Cuts, stings, burns, abrasions and irritation – gardeners’ skin can sometimes take a beating. In this short series of articles, I’d like to introduce you to the best plants in your garden that can come to the rescue of your skin’s little boo-boos! Because one of the first things you do when you’re injured is to stop the flow of blood, we’ll start with the yarrow.
Achillée millefeuille
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) takes its name from the mythical Greek warrior Achilles. Used as a hemostatic since Antiquity, it was the plant of the knight, then of the soldier. But it’s not just the plant of fighters, it’s also the plant of all those who sometimes cut themselves. It’s also known as common yarrow. In the garden, it’s an easy-to-grow, long-flowering perennial, of which you’ll find the subspecies (Achillea borealis, syn. Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium) and several colorful ornamental cultivars that are used in similar ways.
Like many easy-to-cultivate (and therefore adaptable) perennials, it is a tad invasive. For carefree cultivation, you can plant it in a pierced bucket and bury it to prevent it from spreading through its runners. At home, although I sometimes pull it out, it’s with little effort that I control it (for the last 5 years) in small sections where it provides a dense, evergreen and very flowering ground cover.
Botanical Description
The height of yarrow varies greatly according to the amount of sun it receives. The plant will reach around 25 cm (10″) in full sun, but 75 cm (30″) or a little more in part shade. Yarrow has a beautiful corymb-like inflorescence, made up of multiple small white heads. In addition to its long-blooming period, I really like its highly dissected leaves, which have earned the specific epithet “millefolium” (although it’s true that the plant’s dense foliage gives it a wispy appearance, the photo below shows just one leaf).
Caution: although yarrow is perfectly edible, certain highly toxic Apiaceae (notably: hemlock, Conium maculatum or spotted water hemlock, Cicuta maculata) can confuse the inexperienced picker. These toxic plants can kill an adult in a matter of minutes (sometimes hours) at low doses. Don’t use yarrow unless you can identify it without a shadow of a doubt.
In the Garden
Landscaping Uses
Yarrow is recommended by Larry Hodgson as a “fragrant terrace plant” and as an “attractive herb choice for flower beds”, as well as a long-blooming perennial. That said, Larry Hodgson recommends hybrids, which are less invasive and more colorful than yarrow.
In terms of medicinal properties, the most studied subspecies are A. millefolium subsp. borealis, A. millefolium subsp. lanulosa (syn. A. millefolium subsp. millefolium) and Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis (syn. A. millefolium subsp. millefolium). However, anecdotally, I have had good results with colored yarrow (i.e. ornamental cultivars). In an emergency, for external use, we can rely on our senses: if your yarrow smells and tastes like yarrow, it will probably be effective for your cut!
Very hardy, it can be found up to zone 2 (USDA 3-9). Adaptable: sun to part shade, it grows in all well-drained soils. It is equally at home in flowerbeds and meadows.
In the garden, it attracts not only pollinators (bees and butterflies), but also many useful insects such as ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitic wasps and lacewings.
Propagation
It’s easy to propagate by sowing, but if you’re looking for colorful horticultural varieties, it’s not certain that the seed will be faithful to the parent.
Another option is to divide the plants, preferably in spring (but with a little care, division is easy to achieve throughout the summer).
Care
Nothing to do but contain rhizomes and seedlings. Above all, don’t give it fertilizer or compost, which will soften the stem. In general, yarrow forms a sufficiently dense mat to prevent weeds from interfering. On the other hand, after 7 or 9 years, you’ll see your yarrow mat thinning out, which is normal… it’s time to move it.
Harvest
As soon as they appear, the leaves can be picked and used fresh as a poultice to stop bleeding.
Fresh leaves are used as a poultice, mainly to stop bleeding. Harvest as needed from plants with fresh leaves.
For other medicinal uses, particularly for internal use, the inflorescences are the most sought-after.
Inflorescences are picked when most of the flowers are open, but still fresh and fragrant. Once more mature, they will take on a grey tint: it’s then too late to pick this inflorescence, but that’s no problem, as yarrow is prolific and will produce new ones. Leaves can be picked at the same time, but ideally before flowering.
Processing
It’s mainly the inflorescences that will be processed.
They can be dried, or made into infusions (for immediate use) or liquid concentrates of alcohol (tincture) or vinegar (vinegar).
Leaves can also be dried, but personally, when I run out of fresh leaves in the garden, I fall back on dried inflorescences, which I find more effective and allow me to reduce my inventory.
In the Plate
Young leaves can be added to salads. In Montreal, I pick them mainly from April to May.
The flowers are much less prized as food, as they are too bitter, but they can be used as condiments in both cooked dishes and salads. Add them sparingly. You’ll find that in small quantities, their bitterness becomes more discreet and they enliven the flavors of the dish. The flower’s flavor is preserved even when subjected to heat, so you can add it to soups at the end of cooking.
Medicinal properties of the integument
It is a specialist in slowing/stopping bleeding. This, coupled with its antiseptic action, makes it indispensable as a first-aid plant. Subsequently, its anti-inflammatory, antipruritic and analgesic qualities (mainly attributed to sesquiterpene lactones and flavonoids) are also appreciated. Yarrow is also said to aid healing, but we’ll see in future articles that there are better plants for this purpose.
| Properties | Force (1 to 3) |
| Hemostatic | 3[1], [2], [3] |
| Anti-inflammatory | 3[3], [4], [5] |
| Antiseptic | 2[3], [6] |
| Antipruritic | 2[7] |
| Healing / vulnerary | 1[8] |
| Analgesic | 1[8] |
What Are the Active Compounds Responsible for the Haemostatic Property?
A particularly hemostatic (retarding or stopping bleeding) component has been isolated, achillein (an alkaloid, therefore particularly soluble in water and vinegar), but it also contains tannins which, through their astringent action, contract tissues.
On the other hand, the plant contains 0.35% coumarin which, at least when taken internally in high doses, is anticoagulant.
Finally, make no mistake: we are far from knowing all the interactions between a plant’s compounds. It’s highly likely that several other compounds support the action of achillein and tannins. The hemostatic action is easy to observe, and recognized as much by modern studies as by the wisdom of the Ancients. Let’s remain humble in the face of the richness and complexity of plants which, despite scientific advances, still have many secrets to reveal.
First-Aid Skin Care Uses
Yarrow is a hemorrhage specialist.
The simplest and most common way to use it is as a fresh leaf poultice. Simply chew the fresh leaves or (for the disdainful) rub them between your hands to draw out the plant’s juice. Place them on the wound, apply pressure to the poultice and hold it in place with cling film or gauze.
Out of season, when there are no fresh leaves available, there are two options:
- Because the main haemostatic compounds, achillein and tannins, are water-soluble, it’s possible to make a decoction of flowering tops or dried leaves. Once cooled, soak a compress in the decoction and apply pressure to the wound with the soaked compress.
For the decoction used as a compress:
Use 120 g of fresh flowering tops (flowers and leaves) or 60 g of dried plant per liter of water, which you bring to the boil and then leave to cool.
- I also like to use ground cayenne pepper, which almost everyone has in their kitchen. It burns a little, but less than you’d expect and works very well. Here, I much prefer home-made preparations to those from the supermarket, which are sometimes contaminated.
Caution: cuts involving arteries can be life-threatening and require emergency care by paramedics. Other cuts require stitches, which yarrow can’t spare you. Don’t let your love of plants blind you to the need for emergency care.
Precautions
Classified A1[9] by American Herbal Product Association[10], yarrow is nontoxic[11] at recommended doses.
If used externally, it’s quite rare, but some people can develop contact allergies (dermatitis) to the plant, more specifically to sesquiterpene lactones.
There are also people allergic to Asteraceae who will be bothered by yarrow.
Of course, in case of allergy, yarrow should be avoided.
Hemostatic alternatives include agrimony, alchemilla, shepherd’s purse, brunella, carrot, witch hazel, cayenne pepper and plantain.
For Internal Use:
Infusion: 3 to 10 g dried flowering tops or 10 to 30 g fresh flowering tops per cup, infused for 10 minutes, 3 times a day or every hour for a few hours (in case of acute discomfort).
Tincture: ratio 1:5 (50 g dried flowering tops to 250 ml 40% alcohol), macerated for 6 weeks. 10 to 30 drops, 3 times a day.
Not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Possible Interactions:
When taken together, horsetail and yarrow can stimulate premenopausal heat.[12]
Because of its coumarin, the plant could interact with and potentiate anticoagulant drugs.[13]
Other Medicinal Uses
Fever
In fact, it’s more of a thermoregulating plant, meaning it can be useful, notably by stimulating peripheral circulation, to warm the extremities. But it is also diaphoretic[3], [5], [14],i.e. it encourages perspiration to relieve fever. Here, you can take a hot infusion, or use the infusion in a bath (lukewarm in this case) to which you add a liter of yarrow decoction.
Infusion: 3 to 10 g per cup infuse for 10 minutes. To calm a fever, take the infusion every hour and stop when the fever has subsided.
Good combinations: mix herbal tea with elderberries, mint, catnip and, for adults, cayenne pepper. Both effectiveness and taste are enhanced.
Digestive System
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and choleretic properties[3], [4], [8](i.e. stimulates bile production), antispasmodic[1], [4], [8],analgesic and bitter tonic[1], [4], [13] Yarrow is a good support plant for heartburn, slow digestion, intestinal spasms, bloating, stomach ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome.
If you’re experiencing a more acute pain episode, take an infusion every hour. For chronic conditions, take 1 to 3 cups a day. Tinctures can also be used; doses vary widely from author to author, which is common when there is no measurable toxicity. I recommend 10 to 30 drops, 1 to 3 times a day.
Female Reproductive System Care:
Property: regulates female cycles [2], [15]
We’ll have the chance to develop this subject in future articles, but here I’d say that yarrow is generally used in blends, where it plays a regulatory role, and will be useful for various situations such as missed periods, periods that are too painful or too heavy, premenstrual discomfort and premenopause.
Warning
In the case of serious disorders or chronic illnesses, consult a doctor.
Self-diagnosis and self-medication are dangerous.
Unless explicitly indicated, the uses described are for plants and do not apply to essential oils.
Before consuming a plant: be sure to identify it properly and always read the “Precautions” leaflet.
Dosages are given for information only, and are suitable for adults unless otherwise specified.
Despite all the care taken in writing this article, an error may have crept in. We cannot be held responsible for any consequences or misinterpretation, as no article can replace a doctor’s opinion.
Sources:
[1] Valnet, J. (2019). La phytothérapie, se soigner par les plantes. Paris: Vigot
[2] Wood M. (2009). The Earthwise herbal volume II – A complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants. California: North Atlantic Books. 399 p.
[3] Duke, J.A. (2002). Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. 2. Washington: CRC Press. 893 p.
[4] Corjon, G. (2015). Se soigner par les plantes: Jean-Paul Gisserot.
[5] Chevalier A. (2018). Encyclopédie des plantes médicinales. Montréal: Sélection du Reader’s Digest. 336 p.
[6] Blumenthal, M., Goldberg A.,Brinckmann J. (2000). Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton: Integrative Medicine Communications
[7] Fleurentin, J. (2018). Du bon usage des plantes qui soignent. 2. Rennes: Éditions Ouest-France. 372 p.
[8] Lorrain, E. (2019). Grand Manuel de phytothérapie. Malakoff: Dunod. 1290 p.
[9] Class A: “Herbs for which no clinically relevant interaction are expected.” Class 1 “Herbs that can safely be consumed when used appropriately.”
[10] Upton, R., Bear, S., Winston, D., Gagnon, D., Romm, A.j., Low Dog, T., Hardy, M., Craker, L. (2013). Botanical Safety Handbook. 2. London: CRC Press. 1035 p.
[11] In fact, yarrow contains low doses of two isomers of thujone, a substance that becomes neurotoxic in large quantities. Although the amount of thujone varies from plant to plant, the maximum amounts are around a-thujone (0.034%) and B-thujone (0.03%). By way of comparison, sage officinale (the one in your kitchen) contains 3 times as much. On the other hand, it is concentrated in essential oils, which are rapidly neurotoxic and reserved for external use.
[12] Dubray, M. (2018). Guide des contre-indications des principales plantes médicinales. Les Allois: Lucien Souny
[13] Lorrain, E. (2019). Grand Manuel de phytothérapie. Malakoff: Dunod. 1290 p.
[14] Hoffmann, D. FNIMH, AHG (2003). Medical Herbalism, The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester : Healing art Press. 666 p.
[15] Treben, M. (1994). La santé à la pharmacie du bon Dieu. 43. Steyr, Autriche: Wilhelm Ennsthaler. 111 p.
how can I get rid of yarrow. It is overtaking and killing my grass. is there a kind of spray that I can use.
how do I get rid of yarrow. It is overtaking and killing my grass. Can I spray it with something without killing the remainder of grrass.
To control yarrow in your lawn without harming the grass, use a combination of manual removal and proper lawn care practices. My promoting the health of your lawn by mowing it at the right height, overseeding, amending with compost, etc., it may help the grass out compete the yarrow.