Y is for Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

aka....Milfoil, Knights milfoil, soldiers woundwort, herbe militarias, carpenter's weed, staunchweed, nose bleed, sanguinary, bloodwort.... just reading those names is a clue to the use of this herb's use throughout history. It got the name Achillea from the ledgend that it was used to staunch the bleeding of Achilles' soldiers war wounds.

This white yarrow is the variety that grows throughout Northern Arizona. I used to keep some in my garden and when one of my children got a minor cut or scrape I just mincd a little yarrow, mixed it up with a morter and pestle added some aloe vera, applied it to the wound and slapped a bandaid on it. As a dressing, it was a little lumpy, but I can't remember any complaints and everything healed just fine.

This pink yarrow is the variety growing in my garden now, but wild white yarrow still grows wild around the old well house. Many Gardners like this red variety although I've never had any luck growing it.

I'd like to have some of this cheerful yellow variety that was introduced from Europe and now grows wild in many areas of the United states.

I had a friend who made a salve of yarrow, aloe vera, and some other healing herbs, bonding it with beeswax from her own hives, a great improvement over my method. We called it her 'glop' and used it for years for everything from cuts to skin rashes.
A healing ointment is still made from yarrow and used in the Highlands of Scotland today.
The flowers are pretty in fresh cut or dried bouquets or just nodding their heads under the weight of droning bees in the summertime....