Something New - A Spring Herbal

I love all of the insightful comments sparked by yesterday's toilet scrubbing musings!  I hope you guys know how much I appreciate you and how much I love hearing what you have to say.

I've decided I want to try something new and I want your input on this too.  I hope that you'll let me know what you think of the idea and if it's something you are interested in seeing more of.

I've always loved growing, drawing, learning about, and using herbs.  When I lived in Colorado I had a happy little herb garden that brought me so much joy.  While there I had planned on attending a local school program to earn a certificate in herbalism.  Then we moved here to Utah, and up until now I haven't had a garden to really focus any serious herb growing energies on.  So along with the growing, the study fell to the side as well.

Now as you know I have a happy garden again! And I've decided it's time to resume my studies of the herbs I'm planting.  I'm interested in all the various uses of herbs: the medicinal, culinary, and cosmetic uses, as well as the lore and magic associated with them.  I thought it would be fun to share that with you as I go along in my studies.  Each Friday I would like to feature a specific herb that I am growing, and offer some information about growing and using the plant, along with some pictures of what I have in my garden and usually some drawings.  Does that sound good?  Please let me know.  Tell me what you think of the general idea, the format, the presentation, and if there is something else you'd like me to include, or a specific herb you want to learn more about.  I'll start a separate page too, in order to keep an archive of each herb.

This week we'll start with Yarrow.

Common name: Yarrow
Latin: Achillea millefolium

Yarrow is an upright perennial, growing to three feet tall, with grayish-green fern-like foliage, covered in tiny hairs.  The flowers of white, pink or yellow appear on long stalks in umbrel clusters of many  tiny, daisy-like individual flowers.  The leaves are strongly aromatic, with a bitter, spicy taste.  This herb is native to Europe and has been naturalized in North America and in Australia.  Another form, A. lanulosa, is native to North America.  Yarrow likes a somewhat rich, well-drained soil, but will grow in some of the worst conditions.  It is drought tolerant, which makes it a good garden plant for those trying to conserve water.  Yarrow is beautiful in the garden border, blooming from spring through autumn.  The dry flower stalks give striking visual interest to the winter garden, and also are wonderful to use in dried arrangements or other craft projects.

Yarrow is considered to be one of the most useful of medicinal herbs.  The remedies using this herb are vast, although it has most commonly been used for treating wounds.Reference to its use can be found as early as the Trojan War; it was used by Achilles to pack the woulds of fallen soldiers.  Other mentions come from the writings of the Greek physician Dioscorides, John Gerard the 16th century herbalist, and Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th century herbalist and botanist. Fossil pollen from the yarrow plant has been found in Neanderthal burial sites.

Modern scientific research has found that the alkaloids from the plant can cause the blood to clot faster, and the volatile oils are shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. The efficacy of these compounds varies according to the part of the plant used, the time of year, the variety of plant, etc. There are many varieties of yarrow available for the garden, however it is the common yarrow that has the medicinal qualities.

Yarrow is high in vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and chromium. It’s one of the first herbs to appear in spring, and is used traditionally in Maundy Thursday soup. The fresh young leaves can be added in small quantities to salads or cooked greens to spice them up a bit and add vitamins.

Other medicinal uses include using a yarrow compress to ease sore nipples. A tea made from the flowers aids in circulation, stimulates the kidneys, and can help a weak bladder. This same tea is said to be useful for excessive or irregular menstrual bleeding. Chewing fresh yarrow leaves will sooth a toothache, as they contain derivatives of salicylic acid, which is aspirin. Fresh leaves can be used as an emergency bandage when applied directly to the wound.

The uses for yarrow go beyond medicinal. A yellow dye for wool can be made by boiling either fresh or dried yarrow. Use copper as a mordant to get a dark bronze color or iron to get dark olive green.

Because of its astringent properties, yarrow is wonderful for the complexion, either applied topically or taken internally as a tea. Dried leaves ground to a powder and added to facial masks help oily skin or thread veins. A tea made from the flowers is also useful for these same complaints. A footbath made with yarrow and sea salt softens calluses.

While yarrow is considered to be safe and non-toxic, it should not be used by pregnant women because another use of the herb is as an abortificant. Also, if you are nursing, be sure to consult your doctor or midwife before using yarrow. It can cause allergic reactions in some people and can also cause sun sensitivity in much the same way as St. John’s Wort.

Sources:
Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs  -  Love love love this book!!!
Essential Herbal Wisdom – Nancy Arrowsmith

So there is this week's installment.  I kind of threw this together last minute, and in the future hope to include more recipes and such.

Have a great weekend!