Yellow Yarrow Weed

History and Folklore

• The effectiveness of using yarrow to stop the flow of blood from wounds was tested during the American Civil War. Folklore states that Achilles used the plant to stop his soldiers' wounds from bleeding, a technique taught to him by the Centaur, Charon. Yarrow was a strewing herb during medieval times to rid the home of unpleasant smells and to dispel evil. Babies were protected from witches trying to steal their souls by tying yarrow to their beds and love would last at least seven years if used in a wedding bouquet.

Description

• Leaves of the yellow yarrow weed are aromatic and gray green, resembling feathers or ferns that grow 1 to 6 inches in length and about 1 inch wide. Branched flower stalks, covered in fine hairs, rise above the leaves up to about 24 inches with flowers growing in umbrella-like clusters at the top. Common yarrow produces white flowers with yellow centers that bloom June to September. The plant produces mounds that are 12 to 18 inches wide.

Growing

• Yarrow is easily grown from seed that has been stratified, or put in a refrigerator, for one month. Yarrow also grows from root divisions taken in spring or fall and placed about 1 foot apart. Yarrow enjoys full sun and will grow in the worst of soils, even in drought conditions. To control invasive yarrow, deadhead the blooms before the seed forms. Ornamental varieties in other colors do not spread or reseed as much and are easily kept compact in a garden.

Uses

• Yarrow attracts both bees and butterflies and keeps ants and harmful insects out of the vegetable garden with root secretions keeping other plants healthy. Common yarrow is used in erosion control because the rhizomes keep soil in place.

  Fresh and dried yarrow are used as home remedies for a variety of problems including upset stomach, diarrhea, wound healing, women's complaints and bleeding. It is made into infusions, tinctures, syrups, poultices, salves and creams. An old remedy for a bloody nose or headache is to drop a leaf in the affected nostril. Yarrow tea induces sweating and it thought to help eradicate fever and flu. Yarrow contains flavonoids that increase both stomach acid and saliva, which help with digestion.