Tag Archives: yarrow

Bloodsuckers be gone!

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I don’t care to be bitten by blood sucking bugs. I don’t like to put toxic sprays near me in order to repel them. But, what’s a girl to do? Previously, I blogged about how Catnip miraculously repels annoying bloodsuckers. Well, I have another tool to put into your arsenal – Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)! Not only is it great to help stop bleeding, but when tinctured, simply put it into a spray bottle, spray some on, and it will repel ticks, mosquitoes, and other creepy crawlies. It is nontoxic, so spray it on your skin or your pet’s fur. A United States Army study showed yarrow tincture to be more effective than DEET at repelling ticks, mosquitoes, and sand flies.

When I heard about its magical bug repellent qualities, I decided to give it a try.

Here’s how to make Yarrow bug spray:

  • Collect yarrow flowering tops when in it’s in full bloom and leaves. White flowered yarrow is known to be the most medicinally powerful, but I had deep red ones in my garden so I combined the red and white ones and it worked just fine.
  • Chop up flowers and leaves.
  • Place herbs in a clean, dry glass jar. Fill ¾ of the jar loosely, but do not pack herbs.
  • Fill jar with 100 proof vodka; make sure all herbs are completely submersed. Check on it periodically and if some herbs are above the alcohol, add some more alcohol.
  • Cover with tight fitting lid.
  • Shake.
  • Label the jar with the name of the plant, menstruum (alcohol), harvest location, and date.
  • Put in a dry place that gets full sun. I put all my tinctures on a windowsill that gets southern exposure on the 2nd floor of my house.
  • Shake every day, give it some love and intention.
  • Wait a total of 6 weeks. Just so you don’t forget, mark your calendar and note the date the tincture will be ready.
  • Strain the tincture through stainless steel strainer lined with cheesecloth or muslin.
  • Put in spray bottle, make sure you label it.
  • Use liberally and enjoy life without being bothered by blood sucking insects!

The first time I tried it, I was amazed – no more bloodsucking insects flew near me. Then I noticed no-se-ums flying around the chair and spray some on it – moments later – they were gone! Aside from the magical bug repellent qualities, you can use the yarrow spray for treating and healing all kinds of injuries. I use it to stop bleeding, to numb the sensation of pain quickly, to prevent and counter bacterial infections, and to nourish the growth of healing cells at the site of the wound.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

When you just have to stop the bleeding

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The other day I was washing my herbal press. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it had very sharp edges. I found this out when all of a sudden there was blood flowing with the water in the sink. I had sliced my index and pinky finger. It was not bad enough for stitches, but neither was wrapping a cloth around it good enough. I actually became rather excited about the fact that I had two similar cuts at the same time. See, I love teachable moments and testing herbs. I had always wondered which herb was a better styptic (contracting tissue to seal injured blood vessels) ~ Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) or Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Both herbs have a long history of the being superstar first aid herbal remedies. Achilles kept Yarrow on hand during the Trojan Wars and the Ancient Germans always gathered Goldenrod before heading into battle.

Yarrow stopped the bleeding

Yarrow stopped the bleeding.

styptic goldenrod

Goldenrod stopped the bleeding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I went outside, collected and bruised some Goldenrod and Yarrow leaves, before wrapping the Goldenrod around my index finger and Yarrow around my pinky. I left them on for five minutes. Both herbs stopped the bleeding completely. The only difference I noticed was that there was some dried blood on the index finger (Goldenrod) and the pinky was clean (Yarrow). From my little experiment, I can easily surmise that both herbs are excellent styptics but Yarrow leaves a cleaner wound. So folks, if you ever need to stop bleeding quickly, pick whichever herb is closer.

What herbs do you use to stop bleeding? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.