Yarrow

Growing Conditions

Growing Zones

Thrives in USDA Zones 3 - 10

Companion Planting

When to Plant

• Transplant

  Spring or autumn

• Direct Sow

  Surface sow in spring; cold stratification improves germination

• Harvest

  Cut flat flower heads for drying; divide clumps every 3 years

Organic Growing Tips

• Plant yarrow throughout the garden as a universal attractor of beneficial predatory insects.

• Yarrow is said to intensify the aromatic oil content and medicinal strength of nearby herbs.

• Add yarrow leaves to the compost heap as an activator - it speeds decomposition significantly.

• Divide and spread clumps around the garden every 3 years; yarrow thrives on neglect and poor soil.

Common Pests

• Aphids
• Powdery Mildew

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Family

Daisy family (Asteraceae)

Genus

Achillea

Species

Achillea millefolium

Natural History

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is among the oldest documented medicinal plants in human history. Pollen analysis from a Neanderthal burial at Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq, dated to approximately 60,000 years ago, found concentrated pollen of several flowering plants including Achillea, suggesting possible intentional placement of medicinal plants with the dead - though the intentionality interpretation has been contested and the debate continues. The genus name Achillea derives from Achilles: ancient Greek tradition held that the hero used yarrow to staunch the bleeding wounds of his soldiers during the Trojan War, and Pliny the Elder recorded this story in his Naturalis Historia, giving yarrow one of the most storied eponyms in botanical history. The species name millefolium means "thousand-leaved," referring to the finely divided feathery leaves - a quality so distinctive that the plant has parallel vernacular names in many European languages (milfoil in English, millefeuille in French, Tausendblatt in German, milenrama in Spanish) all referencing the same anatomical feature. In China, yarrow stalks were the traditional tool for casting hexagrams in the I Ching, the ancient Book of Changes: stalks were counted and divided in a specific ritual process to generate the numbers that selected a hexagram for divination. This use made yarrow virtually sacred in the Chinese cosmological tradition, associated with the ability to access the order underlying apparent randomness. Yarrow pollen has been found in European Neolithic burial sites, and it appears in the Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and Celtic folk medicine records as a wound and fever plant with the vernacular names woundwort, soldier's woundwort, nosebleed plant, and staunchgrass - all referencing the same haemostatic tradition.

Traditional Use

Yarrow has one of the longest continuous documented use histories of any plant, from disputed Neanderthal pollen evidence through Homer's Achilles to the I Ching's divination tradition to the wound-herb kits of European armies - a span of claims that makes it one of the most cross-culturally significant plants in the garden.

• Shanidar Cave and the Neanderthal Evidence - Flowers

  In 1960, archaeologist Ralph Solecki excavated Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq and found concentrated flower pollen around a Neanderthal burial dated to approximately 60,000 years ago - including Achillea, Senecio, and several other plants with medicinal properties in later human traditions. Solecki's interpretation, published in the journal Science in 1975, was that Neanderthals had placed medicinal flowers with their dead, implying intentional behaviour, emotional ritual, and plant knowledge. The claim has been contested: a 2020 reanalysis in the Journal of Archaeological Science suggested the pollen might have been deposited by burrowing rodents rather than intentional human placement. The debate remains open, but it means yarrow has at least a credible claim to the longest potential use history of any documented plant.

• Achilles and the Greek Military Tradition - Leaves

  Pliny the Elder's version of the Achilles story - that the hero used yarrow to staunch the bleeding wounds of his soldiers at Troy - gave the plant its genus name and embedded it firmly in the Western medical tradition. Whether this story is pure myth or reflects an older Greek practice of using feathery Achillea leaves as a field dressing is unknowable, but the connection between yarrow and battlefield wound care appears consistently across European military history. Medieval European armies carried yarrow as a standard wound herb, and it appears in military medicine texts through the 17th century. The Anglo-Saxon name "woundwort" and the folk names "soldier's woundwort," "staunchgrass," and "nosebleed plant" all reference the same haemostatic tradition across different languages and periods.

• I Ching and Chinese Divination - Dried stalks

  The traditional method of consulting the I Ching, described in the text itself (c.1000-700 BCE in its current form, building on older traditions), uses dried yarrow stalks as the physical medium for generating hexagrams. The stalks are counted, divided, and sorted in a precise ritual process repeated three times to produce each line of the hexagram, generating the numbers from which a hexagram is read. The choice of yarrow was not arbitrary: the plant was associated in Chinese cosmology with the ability to bridge the human world and the underlying order of Heaven and Earth. Confucius reportedly valued the yarrow stalks as sacred objects in themselves, stating that the sage who consults the oracle should spend several days in meditative preparation. The I Ching yarrow method has been practiced continuously for roughly three thousand years, making it one of the longest-running documented uses of any plant in any culture.

• European Folk Wound Medicine - Flowering tops and leaves

  John Gerard described yarrow in his 1597 Herball as useful for wounds and bleeding, citing Dioscorides and the Achilles tradition while adding his own clinical observations. Nicholas Culpeper's 1652 Complete Herbal expanded on this, recommending yarrow for wounds, nose bleeds, and stopping blood generally. The consistency of this tradition across European folk medicine from classical Greek sources through 17th-century English herbals to 20th-century field-medicine guides suggests a plant with real, observable activity. Modern research has identified achillin and achillicin (sesquiterpene lactones) and tannins in yarrow that contribute to haemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects, providing plausible chemistry for a tradition that predates chemistry by millennia.

Yarrow belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy family) and may cause contact dermatitis or allergic reactions in people sensitive to this plant family, which also includes ragweed, chrysanthemum, and chamomile. Internal use of yarrow preparations is a traditional practice with a long history, but it is not culinary material and has specific contraindications including pregnancy.

This information is provided for historical and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions related to your health.

Morphology (Plant Structure & Identification)

• Root System

  Spreading rhizomatous perennial roots that form durable clumps and can knit through dry soil.

• Stem

  Upright, tough, lightly hairy stems that hold flat flower clusters above the foliage.

• Leaves

  Finely divided fern-like leaves with a strong aromatic scent when crushed.

• Flowers

  Flat-topped clusters of many small composite flower heads, usually white in wild forms but often colored in cultivars.

• Fruit

  Tiny dry achenes produced in the spent flower clusters.

Known Varieties

Common cultivars worth knowing

• Common White

  Wild-type white yarrow with strong pollinator value and tough growth.

  Best for: meadow plantings

• Colorado Mix

  Seed mix with soft pastel flower colors on sturdy plants.

  Best for: dry borders

• Paprika

  Red-orange flowers that age to softer tones.

  Best for: warm color schemes

• Moonshine

  Silver foliage with flat lemon-yellow flowers.

  Best for: dry ornamental beds

• Summer Pastels

  Mixed pastel flower heads on compact plants.

  Best for: cut flowers