YARROW

Yarrow is a very valuable medicinal herb as an antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, stimulant & tonic, vasodilator & vulnerary.

Yarrow is used for  hay fever, absence of menstruation, dysentery, diarrhea, loss of appetite.
In combination with other herbs, yarrow is used for bloating, intestinal gas (flatulence), mild gastrointestinal (GI) cramping & other GI complaints.

Yarrow's astringent action is helpful in some cases of allergy, in which watery eyes & nasal secretions are triggered by pollen, dust, molds & animal dander.

Yarrow is used against cramps, fevers, kidney disorders, skin irritations & hemorrhages & to regulate menses & purify the blood.

Medicinal tea is a good remedy for severe colds & flu, for stomach ulcers, amenorrhea, abscesses, trauma & bleeding & to reduce inflammation.
Extracts of yarrow exhibit antibiotic activity & may also act as anti-neoplastic drugs.
Sinus infections & coughs with sputum production may be improved by yarrow.

Yarrow also has long been used to promote sweating in cases of colds, flu & fevers, helping you get over simple infections.

Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache.

Yarrow helps relieve pain, disinfects wounds, promotes tissue repair & reduces inflammation. Fresh yarrow leaves are best for wound healing, but you can put dried, powdered leaves right on the cut or make a compress, soaking a cloth in yarrow tea & laying it on the wound.
For scrapes, to stop bleeding from hemorrhoids, popped blisters, or burns, where the skin was not broken & only clear serum is oozing out & shallow shaving wounds use fresh or dried Yarrow leaves: crush or grind the leaves & apply directly to wounds.
Baths with yarrow can be taken for skin irritations.

Yarrow is often classified as a uterine tonic. Several studies have shown that yarrow can improve uterine tone, which may increase menstrual blood flow when it is irregular or scanty & reduce uterine spasms, which reduces heavy flow in cases of abnormally heavy menstrual flow.
Sitz baths are good for cystitis, vaginal infections, bleeding fibroids, haemorrhoids, post-partum healing, painful, lower pelvic, cramp-like conditions in women, heavy periods etc.

Yarrow also has antiseptic action against bacteria.
The bitter constituents & fatty acids in yarrow promote bile flow from the gallbladder. Free-flowing bile enhances digestion & elimination & helps prevent gallstone formation. Because of these anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic & cholagogue actions, yarrow is useful for gallbladder complaints & is considered a digestive tonic.

Foot baths should be taken for chilblains.

PRECAUTIONS:

It may also be an irritant for people allergic to plants from the Aster family.
Pregnant women should not take yarrow, because its ability to relax the smooth muscle of the uterus could cause miscarriage.
Some caution is advised, large or frequent doses taken over a long period may cause the skin to be more sensitive to sunlight & can cause allergic rashes in some people.
Prolonged use of essential oil could cause headaches.

RECIPES:

In foods, the young leaves & flowers of yarrow are used in salads.

Yarrow for Influenza:

Drinking about 4 cups of very strong Yarrow tea at the onset of flu symptoms will usually halt all further symptom progression.
Strong Yarrow tea consumed after Influenza or a cold has progressed for several days will help reduce fever & induce sweating.

Yarrow oil: 

100 g fresh or dried Yarrow leaves & flowering tops are placed in
500 ml olive oil
Stir every 4 hours for the first day & daily thereafter for up to a month, keep on sunny place.
The mixture is then used topically to manage varicose veins & hemorrhoids, bleeding or not.

To stimulate the appetite drink a tea made from caraway & yarrow:

Add ½ tsp of dried caraway &
½ tsp of dried yarrow to
1 cup of boiling water.
Cover & leave for 5 minutes.
Drink a cupful 30 minutes before mealtimes

Buckwheat Relaxation Pillow from Wellness Mama.

Yarrow Liniment for Varicose Veins:

1 part yarrow flower & leaf
½ part raspberry leaf
⅛ part cayenne flakes
Apple cider vinegar
Place the herbs in a widemouthed jar.
Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover them by 5 cm.
Cover the jar & let sit in a warm spot for 2 -3 weeks.
Strain & bottle.
To use:
Gently massage the legs up toward the heart, using the liniment & rubbing it in well. Use long, steady, upward strokes only. If the veins are quite extended, soak a cloth in the liniment & apply as a compress directly over the veins.
This liniment is helpful for healing bruises as well, but for obvious reasons it is not recommended for hemorrhoids.

Menstrual Cramps:

Add to the 1 tbsp of dried yarrow
1 cup of boiling water
Let it steep for 1 hour
Take 1 tbsp 4 times per day before meals.
For the bath take 75 g of dried yarrow,
add 1 liter of boiling water,
steep for 20 minutes, strain & add to the bath water with temperature of about 36-38C.
Take a bath for 20 minutes.

BEAUTY:

Yarrow oil has been traditionally used in hair shampoos.

Yarrow Facial Water for Oily Skin:

Pour vodka over the yarrow florets, so everything is just covered.
Let it stand few days, covered.
Strain & add same amount of boiled, cooled water.
Patting this water over your face daily will balance your skin.

Mask for Falling Hair:

Mix 1 part of fresh yarrow juice with
10 parts of olive oil.
Massage this into your scalp over the 2 weeks time every day.
Same mixture can be used for burns.

MAGIC:

Yarrow has been long recognized as a protective, healing plant.
Yarrow can be used in sachets for love, courage, communication & psychic abilities.
Yarrow strewn across a threshold will prevent unhelpful spirits from entering.
It was one of the herbs dedicated to the Evil One, in earlier days & was used for divination in spells.
It was used in counter-magical practices to 'drive out the devil' of those who had become possessed. However, to be effective, the holy mass had to be recited over the herb 7 times & it also had to be drunk from an upside down church bell..

Yarrow sown up in a little pouch & placed beneath the pillow was hoped to bring dreams of one's future husband if one recited the following charm before dozing off to sleep:
"Thou pretty herb of Venus tree
Thy true name be Yarrow
Now who my bosom friend must be
Pray tell thou me tomorrow."

Hanging a bunch of yarrow over the bed on the wedding night is supposed to ensure lasting love for 7 years. Adding it to the bouquet or garlands worn by the bride or groom serves the same affect.

Back in the day, hanging a bunch of yarrow over a cradle was said to protect a baby from witches trying to steal its soul.

It is used also as a charm for pregnant woman; keep it on the right side to have an easy labor.

Dried yarrow stalks were used to consult the I Ching, the Chinese oracle of change.
In European culture, predictions relating to affairs of the heart predominated. If freshly plucked yarrow was placed under the pillow the sleeper was said to dream of their future partner.

In Germany, if a woman wanted to make unmistakeably clear to a suitor that she loved another, she sent him a special basket of flowers called a Schabab as a sign of rejection. The basket contained yarrow, love-in-a-mist, corn cockle, cornflower, chicory, groundsel & eyebright. 
Still today, a rejected admirer is said in German to have “received a basket”.

It is said that if you cast yarrow upon your doorstep, the devil will dare not enter your house. This procedure is also recommended for keeping out evil spirits & negativity, as well as averting both bad luck & wicked spells.

To experience a dream about the man or woman destined to be your future marriage mate, pluck 10 stalks of yarrow on Beltane Eve (April 30th), or on a night when the moon is new.
Before going to bed, place nine of the stalks beneath your pillow & toss the remaining one over your left shoulder while repeating the following charm:
Good night, good night, fair yarrow,
"Thrice good night to thee.
I pray before the dawn tomorrow
My true love to see."

A similar divination method from centuries gone by called for an ounce of yarrow to be sewn up in a piece of flannel or stuffed into a stocking & then placed beneath one’s pillow before going to bed. 
The following spoken charm (or one of its many variations) would then be recited three times:
“Thou pretty herb of Venus’ tree,
Thy true name it is yarrow.
Now who my future love must be,
Pray tell thou me tomorrow.”