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Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, Summer 2022

Another of the Great Medicines is Yarrow, Achillea millefolium. This batch was collected this summer in my garden, and I made it into Yarrow Tincture. I sang the Green Paternoster as I collected the tops of some of the plants, and the Lesser Plant Charm as I cut them up for the jar.

Yarrow earns her place as one of the Great Medicines because she does so many things well:

* fights infections
* stops bleeding
* clears acne
* cleans the teeth and mouth
* helps prevents colds and flu
* breaks fever

Her scientific name starts with Achillea, the female form of Achilles, who was one of the greatest Greek warriors at the Trojan War, the son of King Peleus and the sea nymph (Nereid) Thetis. The name Achilles is from two Greek roots:

A. achos- meaning "grief, pain, loss," from which we get our English word "ache," and

B. -laos, a Greek word signifying "a band of warriors."

Achilles: the pain of warriors.

Millefolium is easier. It is from two Latin roots -- mille (thousand) and foli- (leaves). So millefolium = thousand-leaved.

All together: The thousand-leaved pain of warriors.

Dried and powdered, the flowers and upper aerial parts of Yarrow can be used as a styptic powder on cuts and wounds. That was the form in which ancient physicians used it on the wounds of warriors in battle. When the Yarrow is flowering (white is the color of wild Yarrow; other colors are cultivars and should not be used medicinally), snip off the top three or four inches. Place the clippings in a brown paper bag, close the bag, and put the bag in a dry, well-ventilated area. Shake the bag a couple of times a day. After four days or so, open the bag to see if the Yarrow has dried. After it has dried, take out the plant material, put it in a mortar and pestle, and crush it. This powder can be put on cuts and wounds to stop bleeding in both humans and animals.

Some make a compound powder by mixing together Yarrow powder, a similar powder of the flowers and aerial parts of Sherpherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), and sometimes powdered Cayenne (Capsicum annuum). The Old Wives and Witches, though, are just as happy with simple Yarrow powder.

Yarrow is not only a medicinal plant. She has magical uses, too. But, by a country mile, her medicinal qualities have benefitted humanity more.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester