Such a diverse plant ally.
Yarrow Flower (Achillea millefolium) mille – million, folium – leaves
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Properties: Antibacterial, Antiviral, Astringent (Styptic), Diaphoretic, Digestive,
Anti-inflammatory, Deobstruent, repels insects, diaphoretic – when taken hot, slight diuretic – when taken cold - antiseptic. Trauma aid – grounding as tea.
Parts used for Medicine: Leaves and flowers
History: Wound Wort" and "Knight's Millefoil." The genus name Achillea refers to the Greek warrior Achilles, whose soldiers carried the herb into to staunch the bleeding of wounds. Its form, a canopy of white flowers, suggests a protective "umbrella" of white light. Often burned as a smudge to repel negativity.
In ancient China Yarrow stalks (leafless) were used in a form of divination called I Ching. Or the Yarrow-Stalk Oracle and was done using a number of stalks cast on the ground and the design created was read and interpreted. The scientific theory if you can call it as such, was that once the stalks left the casters hands the way they fell was up to the Great Ones – thus divination.
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Misc: Works on pets the same as humans. Miscible – leaks its constituents easily into any menstruum - Easy to make into medicine. A lot of the medicine is in its smell.
Has bitter / deobstruent / warming properties (good for pinworms – they don’t’ like bitters) ...
Externally:
Yarrow is a very good wound medicine. It disinfects and heals deep cuts and slashes, sealing them up from the outside in. Soak infected wounds in, very strong and as hot as can be tolerated, yarrow tea. Also the Yarrow juice can be extracted and stored with alcohol in a ratio of 3:1 and used externally for burns, wounds and bleeding.
Used as burn wash – fights infections – do not use hot on a burn.
Dog bites – Hot as can stand with copious amounts of dried/fresh lvs & flws
Traditionally in a nosebleed Yarrow leaf was rolled and inserted up the nose to stop the bleeding. .
Internally:
Taken just before or at the onset of cold symptoms often stops it in its tracks.
Use during a cold / flu, will induce sweating, especially if given as a hot tea; particularly Indicated during a cold/flu when there is a high fever.
