Yarrow, the Thousand-Leaved "Little Feather"

Yarrow (Credit: H. Zell)

Yarrow was one of the first herbs I grew when I planted my garden. When I decided to have a blog that dealt with the lore of herbs and flowers, it was one of the first plants I had intended to include. This morning I found an article in my mailbox about the very herb, and I thought I would share a little bit of it with you. It was written by one of my colleagues, Terrie Schultz.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial herb native to Europe and Asia, and grows freely throughout North America and elsewhere in fields, meadows and roadsides. Each plant has a single stalk that grows up to about 20 inches tall, with feathery leaves and clusters of small white flowers at the top. It blooms from June to September. The whole plant including the roots can be harvested and dried.

Named after the ancient Greek war hero Achilles, yarrow has long been known for its ability to stop bleeding. Called Herba Militaris, it has been used to treat wounds on battlefields from ancient times up to the First World War. Its hemostatic property is reflected in some of yarrow's common names, such as Soldier's Woundwort, Staunchwort and Bloodwort. Other names are Milfoil, Knight's Milfoil, Thousand Weed and Nosebleed.

If you'd like to learn more about yarrow, please check out Terrie's article, "Health Benefits of Yarrow Herb, Achillea Millefolium," at Associated Content. If you enjoy the reading, I'm sure she'd be pleased if you dropped her a comment or read some of her other work.