Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Medicinal Trees: Abies, Fir

Twenty four varieties of Abies are used medicinally: 

Abies alba - Silver Fir, Abies amabilis - Red Fir, Abies balsamea – Balsam Fir, Abies cephalonica – Grecian Fir, Abies concolor - Colorado Fir, Abies delavayi, Abies firma - Momi Fir, Abies fraseri - She Balsam, Abies grandis - Grand Fir, Abies homolepis - Nikko Fir, Abies lasiocarpa - Subalpine Fir, Abies magnifica - Californian Red Fir, Abies nordmanniana - Caucasian Fir, Abies pindrow - West Himalayan Fir, Abies procera - Noble Fir, Abies recurvata, Abies religiosa - Sacred Fir, Abies sachalinensis, Abies sibirica - Siberian Fir, Abies spectabilis - Himalayan Fir, Abies squamata - Flaky Fir, Abies veitchii - Veitch Fir, Abies veitchii sikokiana 

Only the Fraser Fir grows in my region. 

The needles, resin, roots, bark and branches are used. 

This is a mountain tree. It grows in nine counties in North Carolina, but just two counties each in Virginia and Tennessee… only one county in Georgia. However, cultivated firs are truly abundant. This is one of the main trees grown on farms as a Christmas tree. 

The primary medicinal use of the firs is as an astringent. As such, it is extremely useful because it both tightens tissue and increases blood flow. We will discuss the astringency of several trees, but this is one that is particularly effective against anything from sore throats to dysentery, especially when there is danger of the tissue becoming “boggy”. In cases of severe, chronic or intense inflammation, the inflamed tissue can suffer serious damage. Boggy tissue occurs when the tissue loses its tone. It often develops a purplish hue and loses its ability to tighten back up. It is flaccid and filled with fluid. When this happens for instance. in the throat, the results can be deadly. The astringency of this tree not only tightens the tissue and reduces swelling, but its ability to increase blood circulation to the affected area both helps transport the fluid away from the site of inflammation and speeds healing. 

Dioscorides included Abies under Pine: 

Moist resin also comes out of the pine tree and the pitch tree brought from Gallia and Hetruria. Previously it was sometimes brought from Colophon from which it had its surname of colophonia, as well as from Galatia (which is near the Alps) which the inhabitants of that place in their proper tongue call the larch tree. This is particularly good (taken in a linctusn [syrup] or alone) for lasting coughs. They are also different in colour for one is white, another of oil colour, and another looks like honey, such as that of the larch tree. Moist resin also comes out of the cypress tree, good for the same purposes. Of that which is dry there is some called strobilina [from pine cones], elaterium, peucine and pituine. Choose that which smells sweetest and is clear — neither too dry nor too moist, but like wax and brittle. Of these that of the pitch tree and fir tree excel, for they have a sweet smell and resemble frankincense in their odour. The best are brought out of Pityusa (an island which lies near Spain), but that from the pitch tree, strobilus [pine cones] and the cypress are of a meaner sort and are not the same in strength as the others, yet they are made use of for the same purposes. Lentiscina matches terminthos in strength. 

Saint Hildegard von Bingen, likely the most wise and profound herbalist of all time, wrote of Fir around 1100 AD: 

When the tree is green and has not yet lost its sap, as in March or even May, take the bark and leaves of this tree, and even some of its wood, and cut it into tiny bits. Add half as much sage and then boil this until it thickens. Then add cow’s butter, prepared in May, and strain it through a cloth, making an ointment. If someone ails in his head so that he is virgitiget, raving or mad, and if his heart is failing in strength, first anoint his heart well with this ointment. Then, having shaved his head, anoint his head with the same ointment. Repeat this on the second and third day, and his head will recover its health, and he will return to his senses. If someone ails in his spleen, first anoint his heart with this ointment, because of the weakness of his heart. Soon afterward, anoint his stomach, if that is where the pain is, or his spleen, if he is ailing there. The ointment will pass through the skin with its strength, so that he will be cured quickly. For one who is congested in his chest, who coughs, and who even ails in his lungs so that they are swollen and beginning to be putrescent, burn the wood of the fir tree, when it is fresh and the sap is still in it, until it is ash. Let nothing else be added to this ash. Into these ashes put twice as much burnet saxifrage and the same amount of fennel, and half as much licorice as saxifrage. Cook this together in good wine with some honey. Strain it through a cloth to make a spiced wine. Drunk often, it will purge the chest, restore the lungs to health, and therefore cure the person. 

“Virgitiget” is an old German term that can mean anything from paralysis to rheumatism or arthritis. Saint Hildegard also recommends Fir for venereal Crabs, and for swollen lips and mouth. 

The British herbalist and plant collector, John Gerard wrote of Fir in 1597: 

A. The liquid resin of the Fir tree called turpentine, looseth the belly, driveth forth hot choleric humours, cleanseth and mundifieth the kidneys, provoketh urine, and driveth forth the stone and gravel. 

B. The same taken with sugar and the powder of Nutmegs, cureth the strangury, stayeth the Gonorrhoea or the involuntary issue of man's nature, called the running of the reins, and the white flux in women. 

C. It is very profitable for all green and fresh wounds, especially the wounds of the head: for it healeth and cleanseth mightily, especially if it be washed in Plantain water, and afterward Rose water, the yolk of an egg put thereto, with the powders of olibanum and mastic finely searced, adding thereto a little saffron. 

The puckish and rebellious Nicholas Culpepper, who infuriated the British medical and academic establishments by translating their medical books and formulas from Latin, into the English language of the common Englishman, was more effusive in his unique style. He further upset the educated classes by including astrology, folklore and the “Doctrine of Signatures into his works; the Doctrine of Signatures being the belief that God designed herbs so that the appearance of the plant would indicate its medicinal use. Writing in 1652: 

Government and virtues. Jupiter owns this tree. The leaves and tops of both sorts are used in diet-drinks for the scurvy, for which they are highly commended by the inhabitants of the northern countries. It is said a good quantity of them are put into Brunswick mum. From this tree, of which there grow great numbers in several parts of Germany, is gotten the Strasburg turpentine, which is clearer, of a pale colour, and of a thinner consistence than Venice turpentine, of a bitterish taste, and of a pleasant smell, a little like lemon-peel. It is of a mollifying, healing, and cleansing nature; and, besides its uses outwardly in wounds and ulcers, is a good diuretic, and of great use in a gonorrhoeœa and the fluor albus; given in glysters, mixed with the yolk of an egg it is very serviceable against the stone and gravel. It is likewise a good pectoral, and often given in affections of the breast and lungs. 

Tar is likewise the product of these trees, which are cut into pieces, and piled up in a heap, and being set on fire at the top, the resinous liquor is driven out by the heat of the fire, and, running down, is received into trenches made for it, and so put into the casks; and by boiling is hardened into pitch. 

Tar is by some accounted a good pectoral medicine, and used for obstructions of the lungs, and shortness of breath. 

From the young branches of this tree is produced the famous spruce beer; and the juice which runs from the trunk upon its being tapped, is what is sold in the shops here under the name of the Balm of Gilead. The young tops of this tree make an excellent antiscorbutic either infused or boiled in beer or wine; experience has sufficiently confirmed their efficacy in that distemper in our American plantations, where the inhabitants used to be severely afflicted with it, who since they have taken to brewing a kind of liquor of molasses, in which they boil the young fir-tops in the room of hops, they are very little troubled with the scurvy; and many of our sailors whose diet on board of ships makes them subject to it, have had reason to commend that liquor. This tree yields two resinous substances; a thin liquid sort, which comes forth from the young firs, and is known in the shops by the name of Strasburg turpentine; and a dry substance resembling frankincense, to which it is not unlike in quality. 

An Irish Herbal (written in 1735) states: 

The leaves and top of this tree can be used against scurvy. The turpentine, or liquid resin extracted from this tree is somewhat purgative, and also provoking urine and is beneficial to the bladder, kidneys and arthritic conditions. It is good for wounds, being healing and cleansing. 

Fr. Künzle wrote of Fir in 1911, showing its use in the tradition of German Folk Medicine: 

Finely chop green fir tree twigs or, if you can't get them, European spruce (picea abies) will also do and you chop it thinly. Fill 8-10 baskets and put them in the patient's bedroom or, if there is not enough space, hang them up like lamps; every evening before going to bed, stir and shake every basket so that the scent comes out. 

If the twigs no longer smell after three to four weeks, replace them filled with the fresh ones. I have seen tuberculosis patients who could only move with the help of sticks cured in this way. In mountainous areas a much stronger and more effective variety of pines thrives, namely the 12 dwarf mountain pine; it is hardly as tall as a man, but it spreads countless branches that crawl over the rocks up to the top of the tree line. 

Speaking of a man who was successfully treating tuberculosis, he wrote: 

Uelis Sepp goes outside three times a day, into the healthy, dust-free air, if it is possible, he should stand under a fir tree, slowly and deeply breathes in with an open mouth and spreads out arms like on a cross so that the chest is expanded; as soon as his lungs are completely full, he folds both his hands as tightly as he can on his chest and breathes out; he repeats that ten to twelve times, always before taking a meal. This exercise ensures that the illness no longer destroys his lungs and so that those still healthy parts of the lungs remain intact. 

Every hour Uelis Sepp takes a sip of the medicine made according to the recipe for lung patients. He can eat whatever he wants. 

The kidneys and bladder of the lung patients usually work badly; as a result, entangled urine substances get into the lungs and new mucus is produced every day; no cure is possible before the kidneys and the bladder start working properly. The tea for lung patients drunk 2-3 weeks could help to make the kidneys and bladder function; Furthermore, warm herbs such as marjoram, thyme, mint and nettles are placed as a poultice as close as possible to the kidneys and to the bladder, and this bandage is worn for three to four weeks and during the cold season continuously. 10 - 20 warm hip baths in boiled pine or fir twigs strengthen the cure. This would make the kidneys and the bladder start working properly; more urine comes out; no more new mucus would develop in the lungs; the old mucus is excreted; without mucus, the Tuberculosis bacteria cannot multiply so quickly, the lungs become stronger and overcome the crisis. 

In case of a very advanced tuberculosis, however, there is no guarantee that this remedy will help. 

The Thomsonian System of Medicine, published in 1905, states: 

BALSAM FIR. Abies Balsamea. This balsam is obtained from a tree known in all parts of the country; it is taken from small blisters which form in the bark. It is of a very healing nature and is good to remove internal soreness. In cases where the mucous membrane is irritated it should not be given, but is very good in relaxed and torpid cases, as in cystic and renal congestions, gleet, etc. In bronchial and pulmonary congestions it is a stimulating expectorant. It is an excellent remedy for aged persons suffering from congestion of the kidneys as it then acts as a kidney tonic. In old coughs it is also excellent. Dose: It should be given only when mixed with glycerine and honey. One ounce Balsam Fir, Glycerine and Honey, each four ounces; flavor to suit, mix thoroughly, and give one teaspoonful four times a day 

King's American Dispensatory, 1898 tells us: 

Abies Canadensis.—Hemlock Spruce. 

Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.—A strong decoction of the bark of this tree is beneficial in leucorrhoea, prolapsus uteri, prolapsus ani, diarrhoea, etc., administered internally, and used in enema; it is likewise of service as a local application in gangrene, and in aphthous, and other oral ulcerations. 

The essential oil of this tree, the oil of hemlock, has occasionally been used by pregnant females to cause miscarriage, but serious effects are apt to follow therefrom. As a liniment this oil has been used in croup, rheumatism, and other affections requiring a stimulating local application. The essence (oil) of hemlock is diuretic and highly stimulant. Dr. W. K. Everson states it to be a superior remedy in gastric irritation to allay vomiting in cholera morbus, etc. The dose is 5 or 10 drops in water, every 10 or 20 minutes, until relief is afforded. 

The alcoholic preparations of this drug usually pass under the name of Pinus canadensis. Such preparations are of much value where a mild stimulant and astringent is required, and especially in catarrhal disorders of the mucous tissues, with marked pallidity and relaxation. It is likewise of value in passive hemorrhages and is useful topically in scalds and burns. Tincture, 5 to 30 drops; specific Pinus canadensis, 2 to 10 drops, preferably in equal parts of water and glycerin; the oil, 2 to 5 drops. 

Specific Indications and Uses.—General asthenic state, with feeble digestion, vascular weakness, and pale mucous membranes; broncho-pulmonary irritation, with profuse secretions; coughs and colds; renal torpor; pyrosis and gastric irritation, with vomiting and diarrhoea; some cutaneous affections. Never to be used in inflammatory or sthenic conditions. 

Mrs. Grieves wrote of Abies in her A Modern Herbal, written in 1931: 

Abies Nigra.—Black Spruce. 

Action and Medical Uses.—An aqueous decoction of the young branches, strained and concentrated, forms the well-known Essence of Spruce, which enters into the formation of Spruce Beer, an agreeable and salutary summer beverage, possessing diuretic and antiscorbutic properties, and valuable on board ships. Spruce Beer may be made as follows: Take of ginger, sassafras bark, and guaiacum shavings, each, 2 ounces; hops, 4 ounces; essence of spruce, 10 ounces; water, 4 gallons; mix them and boil for 10 or 15 minutes, then strain. Add 10 gallons of warm water, 3 quarts of molasses, and 12 fluid ounces of yeast, and allow it to ferment. While fermentation is going on, put the fluid in strong bottles and cork them well. 

ESSENCE OF SPRUCE is a viscid, molasses-like liquid, having a somewhat sour and bitterish, astringent taste. 

Plants for a Future states: 

Medicinal use of Balsam Fir: The resin obtained from the balsam fir (see "Uses notes" below) has been used throughout the world and is a very effective antiseptic and healing agent. It is used as a healing and analgesic protective covering for burns, bruises, wounds and sores. It is also used to treat sore nipples and is said to be one of the best curatives for a sore throat. The buds, resin, and/or sap are used in folk remedies for treating cancers, corns, and warts. The resin is also antiscorbutic, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant and tonic. It is used internally in 14 propriety mixtures to treat coughs and diarrhoea, though taken in excess it is purgative. A warm liquid of the gummy sap was drunk as a treatment for gonorrhoea. A tea made from the leaves is antiscorbutic. It is used in the treatment of coughs, colds and fevers. The leaves and young shoots are best harvested in the spring and dried for later use. This plant was widely used medicinally by various North American Indian tribes. The resin was used as an antiseptic healing agent applied externally to wounds, sores, bites etc., it was used as an inhalant to treat headaches and was also taken internally to treat colds, sore throats and various other complaints. 

Traditional and Healing Herbal Beers tells us: 

Like cedar, fir has traditionally been used by many indigenous cultures as a spirit medicine. It is commonly used in sweat lodges and for its antiscorbutic actions. It is also a traditional indigenous medicine for high fever, weight loss, anemia, lack of energy and appetite. .. It has traditionally been used for urinary tract infections, coughs and colds, external wounds, asthma, and as an analgesic for wounds, burns, sores and ulcers. Like pine, it is strong and may irritate mucous membranes. 

Peterson Field Guides Eastern and Central Medicinal Plants tells us of balsam fir: 

Canada balsam an oleoresin is collected by cutting bark blisters or pockets in would July through August used as an antiseptic an in creams and ointments for piles and root canal sealers diuretic it may irritate mucous membranes American Indians applied the residence as an analgesic for burns sores bruises and wounds leaf tea used for coughs cold and asthma the olio resin is a pale yellow to greenish yellow transparent an pleasantly scented it is primarily commercial application and has been a ceiling agent for mounting microscope slides warning the resident may cause dermatitis in some individuals 

Fraser fir she balsam: Cherokees used the resin for chess helmets coughs sore throats urinary tract infections and wounds. 

Eastern hemlock: American Indians used tea made from leafy twigs for kidney elements in steam bass from rheumatism colds and coughs and into induced sweating inner bark tea used for colds fevers diarrhea coughs stomach troubles and scurvy externally used as a wash for rheumatism and stop bleeding bark is very astringent formally used as a pollsters for bleeding wounds and in tanning Leathers. 

Botany In a Day states: 

Fir contains turpentine, made of essential oils and resin. The oleo resin is stimulant, diuretic and sometimes diaphoretic and externally rubefacient. The needles can be used as an aromatic bath for rheumatism and nervous diseases. Steeped fir needles make one of my favorite wilderness teas.


This article is an excerpt from The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide:

The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide

Author: Judson Carroll.  Judson Carroll is an Herbalist from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. His weekly articles may be read at http://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/

His weekly podcast may be heard at: www.spreaker.com/show/southern-appalachian-herbs

He offers free, weekly herb classes: https://rumble.com/c/c-618325


His New Book is The Encyclopedia of Bitter Medicinal Herbs:




Read about The Encyclopedia of Bitter Medicinal Herbs


Available for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09V3WCJM5

His other works include:

Christian Medicine, History and Practice: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/01/christian-herbal-medicine-history-and.html

Available for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P7RNCTB

Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People by Judson Carroll

You can read about and purchase Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People here: southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.html

Also available on Amazon: Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People: Carroll, Judson: 9798491252923: Amazon.com: Books

Look Up: The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/06/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html

The Herbs and Weeds of Fr. Johannes Künzle: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/05/announcing-new-book-herbs-and-weeds-of.html



Disclaimer

The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Yarrow, the Original Soldier's Herb


Yarrow is one for the most storied herbs in history.  Perhaps the first legend most herbalists hear about Yarrow is that it was used by Achillies to treat soldiers wounded in battle.  This comes from the Iliad of Homer and is particularly interesting because recent scholarship has shown that Homer may have been a military physician, as well as a poet.  If so, that would lend a great deal of credibility to the use of Yarrow as being a “soldier’s herb” from very ancient, pre-literate times.  Regardless, the Latin name of Yarrow came to be Achillea millefolium, having been named for Achillies and identified by its “million segmented”, fringe-like leaves.


Dioscorides wrote of Yarrow as Stratiotes millefolius:


Stratiotes millefolius is a small little shrub twenty centimetres long (or more) with leaves similar to the feathers of a young bird, and the abnormal growths of the leaves are very short and jagged. The leaves are (most chiefly) similar in their shortness and roughness to wild cumin yet even shorter; and the tuft is thicker than this and fuller, for it has small shoots on the top on which are the tufts in the shape of dill; the flowers are small and white. It grows in somewhat rough fields and especially around the ways. This herb is excellent for an excessive discharge of blood, old and new ulcers, and for fistulas [ulcers].


Yarrow being so well known and widely used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, it found much use in the Monastic Medicine of the Middle ages and later in German Folk Medicine:  Saint Hildegard recommended yarrow applied to the eyelids for "vision darkened by tears." Yarrow 

is universally used by herbalists for wounds and bleeding. Saint Hildegard used it similarly and 

recognized its antiseptic properties for use against infected wounds. She recommended it used 

externally for external wounds and internally for internal bleeding. She also recommended it 

taken, infused in wine for fevers. Yarrow's use for staunching blood has been known since the 

time of the ancient Greeks, who told of it in the legend of Achilles as battlefield medicine. Saint 

Hildegard's recommendation against fever shows her advanced knowledge of herbal medicine.  She also recommended Yarrow, combined with Dill, to stop nose bleeds.


Fr. Kneipp combined Yarrow with Saint John’s Wort and Linden for coughs and congestion.  His protege, “Brother Aloysius recommended Yarrow for weakness and mucus in the digestive organs, for lung complaints, internal cramps, heavy bleeding, piles, irregular menstruation, nervous complaints, insomnia, "the consequences of self abuse", back pain caused by piles, internal and external ulcers, intestinal complaints, stomach cramp, stomachache, leukorrhea, lung complaints, bleeding lungs, chills, rheumatism, fresh sores, scrofulous, sores, fistulas.”


Maria Treben wrote:


For intestinal cancer - it was a young mother of five and the doctor had given her only a few 

more days - I recommended compresses applied to the area of the intestines, at the same time 

calamus roots, which were steeped in cold water overnight one level teaspoon per cup of water; 

One sip before and after each meal, and a tea made from equal proportions of stinging nettle, 

calendula and yarrow. At least two liters of this tea have to be sipped throughout the day. Today 

this woman is so much better that there is hope of a complete recovery.

A woman from Heilbronn, West Germany wrote: "bout 10 months ago, my 41 year old nephew 

who lives in Sacramento CA wrote in his letter that he suffers from bleeding at the colon daily 

and the medical diagnosis is without a doubt cancer of the colon A side opening would be 

necessary. I sent him your book held through God's pharmacy Swedish bitters, calamus roots, 

calendula, Yarrow and stinging nettle. He followed the instructions in your book. Today my 

nephew was able to work again. After taking the mention herbs for four days the bleeding 

stopped. Tiredness and loss of weight were arrested slowly.”


Sophie Hodorowicz Knab tells usS of its use in Polish herbalism: 


In the Middle Ages, Yarrow was grown in Poland in the garden monasteries of the Domincans and Benedictines.  Marcin of Urzedow suggests poultices of Yarrow for inflamed and pus-filled wounds.  Syreniusz suggested its use for internal bleeding, diarrhea and pain in the intestines.  He suggested that the herb is good boiled in wine and taken for “colic and biting in the stomach.. Mashed and applied to the body it will stop nose bleeds and decrease tooth pain if the root is chewed.”


Country women rubbed the fresh herb in their hands and applied it bleeding areas to stop the flow of blood.  The juice squeezed from the fresh leaves was applies to open sores and fresh wounds.  Boiled in white wine it was considered a medication for vaginal discharge.  A salve was made for wounds, ulcers and fistulas.  THe powdered dry leaf was smoked like tobacco to cure headaches.  In the 18th century, extracts and oils made from Yarrow were sold in apothecary shops across Poland. 


…It is also one of the herbs blessed on August 15th on the Feast of Our Lady of the Herbs (the Assumption).  


Igor Vilevich Zevin tells us that in Russia, Yarrow was called, “herb of a thousand leaves.  Old herbals document its use as far back as the fourteenth century, although it was probably used before that time.  During the 18th and 19th centuries Russian doctors were very familiar with the medicinal properties of Yarrow and used it to treat hemorrhage and relieve symptoms of dysentery.”  

.  

Turning to the British tradition, Gerard sates:


Yarrow is called of the Latin herbarists Millefolium: it is Dioscorides his Achilleos: in Latin, Achillea, and Achillea sideritis; which thing he may very plainly see that will compare with that description which Dioscorides hath set down: this was found out, saith Pliny in his 25th book, chap. 5, by Achilles, Chiron's disciple, which for that cause is named Achilleios: of others, Sideritis: among us, Millefolium: yet be there other Sideritides and also another Panaces heracleion whereof we will treat in another place: Apuleius setteth down divers names hereof, some of which are also found among the bastard names in Dioscorides: in Latin it is called Militaris, Supercilium veneris, Acrum, or Acorum sylvaticum: of the Frenchmen, Millefeuille: in High Dutch, Garben, Scharffgras: in Low Dutch, Geruwe: in Italian, Millefoglio: in Spanish, Milhoyas yerva: in English, Yarrow, Nosebleed, Common Yarrow, Red Yarrow, and Milfoil.


The Temperature.


            Yarrow, as Galen saith, is not unlike in temperature to the Sideritides, or Ironworts, that is to say, cleansing, and meanly cold, but it most of all bindeth.


The Virtues.


            A. The leaves of Yarrow do close up wounds, and keep them from inflammation, or fiery swelling: it stancheth blood in any part of the body, and it is likewise put into baths for women to sit in: it stoppeth the lask, and being drunk it helpeth the bloody flux.


            B. Most men say that the leaves chewed, and especially green, are a remedy for the toothache.


            C. The leaves being put into the nose, do cause it to bleed, and ease the pain of the megrim.


            D. It cureth the inward excorations of the yard of a man, coming by reason of pollutions or extreme flowing of the seed, although the issue do cause inflammation and swelling of those secret parts, and though the spermatic matter do come down in great quantity, if the juice be injected with a syringe, or the decoction. This hath been proved by a certain friend of mine, sometime a Fellow of Kings College in Cambridge, who lightly bruised the leaves of common Yarrow, with hog's grease, and applied it warm unto the privy parts, and thereby did divers times help himself, and others of his fellows, when he was a student and a single man living in Cambridge.


            E. One dram in powder of the herb given in wine, presently taketh away the pains of the colic.



Culpepper said of Yarrow:


 It is under the influence of Venus. As a medicine it is drying and binding. A decoction of it boiled with white wine, is good to stop the running of the reins in men, and whites in women; restrains violent bleedings, and is excellent for the piles. A strong tea in this case should be made of the leaves, and drank plentifully; and equal parts of it, and of toad flax, should be made into a poultice with pomatum, and applied outwardly. This induces sleep, eases the pain, and lessens the bleeding. An ointment of the leaves cures wounds, and is good for inflammations, ulcers, fistulas, and all such runnings as abound with moisture.


Some writers of credit take the pains to inform us what plants cattle will not eat; they judge of this by looking at what are left in grounds, where they feed; and all such they direct to be rooted up. We have in this an instance, that more care is needful than men commonly take to shew what is and what is not valuable. Yarrow is a plant left standing always in fed pasture; for cattle will not eat its dry stalk, nor have the leaves any great virtue after this rises; but Yarrow still is useful. It should be sown on barren grass ground, and while the leaves are tender, the cows and horses will eat it heartily. Nothing is more welcome for them, and it doubles the natural produce. On cutting down the stalks as they rise, it keeps the leaf fresh and they will eat it as it grows.



Mrs. Grieve tells us that the folk history of Yarrow had negative connotations among some cultures:


Its specific name, millefolium, is derived from the many segments of its foliage, hence also its popular name, Milfoil and Thousand Weed. Another popular name for it is Nosebleed, from its property of stanching bleeding of the nose, though another reason given for this name is that the leaf, being rolled up and applied to the nostrils, causes a bleeding from the nose, more or less copious, which will thus afford relief to headache. Parkinson tells us that 'if it be put into the nose, assuredly it will stay the bleeding of it' - so it seems to act either way.


It was one of the herbs dedicated to the Evil One, in earlier days, being sometimes known as Devil's Nettle, Devil's Plaything, Bad Man's Plaything, and was used for divination in spells.


Yarrow, in the eastern counties, is termed Yarroway, and there is a curious mode of divination with its serrated leaf, with which the inside of the nose is tickled while the following lines are spoken. If the operation causes the nose to bleed, it is a certain omen of success:


'Yarroway, Yarroway, bear a white blow,

If my love love me, my nose will bleed now.'

An ounce of Yarrow sewed up in flannel and placed under the pillow before going to bed, having repeated the following words, brought a vision of the future husband or wife:

'Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree,

Thy true name it is Yarrow;

Now who my bosom friend must be,

Pray tell thou me to-morrow.'

---(Halliwell's Popular Rhymes, etc.)


It has been employed as snuff, and is also called Old Man's Pepper, on account of the pungency of its foliage. Both flowers and leaves have a bitterish, astringent, pungent taste.

In the seventeenth century it was an ingredient of salads.


---Parts Used---The whole plant, stems, leaves and flowers, collected in the wild state, in August, when in flower.


---Constituents---A dark green, volatile oil, a peculiar principle, achillein, and achilleic acid, which is said to be identical with aconitic acid, also resin, tannin, gum and earthy ash, consisting of nitrates, phosphates and chlorides of potash and lime.


---Medicinal Action and Uses---Diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, stimulant and mild aromatic.


Yarrow Tea is a good remedy for severe colds, being most useful in the commencement of fevers, and in cases of obstructed perspiration. The infusion is made with 1 OZ. of dried herb to 1 pint of boiling water, drunk warm, in wineglassful doses. It may be sweetened with sugar, honey or treacle, adding a little Cayenne Pepper, and to each dose a teaspoonful of Composition Essence. It opens the pores freely and purifies the blood, and is recommended in the early stages of children's colds, and in measles and other eruptive diseases.


A decoction of the whole plant is employed for bleeding piles, and is good for kidney disorders. It has the reputation also of being a preventative of baldness, if the head be washed with it.


---Preparations---Fluid extract, 1/2 to 1 drachm. An ointment made by the Highlanders of Scotland of the fresh herb is good for piles, and is also considered good against the scab in sheep.


An essential oil has been extracted from the flowers, but is not now used.


Linnaeus recommended the bruised herb, fresh, as an excellent vulnerary and styptic. It is employed in Norway for the cure of rheumatism, and the fresh leaves chewed are said to cure toothache.


In Sweden it is called 'Field Hop' and has been used in the manufacture of beer. Linnaeus considered beer thus brewed more intoxicating than when hops were used.


John K’Eogh tells us that Yarrow was used in Ireland for a number of complaints:


It has a very dry astringent nature.  Drinking a decoction stops dysentery, and excessive menstrual and other flows.  If bruised and applied to wounds, it stops bleeding and prevents inflammations and swelling.  A dram of it pulverized and taken in a glass of white wine is a perfect remedy for the colic.  Nothing is more effectual against the piles (hemorrhoids) either taken inwardly or applied outwardly.  If applied to the pit of the stomach in a plaster with grated nutmeg, it is beneficial for fevers.


Clover Leaf Farms Herbal Encyclopedia states that Yarrow had more mystical use in pre-Christian Ireland and much use among tribes in the Americas:


Druids used it to divine seasonal changes, and the Chinese used it to foretell the future.


The Aztecs used the plant in poultices for sores. They made teas to cure coughs, diarrhea, and other digestive problems. It was also one of the herbs used to increase contractions during childbirth; and, when taken in large doses, it is used as a purge after overeating.


The Aztec name (tlalquequetzal) includes the suffix for the earth (tla) and for plumes (quetzal”), referring to its feathery leaves.


Yarrow was used by many tribes, including the Cheyenne, Menominee, Lakota, Assiniboin, Gros Ventre, and Okanagan to treat catarrh, coughs, colds, and fever effectively. At times, the use of an herb may seem contradictory, and such is the case with yarrow. The Iroquois drank a tea made from the root to treat diarrhea, while the Okanagan combined the root with other herbs to treat constipation. Many tribes have used yarrow topically in compresses to treat bleeding, as washes for such skin irritations as burns, eczema, hives, and poison ivy, as well as for poultices to treat wounds.


The Cheyenne called the plant “i ha i se e yo” meaning cough medicine. The Osage name is “wetsaoindse egon” or rattlesnake’s tail-like. The Lakota called it cedar weed (xante canxlogan) and wound medicine (taopi pexuta), while the Winnebago’s name referred to the appearance of the leaf — “hank-sintsh” or woodchuck’s tail.


The Cheyenne used the plant to stimulate sweating, to break a fever, and to alleviate cold symptoms. The Blackfeet made a tea and used it as a diuretic or rubbed on afflicted parts of the skin. The Lakotas used it to treat wounds, while the Crows chewed and held it in the mouth to cure a toothache. The Crows also made poultices from the crushed leaves for burns, boils, or open sores. They added goose fat to make a salve. The Assiniboins and Gros Ventres used a tea to treat colds and stomach complaints while poultices were applied to wounds. The Winnebagos placed a wad of leaves in the ear to cure earaches.


The use of Yarrow as a soldier’s herb continued well through the American Revolution and the Civil War.  It was even carried by soldiers in World War I.  King’s Medical Dispensatory of 1898 tells us its official use in medicine:


Chemical Composition.—Yarrow contains a reddish-brown, active, bitter principle called achillein (C20H38N2O15), discovered by Zanon, in 1846 (Liebig's Annalen), and shown by Von Planta (1870) to be alkaloidal and identical with the achilleine of Achillea moschata. Zanon also found an acid which he named achilleic acid, and which was subsequently (1857) shown by Hlasiwetz to be aconitic acid. A small portion of a volatile oil, dark-green in color, may be obtained from yarrow by distillation with water. Milfoil also contains potassium and calcium salts, resin, gum, and tannin.


Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.—Yarrow possesses slightly astringent properties, and is tonic, alterative and diuretic, in infusion. Its use in chronic diseases of the urinary apparatus, is especially recommended by Prof. J. M. Scudder. It exerts a tonic influence upon the venous system, as well as upon mucous membranes. It has been efficacious in sore throat, hemoptysis, hematuria and other forms of hemorrhage where the bleeding is small in amount, incontinence of urine, diabetes, hemorrhoids with bloody or mucoid discharges, and dysentery; also in amenorrhoea, flatulency and spasmodic diseases, and in the form of injection in leucorrhoea with relaxed vaginal walls. Prof. T. V. Morrow made much use of an infusion of this herb in dysentery. Given in half-drachm doses of the saturated tincture, or 20-drop doses of specific achillea, it will be found one of our best agents for the relief of menorrhagia.


The active principle, Achillein, has been employed in France and other portions of Southern Europe, as a substitute for quinine in the treatment of intermittent fevers. It has also been employed by French physicians to restore arrested lochial discharges.


Ɣ Of infusion (℥i to Aqua Oj), 1 to 2 fluid ounces; specific achillea, 5 to 30 drops; volatile oil, 5 to 20 drops. All preparations of achillea are rendered more pleasant to the taste by the addition of a few drops of oil of anise.


Specific Indications and Uses.—To relieve urinary irritation, strangury, urinary suppression; relieves irritation in incipient Bright's disease, capillary relaxation, leucorrhoea with relaxed and irritated vaginal walls, hematuria, gastric and intestinal atony, atonic amenorrhoea, menorrhagia.


Although no longer officially used in modern, “allopathic” medicine, Yarrow is still considered essential in herbal apothecaries.  Plants for A Future lists its modern use:


Yarrow has a high reputation and is widely employed in herbal medicine, administered both internally and externally. It is used in the treatment of a very wide range of disorders but is particularly valuable for treating wounds, stopping the flow of blood, treating colds, fevers, kidney diseases, menstrual pain etc. The whole plant is used, both fresh and dried, and is best harvested when in flower. Some caution should be exercised in the use of this herb since large or frequent doses taken over a long period may be potentially harmful, causing allergic rashes and making the skin more sensitive to sunlight. The herb combines well with Sambucus nigra flowers (Elder) and Mentha x piperita vulgaris (Peppermint) for treating colds and influenza. The herb is antiseptic, antispasmodic, mildly aromatic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, odontalgic, stimulant, bitter tonic, vasodilator and vulnerary. It also contains the anti-inflammatory agent azulene, though the content of this varies even between plants in the same habitat. The herb is harvested in the summer when in flower and can be dried for later use. The fresh leaf can be applied direct to an aching tooth in order to relieve the pain.


Among the most amazing attributes of Yarrow to me, though, it the sheer toughness and resilience of the plant.  While in ideal conditions, Yarrow may grow up to 3 feet tall, there is a patch in my yard in an area I mowed for several years. At first, I regretted mowing it because I assumed it would kill the useful herb.  But, the yarrow adapted.  It simply grew shorter and sideways!  The more I cut it, the more it grew.  The “soldier’s herb” simply soldiered on.along with the plantain, dandelion, bugle and selfheal… all herbs that are useful for wounds.  It was somewhat of a “doctrine of signatures” revelation - that God shows us the useful plants by their characteristics.



Author: Judson Carroll.  Judson Carroll is an Herbalist from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. His weekly articles may be read at http://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/

His weekly podcast may be heard at: www.spreaker.com/show/southern-appalachian-herbs

He offers free, weekly herb classes: https://rumble.com/c/c-618325


His New Book is The Encyclopedia of Bitter Medicinal Herbs:




Read about The Encyclopedia of Bitter Medicinal Herbs


Available for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09V3WCJM5

His other works include:

Christian Medicine, History and Practice: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/01/christian-herbal-medicine-history-and.html

Available for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P7RNCTB

Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People by Judson Carroll

You can read about and purchase Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People here: southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.html

Also available on Amazon: Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People: Carroll, Judson: 9798491252923: Amazon.com: Books

Look Up: The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/06/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html

The Herbs and Weeds of Fr. Johannes Künzle: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/05/announcing-new-book-herbs-and-weeds-of.html



Disclaimer

The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.


Show 216: Orpine and Cocklebur

  Listen to "Show 216: Orpine and Cocklebur" on Spreaker. In this episode I discuss two wonderful plants.  The medicinal herb is...