YARROW TOPS[ ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM]
Listing description
Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow /ˈjæroʊ/ or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in
the family Asteraceae. It is native to temperate regions
of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and North America.[1] It has
been introduced as a feed for livestock in places like New Zealand[2] and Australia. However, it is a
weed in those places[2] and sometimes also in its
native regions.
Detailed description
Uses
Cultivation
Achillea millefolium is cultivated as an ornamental plant by many plant nurseries. It is planted
in gardens and natural landscaping settings of diverse climates and styles. They
include native plant, drought-tolerant, and wildlife gardens. The plant is a
frequent component of butterfly gardens. The plant prefers
well-drained soil in full sun, but can be grown in less ideal conditions.[18][19][20]
Propagation
For propagation, seeds require
light for germination, so optimal germination occurs when planted no deeper
than one-quarter inch (6 mm). Seeds also require a germination temperature
of 18–24 °C (64–75 °F). It has a relatively short life in some
situations, but may be prolonged by division in the spring every other year,
and planting 12 to 18 in (30–46 cm) apart. It can become invasive.[21]
Cultivars
The species use in traditional gardens has generally
been superseded by cultivars with specific
'improved' qualities.[22] Some are used
as drought tolerant lawn replacements,
with periodic mowing.[23] The many
different ornamental cultivars include: 'Paprika',[24] 'Cerise
Queen', 'Red Beauty',[25] 'Red Velvet',[26] 'Saucy
Seduction', 'Strawberry Seduction' (red), 'Island Pink' (pink),[27] and
'Calistoga' (white),[28] and 'Sonoma
Coast' (white).[29] Several,
including 'Kelwayi',[30] and
'Lansdorferglut' (both pink)[31] have gained
the Royal Horticultural
Society's Award of Garden Merit. The many hybrids of this species designated Achillea x taygetea are
useful garden subjects,[32] including: 'Appleblossom',
'Fanal', 'Hoffnung', and 'Moonshine'.[33]
Companion planting
Yarrow is considered an especially useful companion plant, repelling some
pest insects while attracting good, predatory ones. It attracts predatory
wasps, which drink the nectar and then use insect pests as food for their
larvae. Similarly, it attracts ladybirds and hoverflies.[20]
Agriculture
A. millefolium can
be planted to combat soil erosion due to the
plant's resistance to drought. Before the arrival of monocultures of ryegrass,
both grass leys and permanent pasture always contained A. millefolium at
a rate of about 0.3 kg/ha. At least one of the reasons for its inclusion
in grass mixtures was its deep roots, with leaves rich in minerals. Thus its
inclusion helped to prevent mineral deficiencies in the ruminants to which it
was fed.
Food
Yarrow has also been used as a food or in teas, and
was very popular as a vegetable in the 17th century. The younger leaves are
said to be a pleasant leaf vegetable when cooked
like spinach, or in a soup. Yarrow is sweet with a slight bitter taste. The leaves
can also be dried and used as an herb in cooking.
In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of a herbal
mixture known as gruit used in the
flavoring of beer prior to the use of hops.[34] The flowers
and leaves are used in making some liquors and bitters.[1]
Herbal and traditional uses
A.
millefolium has seen
historical use as in traditional medicine, often because of its astringent effects.[1] The
herb is purported to be a diaphoretic, astringent,[35] tonic,[35] stimulantand mild aromatic.
It contains isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagin, sterols, flavonoids, bitters, tannins,
and coumarins.[citation
needed] The genus name Achillea is derived from mythical
Greek character, Achilles,[35] who
reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. This medicinal use
is also reflected in some of the common names mentioned below, such as
staunchweed and soldier's woundwort.[1]
Traditional names for A. millefolium include
arrowroot, bad man's plaything, bloodwort, carpenter's weed, death flower,
devil's nettle, eerie, field hops, gearwe, hundred leaved grass, knight's
milefoil, knyghten, milefolium, milfoil, millefoil, noble yarrow, nosebleed,
old man's mustard, old man's pepper, sanguinary, seven year's love, snake's
grass, soldier, soldier's woundwort, stanchweed, thousand seal, woundwort, yarroway,
yerw. The English name yarrow comes from the Saxon (Old English) word gearwe,
which is related to both the Dutch word gerw and the Old High
German word garawa.[36]
In classical Greece, Homer tells of the centaur Chiron, who conveyed herbal secrets to his human pupils,
and taught Achilles to use yarrow
on the battle grounds of Troy.[38]
British folklore[edit]
Chinese divination
Native American uses
Yarrow and its North American varieties, was used in
traditional Native American herbal medicine by tribes across the continent.[41] The Navajo considered it to be a "life
medicine", chewed it for toothaches, and poured an infusion into ears for
earaches. The Miwok in California
used the plant as an analgesic and head cold
remedy.[41]
Several tribes of the Plains Indians used common
yarrow. The Pawnee used the stalk
for pain relief. The Chippewa used the
leaves for headaches by inhaling it in a steam. They also chewed the roots and
applied the saliva to their appendages as a stimulant. The Cherokee drank a tea of
common yarrow to reduce fever and aid in restful sleep.[41]
Among the Zuni people use the occidentalis variety
medicinally. The blossoms and root are chewed, and the juice applied before
fire-walking or fire-eating. A poultice of the
pulverized plant is mixed with water and applied to burns.[42] Recently it
was reported that treatment with Achillea millefolium may attenuate disease
severity, inflammatory responses, and demyelinating lesions in a mouse model of
Multiple Sclerosis.[43]
Dangers
In rare cases, yarrow can cause severe allergic skin
rashes; prolonged use can increase the skin's photosensitivity.[44] This can be
triggered initially when wet skin comes into contact with cut grass and yarrow
together.
According to the ASPCA, yarrow is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, causing
vomiting, diarrhea, depression, anorexia, and hypersalivation.[45]
In a standard rodent model for reproductive
toxicity, aqueous extracts of yarrow produced a significant increase in the
percentage of abnormal sperm.[46]
Birds
Several cavity-nesting birds, including the common starling, use yarrow to line
their nests. Experiments conducted on the tree swallow, which does not use
yarrow, suggest that adding yarrow to nests inhibits the growth of parasites.
Its essential oil kills the larvae of the
mosquito Aedes albopictus.
PRICE
$8.37/KG
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