Janice Cox 

Yarrow is a popular perennial herb that can be found in many gardens, mine included. It is known as a powerful “healing” herb. It’s also a fantastic landscape plant, culinary ingredient, and can be a key ingredient in anti-aging and healing body care products. 

I have my yarrow planted along my driveway. I call it my “protector” plant as it keeps deer and rabbits out of my yard. They do not like the scent or bitter tasting leaves. It also helps as a ground cover, keeping weeds out and my yard in bloom. Yarrow comes in a wide range of colors from creamy white to dark red. It will also attract birds and pollinators to your yard, helping all of your plants bloom and produce more. 

Yarrow has antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is cooling, soothing, and healing when used in skin care products. A simple tea or infusion of fresh flowers and leaves makes a calming product for troubled skin, insect bites, or a bad sunburn. Simply apply to your skin using a spray bottle or cotton pad. Yarrow in the bath is especially refreshing and will also boost your circulation. The most popular use of yarrow is as a key ingredient in healing skin balms and lotions. Yarrow leaves are powerful and have been used to stop bleeding in cuts and scrapes and also help the healing process. Legend has it that Achilles, the great warrior, used yarrow leaves to heal his soldiers’ wounds after battle. This may also be the reason the plant genus is called “Achillea.” 

Yarrow can also be used in the kitchen when making bitters, teas, salads, and salts. You can use just about everything from oils, butters, honey, and vinegar in which to infuse the bitter peppery leaves, and adding a bit of citrus or sugar will help enhance yarrow’s strong flavor. You only need a few leaves, as the taste can be overpowering in dishes. Also, when infusing in oils always use dried yarrow so you do not introduce any extra moisture, which can spoil your product. 

Yarrow is an especially beautiful dried flower and dries very quickly and easily. Pick bunches not larger than a quarter in diameter and let them air dry in vases or hanging from drying racks. If you are seed saving you may want to dry your bunches in paper sacks to help with collection and to protect them from dust or bugs. 

Here are a few recipes for you to try at home: 

Yarrow Cucumber Cleanser 
Cucumber is naturally cleansing and calming to your skin. When you combine it with fresh yarrow flowers you have a mild cleanser that can be used in place of soap for all skin types.  

1 whole cucumber 
1 Tablespoon fresh yarrow flowers and leaves or 1/2 Tablespoon dried 
1/2 cup water 
1 teaspoon honey 

Yield: 4 ounces 

In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients and process on high until you have a well-blended mixture. To use: Massage into your skin and let sit for a few seconds up to a minute. Then rinse with warm water followed by a cool water rinse and pat your skin dry. Store any leftover cleanser in the refrigerator. 

Yarrow Bath Salts 
Yarrow makes a relaxing bath. Fill a muslin tea bag with fresh flower heads and some leaves and toss in your tub as it fills, or wrap inside a cotton wash cloth and use as a “scrub” sack in the shower. Combined with popular bath minerals it makes for a soothing soak that will also boost your circulation. 

1 Tablespoon fresh yarrow leaves and flowers 
1/2 cup Epsom salts 
1/2 cup baking soda 
1/4 cup sea salt 

Yield: 10 ounces 

Mix together all ingredients and spoon into a cotton sack or onto a cotton wash cloth and secure with a rubber band. To use: Toss in a warm tub. Soak for 20 minutes. 

Yarrow Flower Salt 
Making herbal salt is a simple process with benefits. Yarrow supports digestion and also helps reduce bloating. You can create a simple salt that can be used in cooking. Just use care as a little bit will go a long way. Yarrow adds a sweet, bitter flavor to the salt. 

1 Tablespoon sea salt 
1/2 Tablespoon fresh yarrow flowers 

Grind together the yarrow and salt until fine and spread on a clean tray or cookie sheet to dry.  You may also use dried yarrow and skip the drying step. To use: Use as a finishing salt on your dishes. 

Medicinal Disclaimer: It is the policy of The Herb Society of America, Inc. not to advise or recommend herbs for medicinal or health use. This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any particular medical or health treatment. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatments.

Photo Credits: 1) Achillea millefolium flowers (Erin Holden); 2) Achilles tends the wounds of Patroclus (Bibi Saint-Pol); 3) Achillea ‘Colorado Mix’ (Erin Holden); 4) Achillea ‘Terracotta’ (Chrissy Moore)

Janice Cox is a garden writer and natural beauty expert. She is the author of Beautiful Flowers, Beautiful Lavender, Beautiful Luffa, Natural Beauty at Home, Natural Beauty from the Garden, Natural Beauty for All Seasons and the newly released Natural Beauty at Home Handbook.  She was the beauty editor for Herb Quarterly Magazine for more than twenty years.  She is the education chair for The Herb Society of America and a member of the International Herb Association. She makes her home in southern Oregon.