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What is Yarrow Tea?
Achillea millefollium, or yarrow, is perennial plant that grows both by seeds and by extending its root system. Yarrow tea is made from dried or fresh parts of the yarrow plant. This tea is said to help with medical conditions such as stomach and digestive problems, hemorrhoids, and gall bladder pain.
The medicinal benefits of yarrow have been known for thousands of years. Yarrow was found along with other medicinal herbs in a grave in Iraq that is believed to be about 50,000 years old. In addition to using yarrow to help heal wounds, ancient Chinese used stalks of yarrow to help divine, or find, water. The Greek hero Achilles is said to have used yarrow to help heal soldiers injured during the Trojan War.
Today, yarrow grows in the wild and is cultivated in gardens for its attractive appearance and its hardiness. Yarrow is also grown to attract butterflies and for its medicinal values. Along with harvesting cultivated or wild yarrow, users can buy yarrow from health food stores.
Yarrow tea can be made from fresh or dried yarrow parts. Fresh flowers, leaves and stems should be simmered slowly in water. The recipe for tea made from dried yarrow calls for steeping one or two teaspoons of the herb per cup of water for roughly 15 minutes. Whether using fresh or dried yarrow, the pan or pot used should be covered to prevent the volatile oils in yarrow from evaporating. The resulting tea will have a bitter taste.
One of the main uses of yarrow tea is to treat fevers. Other benefits of yarrow tea include treating wounds and stopping bleeding, treating upset stomachs and treating respiratory infections. Yarrow tea is also used for menstrual pain, to stimulate the appetite, and to increase circulation.
Herbs, like drugs, can have side effects. The most well known of yarrow tea side effects is that skin can become sensitive to light exposure. In addition, pregnant women and people who have liver or kidney problems should consult their physicians before drinking yarrow tea.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider yarrow to be a drug. Therefore, the government does not regulate or set standards for yarrow products that are packaged and sold. This means that effectiveness of yarrow may vary from brand to brand. In addition, the FDA has concerns about the amount of thujone that yarrow contains. Thujone can be toxic to human beings when taken in large amounts.
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![Yarrow tea may be used to treat fever.]()
By: NataliTerrYarrow tea may be used to treat fever. -
![Yarrow tea has been used for menstrual pain.]()
By: Piotr MarcinskiYarrow tea has been used for menstrual pain. -
![Yarrow was found along with other medicinal herbs in a grave in Iraq that is believed to be about 50,000 years old.]()
By: bogdanserbanYarrow was found along with other medicinal herbs in a grave in Iraq that is believed to be about 50,000 years old.
Discussion Comments
Great information, thank you! I just ordered some yarrow tea, it should arrive in a couple of days. I read that yarrow tea is great for hair that's turning white. Apparently, boiling yarrow and rinsing hair with the tea helps return white hair back to its natural color. My whites have started to increase and I don't really want to dye it. I am so excited ever since I heard about yarrow tea.
I don't know if it will really work but I know that herbs like German chamomile can make hair lighter, so why not? It won't hurt to try!
Has anyone heard of yarrow tea being used for this before or tried it themselves? I'd love to take any advice or suggestions before I start rinsing my hair with it.
@burcidi-- I was having two cups of yarrow tea per day in the beginning too and I had both the sweating and a horrible migraine. Then, I cut down to one cup per day and the migraine disappeared completely and the sweating became less.
I think yarrow tea is stronger than we realize. If your sweating is pretty as mine was, I think you might want to decrease to one cup per day as well. It might lessen the side effect.
Yarrow tea has regulated my periods. I never knew when it would happen and now I mark it on the calendar and it happens on the same day every month. I know there is no guarantee that one herb or medicine is going to do the same thing for all people, but I think it will help you too.
I can see why yarrow tea would be good for treating fevers because whenever I have yarrow tea, I sweat a lot and I think sweating reduces body temperature.
I take yarrow tea to help even out my menstrual period. My periods have been very irregular lately and a friend told me about yarrow tea and how it has helped her sister with the same issue. It's just been a couple of weeks since I started having yarrow tea, so I will find out if it's effective soon. I have two cups everyday and I haven't had any side effects other than the sweating, which is not great but I'm willing to deal with it if it helps.
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