Yarrow

Also called: Nosebleed, Thousand Leaf, Lady's Mantle, Milfoil, Old Man's Pepper, Soldier's Woundwort, Carpenter's Weed, Bloodwort, Staunchweed, Devil's Nettle, Devil's Plaything, Bad Man's Plaything.

Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium

Description: Yarrow is a perennial herb that has delicate leaves and white, pink or red flowers. It also is good medicine. Both flowers and leaves have a harsh and peppery taste. Collect the whole plant - stems, leaves and flowers in summer when they flower.

Use: Use the leaves, stems and flowers both fresh and dried. Chewing on fresh leaves will cure toothache. The flowers can be used for tea. Use about two ounces of fresh herb to a pint of tea. It can be sweetened with sugar or honey. If using dried herb, use about 1 oz. to a pint of water. Drink the tea hot. It is helpful for menstrual cramps and heavy menstrual flow. It helps the circulation. It stimulates the appetite, and is one of the best herbs for 'sweating it out'. It also relieves a sore and inflamed throat.

Habitat: Yarrow grows in the meadows, shores and along roadsides all over North America. Unfortunately, you can not use roadside Yarrow due to insecticides. Some think of Yarrow as a weed. It will grow in your garden profusely.

How to Grow: Seeds will sprout in about a week indoors. This herb will grow in common garden soil with full sun. Deadhead or cut off the old flowers to lengthen the flowering period.

What the Ancestors Knew

The Lenape : Made a tea to treat kidney and liver problems.

The Menomini: A hot tea was used to treat fevers. The fresh tops of the plant were rubbed on eczema sores and a dressing was made for children's rashes.

The Meskwaki: Made a tea from the leaves and flowers for curing fever and flu. A bath was made from the stems and leaves to soak an ailing part of the body.

The Ojibwe: used the leaves in a dressing to cure spider bites. They also smoked the flowers as a cure for headache and in ceremony.

The Potawatomi: smoked the flowers over hot coals. This was done for two reasons. To keep evil spirits away from the patient and to revive the patient from coma.

The Mohawk: made a tea from Yarrow used for stomach ailments. It was mixed with meadowsweet to prevent vomiting.

The Iroquois: made a tea used for diarrhea.

the Den offers the following plants. Just click on the title or the photo for ordering information.

Achillea Summer Wine

Achillea Fireland

Achillea Colorado Mix

product 10" florets of red, pink, apricot, yellow, cream and white.

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Update 1/8/99