Yarrow

Atony and relaxation of tissue, with free dis. charges; passive hemorrhage.

Overview. Yarrow is a perennial herb of the daisy family, common across meadows and roadsides of Europe, North America, and temperate Asia, long naturalized wherever it is not native. The flowering aerial parts are gathered for medicine. It has a long history of folk and physiomedical use as a wound herb and fever remedy, valued for its ability to act on tissue tone in seemingly opposite directions, opening the skin to promote sweating while also astringing tissues to check bleeding.

Clinical Notes. Leaf=specific for bleeding wounds Diaphoretic=flower Peripheral vasodilation Best used as hot tea at start of acute fever w/ hot dry skin TCM=Dispels wind heat conditions w/ fever, acute inflammation, & floating, fast pulse. Regulates Qi, dispels damp, treats liver & spleen disharmony and liver yang rise Best as hot tea for diaphoretic action Topically as stiz bath, wash, poultice Commonly combined w/ Sambucus, Eupatorium, Mentha or Tilia flowers for diaphoretic activity Carminative herbs pair well w/ bitters to improve GI function (Matricaria, Foeniculum, Zingiber, Melissa, etc) Added to formulas to treat hemotypsis and hematuria

Clinical Notes. Yarrow earns its old reputation as a fever herb that also stops bleeding. Given as a warm infusion at the onset of a cold or flu, especially one that comes with chilliness and a tight, dry skin, it encourages a gentle sweat and seems to help the body redistribute heat from the core to the periphery.

Action and Therapy. Achillea is astringent and tonic. Its chief virtues are shown in its occasional control of passive menorrhagia due wholly to atony, and not to the presence of tissue change or destruction. It sometimes relieves hematuria, and is soothing to the urinary tract.