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| Departments » Herbal Medicine » Materia Medica » Achillea millefolium |
Note - the monographs are provided for informational purposes only, and are not to be used for self-medication.
Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
| Botanic Name | Achillea millefolium |
| Common Name | Milfoil, Old Man’s Pepper, Soldier’s Woundwort, Knight’s Milfoil, Herbe Militaris, Thousand Weed , Nose Bleed, Carpenter’s Weed, Bloodwort, Staunchweed, Devil’s Nettle, Devil’s Plaything, Bad Man’s Plaything, Yarroway 1 |
| Family | Asteraceae (Compositae) (Tribe – Anthemideae) |
| Parts Used | Whole Herb |
| Habitat | Common in pastures, grassy banks, hedgerows and wasteplaces in dry sunny positions throughout much of the world 2 |
| Constituents | Alkaloids (Achillene)
3
Aspargin 2 Bitter Constituents 2 Cyanogenic glycosides 2 Flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, others) 3 Isovalerianic acid 2 Resins 2 Salicylates 2 Tannins 2 Volatile oil (including cineol, azulene, eugenol, thujone, pinene, camphor) 2 |
| Actions | Anti-inflammatory
3
Anti-pyretic 3 Antiseptic 4 Antispasmodic 2 Astrigent 2 Bitter Tonic 3 Diaphoretic 2 Digestive stimulant 2 Diuretic 4 Emmenagogue 3 Haemostatic 3 Hypotensive 4 Menstrual regulator 2 Peripheral vasodilator 2 |
| Applications | A
traditional wound herb especially where there is poor wound healing 2
Poor appetite 2 Indigestion 2 Poor peripheral circulation – esp. during fever 2 Fever management 2 Controlling heavy menstrual bleeding and vaginal discharge 2 Hypertension 4 Cystitis 4 |
| Dosage | Dried
Flowers: 2-4 gms tds 2
Liquid Extract: 1:1 25% 1-2 mls tds 3 Tincture: 1:5 25% 2 – 4 mls tds 3 |
| Combinations | Sambucus,
Mentha, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Capsicum annuum, and
Zingiber for fever. 4
Crataegus, Tillia for hypertension 4 |
| C/I Cautions | Pregnancy 5
May cause allergic reaction when applied topically 5 |
| BHP S/I | Thrombotic conditions with hypertension, including cerebral thrombosis and coronary thrombosis 6 |
References
- Grieve, M., A Modern Herbal, Tiger, Great Britain, 1994.
- Mills, S., The Complete Guide to Modern Herbalism, Thorsons, Great Britain, 1994.
- Bradley, P.R.(Ed.), British Herbal Compendium Volume I, British Herbal Medicine Association, 1992.
- Hoffmann, D., The New Holistic Herbal, Element, Dorset, 1990.
- McGuffin, M., Hobbs, C., Upton, R., Goldberg, A., American Herbal Products Association - Botanical Safety Handbook, CRC Press, 1997.
- British Herbal Medical Association, British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983, British Herbal Medical Association, 1989.
- Motram, L., Herbal Materia Medica Course Notes, 1983.
- Willard, T., The Wild Rose Scientific Herbal, Wild Rose College of Natural Healing Ltd, Alberta, Canada, 1991.
- Priest, A.W. and Priest, L.R. Herbal Medication. A Clinical and Dispensary Handbook. London: L.N. Fowler & Co. Ltd.
- Brockhampton Press, Guide to Herbal Remedies, Brockhampton Press, London, 1996.
- Lust, J., The Herb Book, Bantam Books, USA, 1974.
- Singh Y. N., Blumenthal, M., Kava culture, then & now, Herbs for Health, Vol 2, No 6: 56-60, 1998.
- McCaleb, R., Herbal Help for Prostate Problems, Herbs for Health, Spring/Summer 1996, pp 26- 28.