Yarrow
BotanicalAchillea millefoliumAlso calledMilfoil, Thousand-leaf, Soldier's woundwort
A bitter, aromatic meadow flower with feathery leaves, sipped as a hot tea when the season turns and kapha settles in.
Yarrow grows in sunny fields and along roadsides, with flat clusters of tiny white flowers and leaves so finely cut they look like feathers. The Latin name millefolium means thousand leaves. Crush a flower head and it smells sharp and camphor-like, and the tea is strongly bitter with an aromatic edge.
It is not a classical Ayurvedic herb. Modern Ayurvedic teachers describe yarrow as bitter, pungent and astringent, with an overall cooling effect, and value it as a diaphoretic, a herb that opens the pores when taken hot. It is a herb for short, purposeful use rather than an everyday cup.
Ayurvedic Properties
Not described in classical Ayurveda; modern Ayurvedic writers describe it as bitter, pungent and astringent in taste and cooling, with a pungent post-digestive effect (Frawley and Lad, The Yoga of Herbs, and other modern Ayurvedic teachers).
- RasaTastes
- ViryaHeating or cooling
- Cooling
- VipakaPost-digestive effect
- Pungent
- AgniEffect on digestion
- Gently supports agni
Bitter and aromatic, it gently wakes up digestion.
- GunaQualities
- TridoshaEffect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha
- Vata: increases in excess
- Pitta: decreases
- Kapha: decreases
- ↓decreases (calms that dosha)
- ↑increases (can aggravate it)
- =neutral or balancing
- ?not known
- V Vata · P Pitta · K Kapha
Yarrow's bitter coolness helps pitta and its light, dry, aromatic quality moves kapha. Vata types should keep it occasional and pair it with warming, moist herbs.
Traditional Uses
- Traditionally used to support the body's natural cooling through light sweating when taken as a hot tea.
- Traditionally used to support comfort through the respiratory season.
- Traditionally used to support a regular, comfortable monthly cycle.
- Traditionally used to support healthy digestion as an aromatic bitter.
How People Use It
- TeaSteep 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried flowers and leaves in a cup of just-boiled water for 10 minutes. Drink it hot to encourage gentle sweating. It is quite bitter, so peppermint or honey help.
- WaterA cooled, strained infusion can be added to a warm foot bath at the end of a long day. Patch-test first.
Hot Yarrow and Peppermint Tea
A simple, old-fashioned pairing for a chilly evening under a blanket.
- 1 teaspoon dried yarrow
- 1 teaspoon dried peppermint
- 1 thin slice fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 cups just-boiled water
- Raw honey to taste
- Place the yarrow, peppermint and ginger in a teapot and pour the water over them.
- Cover and steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain and stir in honey once it has cooled slightly.
- Drink it hot, then rest under a warm blanket for a while.
Pairs Well With
Cautions
- Do not use yarrow during pregnancy. It has traditionally been used to stimulate the uterus. Avoid it while breastfeeding as well.
- Yarrow is in the daisy family. Avoid it if you are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, daisies or marigolds. Skin contact can also cause rashes in sensitive people.
- Yarrow may increase the risk of bleeding or bruising with blood thinners and antiplatelet medicines. Talk with your doctor if you take these, and stop using it two weeks before surgery.
- Yarrow may also affect blood pressure, so check with your doctor if you take blood pressure medicine.
- Please consult a qualified practitioner or your doctor before using yarrow.
In Our Shop
Organic Yarrow Flower, from $4.75. Weighed and packed by hand at our Rockville Centre studio.
Shop Yarrow →From the Journal
Sources and Further Reading
This page shares how herbs are traditionally used in Ayurveda and other herbal traditions. It is for general education only and is not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and herbs are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please talk with your doctor or a qualified practitioner before using herbs, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition.