PLANT OF THE MONTH: Yarrow

Scientific Name: Achillea millefolium

Habitat: Yarrow is a tough plant of many grasslands, from lawns to verges and meadows. Yarrow has been used to help restore arable land to grassland by sowing it along with other natives.

Description: A herbaceous perennial, with clusters of white, flat-topped flower heads and dark green, finely divided, feathery leaves and one to several stems. Growing to about 1 metre tall, it is also characterized by a pungent smell. 

Flowering time: June to November

Other names: arrowroot, death flower, eerie, hundred-leaved grass, knyghten, old man's mustard, sanguinary, seven-year's love, snake's grass.

Traditional and medicinal uses

The entire plant is reportedly edible and nutritious, but it is advised not to consume much as it is bitter and astringent. The leaves can be eaten raw when young with an aniseed-grass flavour. It can also be brewed as tea.

Yarrow has been found in Neanderthal burials dated up to 60,000 years old suggesting its association with human species dates back a long way. Centuries ago, Yarrow was used in Europe as a charm against bad luck and illness.

In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of a herbal mixture known as gruit used in the flavoring of beer before the use of hops. The flowers and leaves are still used in making some liquors and bitters.

The dark blue essential oil of yarrow contains chemicals called prozalunes similar to those found in chamomile and wormwood. Yarrow contains many other active chemicals including isolaveric acid, salicylic acid, asparagine, sterols and flavonoids and penolic acids. 

Yarrow is widely used in traditional herbal medicine as a laxative,  to heal wounds and stop bleeding, and to stop nosebleeds. Yarrow and its North American varieties were traditionally used by Native American peoples for treating headaches, toothaches and earaches.

Plant Yarrow for wildlife in your garden

Several cavity-nesting birds, including starlings use yarrow to line their nests. Experiments suggest that this may inhibit the growth of parasites.  It is a useful food plant to many pollinators and insects including a large number of moth species, beetles, bugs, hoverflies and wasps.