Yarrow - WEMPlapedia, the wild edible and medicinal plant encyclopedia

Achillea millefolium

Asteraceae

Image Provider(s): netherbarium

Edible Uses

Flower

The flowers fit well to sweet food and beverage : mixed with jams, juices, lemonade, or liqueurs, it gives them a unique flavor.

Leaf

The tender leaves can be consumed raw, as a salad. Due to the rather bitter taste, it is recommended to mix with other greens. As a spice, both fresh and dried leaves may be used. Fresh chopped leaves suit well to soups, cheeses and fish. A delicious spice salt can be prepared from dried leaves. Bitter matter content due digestive effect is even with the flavoring.

Flowering tops

Prepared as a tea, a special tasting infusion is obtained. If you drink this for the taste, it should not be consumed on a daily basis.

Medicinal Uses

Flower

Flowering tops

The infusion made of yarrow has anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. It is used to treat vaginal and uterine inflammations, gingivitis or mucosal inflammations. Due to the content of bitters, it also has digestive effects. It has antispasmodic effects as well, it relieve stomach and menstrual convulsions.

Main Characteristics

Yarrow is a 15-60 cm tall, perennial plant. They have angular stems. Leaves are distributed spirally around the stem. The individual leaves are bipinnate or tripinnate, the leaflets are very thin. Therefore, the touch is similar to cat's tail. The flowers are white or pale pink, they are produced in flat umbel-shaped inflorescences.

Habitats

Along the road side

Dry grasslands

Hayfield

Lawn

Weed associations

Harvesting aid

Flower

August, July, June, September

The flowers may be gathered separately, they are precious both for eating and for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes.  For medicinal purposes only white colored inflorescence specimens may be gathered.

Leaf

August, July, June, May, September

The best period for the consumption of the leaves is before the bloom time, but they also can be gathered during flowering. Attention, some people may experience an allergic reaction due to the contact with the leaves.

Flowering tops

August, July, June, September

The flowering tops are gathered for medicinal use. Cut off the top of the plant about 40 cm with scissors. Only white colored inflorescence specimens may be gathered.

Confusion with other plants

There are several other yarrow species, that common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) can be confused with. All other species are edible and can be used in the same way, but of a medical point of view, the most precious is common yarrow.

Matricaria discoidea

Pineappleweed

Asteraceae

The two plants can be confused with each other before flowering. If you tear off a leaf and triturate between your fingers, you can easily identify both plants as they both have a characteristic but different smell.

Alternative common name(s):

Wild chamomile

Disc mayweed