infiltration and drainage."

Yarrow babies be happy!

.

 

[Peanut]

I put up a quart of yarrow tincture today. I took 1/3 of the plant material from the source up on the country road that hasn’t been sprayed yet.

I took the rest by thinning my yarrow babies on the porch. I could barely tell I thinned them at all. They really needed thinning.

Yarrow is such a useful medicine for so many things…

 

[camo2460]

I'm sure that Peanut knows this, but I haven't seen anyone mention it. When you make a Tincture the original solution is called the "Mother" that original Tincture is not generally taken straight but is "cut" with Water or more Alcohol, For example if you have one Oz. of straight Tincture and mix it with one Oz. of Water it will be cut one time. Many recipes call for cutting up to Five times and then the recommended Dose is given from the "cut" solution. By taking a Dose from the Mother you are getting a highly concentrated amount and may well be over Medicating yourself. Just remember that Herbal Medicine is effective, but can be just as dangerous as over dosing with an allopathic medication.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

I'm sure that Peanut knows this, but I haven't seen anyone mention it. When you make a Tincture the original solution is called the "Mother" that original Tincture is not generally taken straight but is "cut" with Water or more Alcohol, For example if you have one Oz. of straight Tincture and mix it with one Oz. of Water it will be cut one time. Many recipes call for cutting up to Five times and then the recommended Dose is given from the "cut" solution. By taking a Dose from the Mother you are getting a highly concentrated amount and may well be over Medicating yourself. Just remember that Herbal Medicine is effective, but can be just as dangerous as over dosing with an allopathic medication.

And for those who wonder what is meant by a "mother tincture," it is the first stage in the preparation of a homeopathic remedy dilution. It is the base of which further homeopathic dilutions are done.

The concept of homeopathic remedies has been around since the early 1800s, and involve extremely tiny amounts of a substance. Lots of folks swear by this type of remedy.

My personal medicine cabinet contains some (but very few) homeopathic remedies because I am more of an "old-school" traditional herbalist. (I go big, or I go home, lol!)

 

[Weedygarden]

I put up a quart of yarrow tincture today. I took 1/3 of the plant material from the source up on the country road that hasn’t been sprayed yet.

I took the rest by thinning my yarrow babies on the porch. I could barely tell I thinned them at all. They really needed thinning.

Yarrow is such a useful medicine for so many things…

View attachment 11353

When I toured the medicinal gardens and the studio a couple months ago, all of her tinctures were in brown or green bottles. Having little knowledge of making tinctures, I wondered if that is preferable?

 

[Peanut]

all of her tinctures were in brown or green bottles. I wondered if that is preferable?

Tinctures are best kept in a cool dark place. A colored bottle adds to that. My solution is put tinctures in a cabinet and close the door, it's dark, colored bottles are not necessary.

Like @Grizzleyette___Adams my roots are closely related to traditional herbalism with strong leanings to southern folk medicine and Appalachia folk medicine. These are in no way related to or associated with homeopathic medicine.

All tinctures I post about are most often “weight by volume tinctures” but sometimes a “folk tincture”, neither of which should be confused with a “mother tincture”.

Mother tinctures and homeopathic medicine are a whole different ball of wax than traditional herbalism.

 

[INresponse]

Only three species of yarrow are considered native to North America, Siberian yarrow (Achillea sibirica, northern US and Canada), Chinese yarrow (Achillea alpina in Canada but not the US) and common yarrow (Achillea millefolium), which is in every state and province.

Yarrow is one of the most important medicinal plants in the history of mankind. It grows in the northern hemisphere around the world. There are written records that the ancient chinese used it along with the ancient greeks and the romans.

The USDA even has Ethnobotanic data: Several tribes of the Plains region of the United States including the Pawnee and Chippewa tribes used common yarrow. The Pawnee used the stalk in a treatment for pain relief. The Chippewa used the leaves in a steam inhalant for headaches. They also chewed the roots and applied the saliva to their appendages as a stimulant. The Cherokee drank a tea of common yarrow to reduce fever and aid in restful sleep.

The truth is... all tribes used this plant for 100's of purposes...

Yarrow has many, many uses. I’m sure ancient peoples without written language were using it. Who knows how much of their knowledge survived.

The genus name Achillea comes from the ancient Greek warrior Achilles. Homer’s lliad says Achilles used yarrow during the Trojan Wars. He used it to stop bleeding from battle wounds. It’s been used for this purpose through out the 2400 years since.

I’ve used it to save my donkey’s life when he was bleeding to death on a Sunday. I got him to eat a handful of feed soaked with a little yarrow tincture and honey. 12 minutes later the bleeding stopped. Important – yarrow is not a coagulant! It a blood balancer, some describe it as blood mover. It makes blood do exactly what it is supposed to do, it is the “Master of Blood”.

Example - I sent yarrow tincture to a lady I know. She used to help more than one young couple get pregnant. Young women have been using yarrow to help them get pregnant for millennia.

Yarrow is wonderful with many women’s health issues, far too many to list here. The most comprehensive account of yarrow as a female medicine was by the late Maria Treben, an Australian herbalist. She also recommended that every woman from 13 to 90 have a cup of yarrow tea once in a while as a general safeguard.

The Chinese use yarrow to keep stagnant blood from turning into bad blood which according to chinese medicine causes cancer. They also use yarrow for fevers that cause bleeding. It’s on my list of herbs for viral hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola.

My favorite write up on yarrow is 19 pages of fine print in a book by Mathew Wood… Any part of the body blood flows through can be affected by yarrow. This is a plant every prepper should know.

Yarrow is rare where I live so I grow it, it’s a tough hardy plant. Example… pic #1 yarrow from my yard is trying to grow onto my concrete slab porch and is blooming. Now that’s a plant that is easy to grow.

I am going to bring this thread back to life because it is great information and my neighbor just gave me a plant she thinned out of her yard. We live in the high desert of Southern Utah and the ground here is terrible for planting anything not native to the desert but this Yarrow grows well once established with very little water. I have it in a pot now to get it back to good health then I plan to plant in on the back side of the house to use as a ground cover to hopefully crowd out the weeds in an area we don't use.
I am also looking into the book you suggested from Matthew Wood, The Book Of Herbal Wisdom.
Thank you very much for sharing this information. I need to get some time to read every post here due to all the great information, it may give me something to do after work tonight.

 

[Peanut]

I am going to bring this thread back to life because it is great information and my neighbor just gave me a plant she thinned out of her yard.

I am also looking into the book you suggested from Matthew Wood, The Book Of Herbal Wisdom.

It's great that you already have yarrow growing. It's a very hardy plant and only takes a little care to flourish.

As far as books on herbal medicine... I posted some great ones in the library, most by people I know personally. They're not just herbalists who wrote books, several are known internationally. 2 are the world's foremost experts on Appalachian folk medicine with over 70yrs experience helping people between them. I just wish my circumstances were different so I could devote a year or two away from home and take all their classes. I still usually manage to see a couple of them a few times a year, spend a day in the woods learning or sit in when they hold special events.

Many knowledgeable folks have posted here on this board. Grissleyette has posted some great books also and shared her wonderful plant knowledge in lots of threads here in natural remedies. She keeps in touch with many of the same people I know.

Here is the link to herbal book thread.. Herbal Medicine Books - Peanut recommends

 

[viking]

Some of the Yarrow plants that are growing in the upper part of our property grow to over three feet tall, now that we are in an increasing drought situation here in southern Oregon, those are not getting as big, however Mullein plants this year are getting huge around here.

 

[INresponse]

It's great that you already have yarrow growing. It's a very hardy plant and only takes a little care to flourish.

As far as books on herbal medicine... I posted some great ones in the library, most by people I know personally. They're not just herbalists who wrote books, several are known internationally. 2 are the world's foremost experts on Appalachian folk medicine with over 70yrs experience helping people between them. I just wish my circumstances were different so I could devote a year or two away from home and take all their classes. I still usually manage to see a couple of them a few times a year, spend a day in the woods learning or sit in when they hold special events.

Many knowledgeable folks have posted here on this board. Grissleyette has posted some great books also and shared her wonderful plant knowledge in lots of threads here in natural remedies. She keeps in touch with many of the same people I know.

Here is the link to herbal book thread.. Herbal Medicine Books - Peanut recommends

Thank you. I will look into these other books. Anything natural is a good thing in my opinion.

 

[INresponse]

Some of the Yarrow plants that are growing in the upper part of our property grow to over three feet tall, now that we are in an increasing drought situation here in southern Oregon, those are not getting as big, however Mullein plants this year are getting huge around here.

The drought is terrible, I wish we could get some rain. Fingers crossed.

 

[lilmissy]

Thanks, so much for this article. I have to get some, tried growing it once, didnt do well so I gave up. Shame on me.

so is the tincture just as good as a tea? Once a month dosage, for just maintenance?

 

[joel]

Yarrow is a yellow dye.
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/dyes.shtml

 

[Peanut]

so is the tincture just as good as a tea? Once a month dosage, for just maintenance?

I think you've tied unrelated conditions with dosage and type. I got trampled by a bull a few years ago and have blood flow issues in my leg. When it hurts I might take yarrow tincture 3 times in one day or might skip a week if it doesn't hurt. For female issues tea or tincture might be best and dosage is dependent on the specific condition, what you're trying to accomplish. There is no generic "one size fits all" answer to which is best, tea or tincture. Everything is dependent to what is best for you specifically.

I recommend getting one of the several great herbal medicine books I've posted to better understand any plant and then find a good herbalist near you to discuss any health problems you have. Sorry, that's the best answer I have.

 

[Bluetick21]

Thank for the thread @Peanut !!

 

[Peanut]

It's May and the yarrow in my yard is blooming. I see it at the big box store garden dept often. Comes with yellow, pink or white blooms.

I prefer using wild plants over ornamental varieties in most cases. I have a wild white yarrow that i transplanted into pots. I use it as medicine.

This pink variety looks nice in the yard.

 

[joel]

World's Smallest Tiny Gold Yarrow - Achillea - Fairy Garden/Rock Garden-2.5" Pot​

https://hirts.com/tiny-golden-yarrow-achillea-fairy-garden-or-rock-garden-plant-2-5-pot/

 

[joel]

Yarrow commonly grows wild in most areas of the country. Pinch it to smell the medicinal quality of this herb. Used for a number of ailments for thousands of years, the benefits of yarrow tea comprise a long list: Antibacterial properties, pain and inflammation relief, an aid for digestion, an immunity builder, a fever reducer are just some. It’s also said to relieve stress and insomnia. Pick the tiny flowers in spring and dry them for tea.

 

[sonya123]

we had tons of this in one of the pastures....I sprayed it with Grazon last year because the goats were not eating any of it.....
I need to go look to see if any is left

Any use for ragweed?

 

[Peanut]

Ragweed is sometimes used to treat specific types of pet dander allergies. I haven't used it and know of no one who has. But it's in my books.

 

[joel]

Ragweed is sometimes used to treat specific types of pet dander allergies. I haven't used it and know of no one who has. But it's in my books.

WOW! I thought it was only good for making people's nose run & choking out vegetables.