Yarrow Tea

Introduction:

The first time I was introduced to Yarrow was while I was attending Tom Brown's wilderness survival camp in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I was attending the flintknapping workshop. The instructor was intently chipping away at a stone shaping it into an arrowhead when his finger opened up. Without any verbal instruction, his wife plucked this feathery-looking leaf from the ground and handed it to her husband, the instructor. He chewed on this leaf for about 3 seconds and then placed it on his finger. The bleeding stopped. 

I have walked past this plant for many years without sampling. It's one of those plants that grows everywhere so after that first introduction the novelty wears off pretty quickly. After much research my interest in this plant was reignited when I learned about its vast medicinal uses from a simple preparation of the dried herb.

Plant description:

Yarrow is perennial, meaning its lifecycle continues for more that two years. It was introduced to the lower 48 US states and it is native to Alaska. It is considered invasive in the North East, so happy harvesting (Conservation Service, Natural Resources Resources)! Yarrow flowers from June to September producing umbels of flat-topped flower clusters. These flowers consist of 4-6 petals growing in a ray surrounding tiny disc flowers. The petals have three teeth at their tips and the petals tend to be wider than they are long. The stems are gray-green and covered in a fuzzy down. The leaves are stalkless and cling right to the stem. The leaves are finely dissected giving them a feathered or fern-like appearance. I think the leaves look like little pine bows. Wild Carrot also produces leaves that are finely dissected but these leaves are multi-branched. I have included a picture of each below for your discernment. The first year Yarrow plant produces a single leaf that protrudes from the ground. The leaf looks like a feather that has landed upright in the grass, as if there is such a thing as the Yarrow bird. The whole plant is aromatic when bruised. This plant resides in open areas-fields, roadsides, and waste grounds (Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead) so it can be easily located in both urban and rural settings. 

Edibility:

The leaves can be eaten fresh as an addition to salads or cooked for an interesting side. The dried and ground seeds and flowers can apparently be used as a seasoning. The first year roots can be consumed as a cooked vegetable (Runyon, Linda). You can enjoy an herbal tea by steeping the dried leaves for 10-15 minutes(Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson). You can also use the whole plant when in flower (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. ) Add 1 Tbs of dried herb to one cup boiling water (Cichoke, Anthony J.) 

Medicinal Uses:

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium is named after Achilles. Legend has it that he used the poulticed herb to treat his wounded soldiers in battle. This may not be too far from the truth as the Native Americans used it as a poultice to treat wounds (Cichoke, Anthony J). Yarrow is also know to stop both internal and external bleeding. A topical compress or poultice of fresh herb acts as a vulnerary or styptic (blood stopping)( Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead)/( (Cichoke, Anthony J.)  The astringency causes blood vessels to constrict thus stopping bleeding (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke). The alkaloids within Yarrow give it its hemostatic (blood stopping) capabilities (Britton, Jade.)

Yarrow is a diaphoretic, meaning it breaks a fever by inducing perspiration ( Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead)/(Runyon, Linda)/(Britton, Jade). In this way the virus can be eradicated from the body through sweating (Britton, Jade) which may provide relief from cold and flu symptoms (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. )

Yarrow has many gastrointestinal implications as it can stimulate appetite, sooth indigestion, and calm gastric inflammations (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. ) Yarrow increases the flow of bile which aids in digestion (Cichoke, Anthony J.) Salicylic acid, one of the components of the volatile oil, and the azulenes have antispasmodic-properties meaning they work to relax smooth muscles/reduce spasms of the gastrointestinal tract.

Yarrow can act as an Expectorant to dislodge phlegm and mucus from airway passages so that it can be easily expelled (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke). In this way the body can be rid of Catarrh,  or excess mucus (Cichoke, Anthony J.) As topical wash it can be used to treat skin irritations such as burns (Runyon, Linda.) and insect bites (Cichoke, Anthony J.) Yarrow is also an analgesic and relieves pain (Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. ) 

Photographs:

Umbel of White Flowers from Greater than 1 Year Old Plant

First Year Leaves

First Year Leaf 

Not to be Confused with Wild Carrot Leaves (they smell like carrots)

Drying the Herb

Dried Herb

Dried Herb in Tea Ball

Yarrow Tea

Glossary 

Antispasmodic-relieves involuntary spasms, for example the gastrointestinal tract

Analgesic-pain reliever 

Astringency-blood vessel constricting capabilities 

Catarrh-excess mucus

Diaphoretic-sweat-inducing 

Expectorant-helps to dislodge phlegm and mucus from airway passages so that it can be easily expelled

Perennial-having a life-cycle or more than two years. 

Stalkless-lacking a stem or petiole

Vulnerary-blood stopping

Styptic-blood stopping

Hemostatic-blood stopping

Works cited

Britton, Jade. The Herbal Healing Bible. New York: Chartwell, 2012. Print.

Cichoke, Anthony J. Secrets of Native American Herbal Remedies: A Comprehensive Guide to the Native American Tradition of Using Herbs and the Mind/body/spirit Connection for Improving Health and Well-being. New York: Avery, 2001. Print.

Conservation Service, Natural Resources Resources. "Welcome to the PLANTS Database | USDA  PLANTS." Plants Database. USDA, 03 Oct. 2016. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://www.plants.usda.gov/>.

Definitions

Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.

Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.

Runyon, Linda. The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide. Shiloh, NJ: Wild Food, 2007. Print.

Thieret, John W., William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. Print.