Yarrow, often referred to as nature's medicine cabinet, is an amazing plant which touts a ton of great benefits and is worth familiarizing yourself with.

yarrow flowers pink and white small bunch
The yarrow growing in my garden ranges from white to red, with a variety of pinks in between. The color can even vary on the same plant.

We're looking at how to grow yarrow, what conditions it thrives in, why you might want it in your garden, and what exactly it's good for.

What Is Yarrow?

Scientifically called Achillea millefolium, yarrow is in the aster family, Asteraceae, home to sunflowers, daisies, marigolds, and even lettuce!

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How to Identify Yarrow

Sometimes referred to as Milfoil, Yarrow has lots of tiny flowers which are most-often white, but may be red, pink, yellow, or even orange.

yarrow bunch with red pink and white flowers held in hand wood chips in background
Freshly-cut yarrow gathered to dry and use in tea

A great way to identify yarrow is by its soft, feathery leaves - often likened to ferns.

These are pretty distinct, so if the flowers look like yarrow and the leaves look like ferns, you've likely found it.

yarrow leaves feathery dried on stems
These are the leaves on yarrow after they're dried. Not as dintinctly feathery as when fresh, but still easy to identify!

What Conditions Does Yarrow Grow In?

What Is Yarrow Good For?

  • Soothing Eczema
  • Helping Fevers
  • Stopping Bleeding
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Reducing Itching
  • Improving Circulation
  • Lowering Blood Pressure

How to Harvest Yarrow

Chop the plants while they're flowering, and include quite a few leaves in your harvests along with the flowers - both are edible and medicinal.

You can hang your yarrow up-side to dry indoors just like most flowers and herbs - or throw in the dehydrator on a low heat to speed up the process.

yarrow plants dried for tea and tincture medicinal
Both the leaves and flowers are medicinal, and can be stripped from the stalks after drying (though this is not required)

I'm lucky enough that in my desert climate even indoor humidity is usually quite low and yarrow and other plants will dry on my countertop within a couple days.

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If your indoor humidity is quite high, however, consider adding warmth and air circulation to help dry yarrow faster.

Once dried, you can snip off the flowers with kitchen shears and run your fingers down the stems to strip the dry leaves.

yarrow flowers and leaves dried in jar
Yarrow flowers and leaves dried and jarred up for tea. I keep mine in mason jars.

How to Use Yarrow

Tea

Probably the easiest way to use yarrow once it's dried is to use it in tea.

dried yarrow flowers pink and white for tea
Dried yarrow flowers are perfect for steeping in tea

Tincture

You can steep yarrow in a high grain alcohol and strain that for use as a tincture.

Balms and Salves

For topical use, infuse yarrow into some combination of:


You'll have to play around with the process and ratios to find what works for you, but you can make a great effective topical with yarrow in a consistency that you like when you get it dialed in.


That's all for now, thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to connect with fellow gardeners, head on over to the forum.