''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal.
The plant is
native to
temperate regions
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
of the
Northern Hemisphere in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and
North America.
It has been introduced as a feed for livestock in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Australia.
Description
''Achillea millefolium'' is an erect,
herbaceous,
perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
that produces one to several stems in height, and has a spreading
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...
growth form. Leaves are evenly distributed along the stem, with the leaves near the middle and bottom of the stem being the largest. The leaves have varying degrees of hairiness (pubescence). The
leaves are long,
bipinnate or tripinnate, almost feathery, and arranged spirally on the stems. The leaves are
cauline
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
, and more or less clasping,
being more
petiolate near the base.
The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
has 4 to 9
phyllaries
In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one o ...
and contains ray and disk flowers which are white to pink, blooming from March to October.
There are generally 3 to 8 ray flowers, which are long
and ovate to round. The tiny disk flowers range from 10 to 40.
The inflorescence is produced in a flat-topped
capitulum cluster and the inflorescences are visited by many insects, featuring a generalized
pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...
system. The small
achene-like fruits are called cypsela.
[
The plant has a sweet scent similar to that of chrysanthemums,] so powerful that it may be irritating to some.
Chemistry
The dark blue essential oil of yarrow contains chemicals called proazulenes.
Chamazulene
Chamazulene is an aromatic chemical compound with the molecular formula C14H16 found in a variety of plants including in chamomile (''Matricaria chamomilla''), wormwood (''Artemisia absinthium''), and yarrow (''Achillea millefolium''). It is a b ...
and δ-Cadinol are chemical compounds found in ''A. millefolium''. The chromophore of azulene
Azulene is an organic compound and an isomer of naphthalene. Naphthalene is colourless, whereas azulene is dark blue. Two terpenoids, vetivazulene (4,8-dimethyl-2-isopropylazulene) and guaiazulene (1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene), that featur ...
was discovered in yarrow and wormwood and named in 1863 by Septimus Piesse.
Yarrow contains isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagine
Asparagine (symbol Asn or N) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form under biological conditions), an α-carboxylic acid group (which is in the depro ...
, sterols, and flavonoids. It also contains phenolic acids such as gallic acid
Gallic acid (also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a trihydroxybenzoic acid with the formula C6 H2( OH)3CO2H. It is classified as a phenolic acid. It is found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. I ...
, 3, 4-dihydroxy benzoic acid
Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a dihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid. It is a major metabolite of antioxidant polyphenols found in green tea. It has mixed effects on normal and cancer cells in ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'' studies.
Biolo ...
, 2-OH-Benzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid and flavonoid such as myricetin, hesperidin, quercetin
Quercetin is a plant flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; capers, red onions, and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of it. It has a bitter flavor ...
, luteolin
Luteolin is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, with a yellow crystalline appearance.
Luteolin is the principal yellow dye compound that is obtained from the plant '' Reseda luteola'', which has been used as a source of the dye since at least the f ...
, kaempferol
Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach, and broccoli. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a meltin ...
, apigenin
Apigenin (4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), found in many plants, is a natural product belonging to the flavone class that is the aglycone of several naturally occurring glycosides. It is a yellow crystalline solid that has been used to dye wool.
Sou ...
, rutin
Rutin, also called rutoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and sophorin, is the glycoside combining the flavonol quercetin and the disaccharide rutinose (α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranose). It is a flavonoid found in a wide variety of pl ...
, hyperoside
Hyperoside is a chemical compound. It is the 3-''O''- galactoside of quercetin.
Natural occurrences
Hyperoside has been isolated from ''Drosera rotundifolia'', from the Lamiaceae ''Stachys sp.'' and ''Prunella vulgaris'', from ''Rumex acetosell ...
.
Taxonomy
The several varieties
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
and subspecies include:
*''Achillea millefolium'' subsp. ''millefolium''
**''A. m.'' subsp. ''m.'' var. ''millefolium'' – Europe, Asia
**''A. m.'' subsp. ''m.'' var. ''borealis'' – Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
regions
**''A. m.'' subsp. ''m.'' var. ''rubra'' – Southern Appalachians
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
*''A. millefolium'' subsp. ''chitralensis'' – western Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
*''A. millefolium'' subsp. ''sudetica'' – Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
, Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
*''Achillea millefolium'' var. ''alpicola'' – Western United States, Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
*''Achillea millefolium'' var. ''californica'' – California, Pacific Northwest
*''Achillea millefolium'' var. ''occidentalis'' – North America
*''Achillea millefolium'' var. ''pacifica'' – west coast of North America, Alaska
*''Achillea millefolium'' var. ''puberula'' – endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to California
Etymology
The genus name ''Achillea'' is derived from mythical Greek character Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...
, who reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. The specific epithet ''millefolium'' as well as the common names milfoil and thousand leaf come from the featherlike leaves which are minutely divided.
The English name yarrow comes from its Saxon (Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
) name ''gearwe'', which is related to both the Dutch word ''gerw'' (alternately ''yerw'') and the Old High German word ''garawa''. In the eastern counties it may be called yarroway. In France, it was called herbe de'' St. Joseph' after a Christian revision of the Achilles story, in which Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
uses the plant to heal his adoptive father. It has also been called 'carpenter's weed' in this regard.
Other names include arrowroot, nose bleed, death flower, eerie, hundred leaved grass, knyghten, old man's mustard, sanguinary, seven-year's love, snake's grass, soldier, and ''gordaldo''.
In New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
and southern Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, it is called ''plumajillo'' (Spanish for 'little feather') from its leaf shape and texture.
Distribution and habitat
Yarrow grows from sea level to in elevation. Common yarrow is frequently found in the mildly disturbed soil of grasslands and open forests. Active growth occurs in the spring.
The plant is native to Eurasia and is found widely from the UK to China.
In North America, both native and introduced genotypes, and both diploid and polyploid
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei ( eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contain ...
plants are found. It is found in every habitat throughout California except the Colorado and Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...
s. Common yarrow produces an average yield of , with a total dry weight of .
It has been introduced as a feed for livestock in New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and Australia, where it is a common weed of both wet and dry areas, such as roadsides, meadows, fields and coastal places.
Ecology
Birds
Several cavity-nesting birds, including the common starling, use yarrow to line their nests. Experiments conducted on the tree swallow, which does not use yarrow, suggest that adding yarrow to nests inhibits the growth of parasites
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
.
Insects
''Achillea millefolium'' is a food source for many species of insects.
; Moths
The larvae of the moths ''Bucculatrix clavenae
''Bucculatrix clavenae'' is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It was described by Josef Wilhelm Klimesch in 1950. It is found in the Alps.
There is probably one generation per year.
References
Natural History Museum Lepidoptera generic name ...
'', '' B. cristatella'', '' B. fatigatella'', '' B. humiliella'', '' B. latviaella'', ''Cnephasia abrasana
''Cnephasia abrasana'' is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Europe, where it has been recorded from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy and Li ...
'', '' Cochylimorpha elongana'', '' Coleophora argentula'', '' C. carelica'', '' C. ditella'', '' C. expressella'', '' C. follicularis'', '' C. gardesanella'', '' C. millefolii'', '' C. partitella'', '' C. ptarmicia'', '' C. quadristraminella'', '' C. succursella'', '' C. vibicigerella'', '' Depressaria olerella'', '' D. silesiaca'', ''Dichrorampha alpinana
''Dichrorampha alpinana'', the broad-blotch drill, is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in almost all of Europe.
The wingspan is 13–15 mm. The forewings are rather dark fuscous, much mixed or almost wholly suffused w ...
'' (broad-blotch drill), '' D. petiverella'', '' D. vancouverana'' (tanacetum root moth), '' Eupithecia millefoliata'' (yarrow pug), '' E. nanata'' (narrow-winged pug), '' Gillmeria pallidactyla'', '' Idaea pallidata'', '' Isidiella nickerlii'', '' Loxostege manualis'', '' Phycitodes maritima'', '' P. saxicola'', '' Pyncostola bohemiella'', '' Sophronia sicariellus'' and ''Thetidia smaragdaria'' (Essex emerald
The Essex emerald (''Thetidia smaragdaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787 as ''Phalaena smaragdaria''. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic region with records ...
) feed on ''Achillea millefolium'' in Europe.
The larvae of ''Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria
''Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria'', the blackberry looper, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from Nova Scotia to Florida, west in Canada to Manitoba, west in the United States to the Rocky Mountains, and south into Mexico.
It is al ...
'' (blackberry looper), '' Coleophora quadruplex'' and '' Sparganothoides lentiginosana'' (lentiginos moth) feed on ''A. millefolium'' in North America.
Other species of moths with a more cosmopolitan distribution include '' Aethes smeathmanniana'' (Smeathmann's aethes moth), '' Chloroclystis v-ata'' (v-pug), '' Choristoneura diversana'', ''Cochylidia richteriana
''Cochylidia richteriana'' is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It was described by Josef Emanuel Fischer von Röslerstamm in 1837. It is found from central and northern Europe to Mongolia, China (Beijing, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Hunan, Inner Mongol ...
'', ''Epiblema graphana
''Epiblema graphana'' is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Spain, France, Germany, the Benelux, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic region, Alban ...
'', ''Eupithecia succenturiata
The bordered pug (''Eupithecia succenturiata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic region. In the Pyrenees, the species can be found up to an altitude of 1800 metres. It prefers steppe areas, open bushy terrain ...
'' (bordered pug), '' E. vulgata'' (common pug), '' Jordanita budensis'' and '' Thiodia citrana'' (lemon bell).
The Noctuid ''Agrotis stigmosa'' has also been reared on ''A. millefolium''.
; Beetles
''Cassida denticollis
''Cassida denticollis'' is a species of leaf beetle, situated in the subfamily Cassidinae (tortoise beetles) and the genus ''Cassida'', found in Mongolia, West China (Xinjiang province), and the Western Palaearctic region.
Description
''Cassi ...
'', '' Galeruca tanaceti'', '' Hypocassida subferruginea'' and ''Phytoecia virgula
''Phytoecia virgula'' is a species of beetle from the subfamily Lamiinae.
Description
Adults have a length of . They can be found from April to July.
Distribution
From Europe, Turkey and Russia to the Caucasus, the Middle East and Kazakhstan.
...
'' are cosmopolitan species of beetles that feed on ''A. millefolium''.
'' Chrysanthia viridissima'' is a European species whose adults can be found feeding on pollen and nectar.
'' Trichodes ornatus'' (ornate checkered beetle) is a species found in North America whose adults can be found feeding on ''A. millefolium''.
; True bugs
'' Horistus orientalis'' is a species of plant bugs that feeds on ''A. millefolium''.
; Wasps
'' Hedychrum rutilans'' is a species of cuckoo wasps whose adults can be found feeding on ''A. millefolium'' in Europe and North Africa.
Cultivation
''Achillea millefolium'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
by many plant nurseries
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general p ...
. It is planted in gardens and natural landscaping
Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants and adapted species, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden.
Benefits
Maintenance
Natural land ...
settings of diverse climates and styles. They include native plant
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...
, drought-tolerant, and wildlife garden
A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibian ...
s. The plant is a frequent component of butterfly garden
Butterfly gardening is a way to create, improve, and maintain habitat for lepidopterans including butterflies, skippers, and moths. Butterflies have four distinct life stages—egg, larva, chrysalis, and adult. In order to support and sustain ...
s. The plant prefers well-drained soil in full sun, but can be grown in less ideal conditions.
Propagation
For propagation
Propagation can refer to:
* Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism
*Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials
* Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda
* Reproduction, and other fo ...
, seeds require light for germination, so optimal germination occurs when planted no deeper than . Seeds also require a germination temperature of . It has a relatively short life in some situations, but may be prolonged by division in the spring every other year, and planting apart. It can become invasive.
Cultivars
The species use in traditional gardens has generally been superseded by cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s with specific 'improved' qualities. Some are used as drought-tolerant lawn
A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. ...
replacements, with periodic mowing. The many different ornamental cultivars include: 'Paprika', 'Cerise Queen', 'Red Beauty', 'Red Velvet', 'Saucy Seduction', 'Strawberry Seduction' (red), 'Island Pink' (pink), 'Calistoga' (white), and 'Sonoma Coast' (white). The following are recipients of the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's Award of Garden Merit:
* 'Credo'
* 'Lachsschönheit' (Galaxy Series)
* 'Martina'
*'Lansdorferglut'
The many hybrids of this species designated ''Achillea'' × ''taygetea'' are useful garden subjects, including: 'Appleblossom', 'Fanal', 'Hoffnung', and 'Moonshine'.
Toxicity
Yarrow can cause allergic skin rashes. It reportedly can induce menstruation and cause miscarriages.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective me ...
, yarrow is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, causing increased urination, vomiting, diarrhea and dermatitis.
When consumed by cows, an unfavorable flavor is given to their milk. In a standard rodent model
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
for reproductive toxicity, aqueous extracts of yarrow produced a significant increase in the percentage of abnormal sperm.
Uses
Traditional medicine
''A. millefolium'' was used in traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
, in part due to its astringent
An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian pla ...
properties and the mild laxative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...
effect of its leaves. Yarrow and its North American varieties were traditionally used by many Native American nations.[University of Michigan – Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany; ''Achillea millefolium''](_blank)
Accessed 31 January 2013. The Navajo historically considered it a "life medicine" and chewed the plant for toothaches and used its infusions for earaches. The Miwok
The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok languages in the Utian family. The word ...
in California used the plant as an analgesic and head cold
The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after exposu ...
remedy. Native American nations used the plant for healing cuts and abrasions, relief from earaches and throat infections, as well as for an eyewash. Common yarrow was used by Plains indigenous peoples
Plains indigenous peoples (), previously called plain aborigines, are Taiwanese indigenous peoples originally residing in lowland regions, as opposed to Highland indigenous peoples. Plains indigenous peoples consist of anywhere from eight to twe ...
to reduce pain or fever and aid sleep.
In the early 20th century, some Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
people used a decoction
Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. Dec ...
of yarrow leaves on hot stones and inhaled it to treat headaches, or applied decoctions of the root onto skin for its stimulating effect.
Food
The entire plant is reportedly edible and nutritious, but it is advised not to consume much. The foliage is pungent; both its leaves and flowers are bitter and astringent. The leaves can be eaten young; raw, they can be added to salad. The leaves, with an aniseed-grass flavour, can be brewed as tea.
In the Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, yarrow was part of a herbal mixture known as gruit
Gruit (alternately grut or gruyt) is a herb mixture used for bittering and flavouring beer, popular before the extensive use of hops. The terms gruit and grut ale may also refer to the beverage produced using gruit.
Historically, gruit is the te ...
used in the flavoring of beer prior to the use of hops. The flowers and leaves are used in making some liquors and bitters
Bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now ar ...
.
Other uses
Yarrow is considered an especially useful companion plant
Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is the planting of different crops in proximity for any of a number of different reasons, including pest control, pollination, providing habitat for beneficial insects, maximizing use of space, and ...
, attracting beneficial insect
Beneficial insects (sometimes called beneficial bugs) are any of a number of species of insects that perform valued services like pollination and pest control. The concept of ''beneficial'' is subjective and only arises in light of desired outcome ...
s and repelling some pests. It attracts predatory wasps, which drink the nectar and then use insect pests as food for their larvae. Similarly, it attracts ladybirds and hoverflies
Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while ...
.
''A. millefolium'' can be planted to combat soil erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...
due to the plant's resistance to drought. Before the arrival of monocultures of ryegrass, both grass and pasture contained ''A. millefolium'' at a density of about 0.3 kg/ha. One factor for its use in grass mixtures was its deep roots, with leaves rich in minerals, minimizing mineral deficiencies in ruminant feed. It was introduced into New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
as a drought-tolerant pasture.
Some pick-up sticks
Pick-up sticks, pick-a-stick, jackstraws, jack straws, spillikins, spellicans, or fiddlesticks is a game of physical and mental skill in which a bundle of sticks, between 8 and 20 centimeters long, is dropped as a loose bunch onto a table to ...
are made of yarrow.
Yarrow can be used for dying wool as it contains apigenin
Apigenin (4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), found in many plants, is a natural product belonging to the flavone class that is the aglycone of several naturally occurring glycosides. It is a yellow crystalline solid that has been used to dye wool.
Sou ...
and luteolin
Luteolin is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, with a yellow crystalline appearance.
Luteolin is the principal yellow dye compound that is obtained from the plant '' Reseda luteola'', which has been used as a source of the dye since at least the f ...
. Depending on the mordant the color may be green to yellow.
Culture
In antiquity, the plant was known as ''herba militaris'' for its use in stanching the flow of blood from wounds.[Dodson & Dunmire, 2007, ''Mountain Wildflowers of the Southern Rockies'', UNM Press, ] Other names implying its historical use in healing—particularly in the military—include bloodwort, knight's milfoil, staunchweed, and, from its use in the US Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, soldier's woundwort. Its use in either starting or stopping nosebleeds led to the common name nosebleed. For its association with the Abrahamic
The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran.
Jewish tradition ...
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
it was called bad man's plaything, devil's nettle, and devil's plaything. It was called old man's pepper due to its pungent flavor, while the name field hop came from its use in beer making in Sweden.
Greece
In the Classical Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
epic ''Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
'', Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
tells of the centaur Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs".
Biography
Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...
, who conveyed herbal secrets to his human pupils and taught Achilles to use yarrow on the battlegrounds of Troy.
China
Yarrow and tortoiseshell are considered to be lucky in Chinese tradition.
The stalks are dried and used as a randomising agent in I Ching divination.
Ireland and Great Britain
In the Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebr ...
a leaf held against the eyes was sometimes believed to give second sight
Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Universit ...
.
In Sussex and Devonshire
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, ...
superstition, yarrow was used for finding one's real sweetheart. One would pluck yarrow growing on a young man's grave while reciting:
:Yarrow, sweet yarrow, the first that I have found,
in the name of Jesus Christ, I pluck it from the ground;
As Joseph loved sweet Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
, and took her for his dear,
so in a dream this night, I hope, my true love will appear.
and go to sleep with the yarrow under the pillow.
In a similar tradition in Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has a ...
, girls would pick yarrow on Hallow Eve and recite:
:Thou pretty herb of Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
' tree,
Thy true name is yarrow;
Now who my bosom friend may be,
Pray tell thou me to-morrow.
then retire for the night without speaking and go to sleep with an ounce of yarrow sewn in flannel under the pillow.
In Suffolk a leaf was placed in the nose so it would bleed, while reciting
:Green 'arrow, green 'arrow, you bears a white blow,
If my love love me, my nose will bleed now;
If my love don't love me, it 'on't bleed a drop,
If my love do love me, 'twill bleed every drop.
In Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
on May Day or the night before, women would place a stocking full of yarrow under their pillow and recite:
:Good morrow, good yarrow, good morrow to thee,
I hope by the yarrow my lover to see;
And that he may be married to me.
The colour of his hair and the clothes he does wear,
And if he be for me may his face be turned to me,
And if he be not, dark and surely may he be,
And his back be turned toward me.
In the witchcraft trial of Elspeth Reoch in March 1616, she was alleged to have plucked "melefour," thought to be another name for yarrow, and said "''In nomine Patris, Fiili, et Spiritus Sancti''" to become able to cure distemper (disorders of the four humours
Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers.
Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 1850s ...
) and impart the faculty of prediction.
Yarrow was thought to bring luck due to being, according to one woman cited by James Britten
James Britten (3 May 1846 – 8 October 1924) was an English botanist.
Biography
Born in Chelsea, London, he moved to High Wycombe in 1865 to begin a medical career. However he became increasingly interested in botany, and began writing papers ...
, "the first herb our Saviour put in His hand when a child." This is apparently a corruption of the Achilles myth.
Gallery
References
External links
Kansas Wildflowers – Achillea millefolium
Dr. Duke's Databases: ''Achillea millefolium''
Achillea millefolium L.
Medicinal Plant Images Database (School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University)
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millefolium
Butterfly food plants
Drought-tolerant plants
Flora of North America
Flora of Europe
Flora of temperate Asia
Garden plants of Europe
Garden plants of North America
Groundcovers
Herbs
Medicinal plants of Asia
Medicinal plants of Europe
Plants described in 1753
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus