YARROWYarrow is this beautiful white flower. Also known as Milfoil, Knight's Milfoil, Staunchweed, Sanguinary, Nose Bleed, Thousandleaf, and Soldier's Woundwort, amongst others in the english language. She shines bright in the sunlight. She is one of my dearest and oldest known plant friends. I first noticed her on a sunny day lunching in Central Park. I sat beneath a tree, sad, yet enjoying something lovely: the breeze, the light, the birds. And on the breeze, that little white plant whispered to me. She called me to visit her - I rested. The birds were lapping up water in a fresh pond dug into the earth in an otherwise vibrant green landscape. She told me, "Take me, you'll love me." I did not. I did hover before her briefly on my way onto the street. I touched her stalks, and her flowers. The sun danced on her and I felt lighter. I felt safer. Love her? I remembered!
I remembered her as she relieved the pain of my womb, day after day, for months she was there to help me and care for me. I remembered her as the bleeding started to become less and less. I remembered her as I searched for essential oils and discovered a lovely scented vial of pale, pale blue liquid, inscribed to be Yarrow. I remembered her as my pain eased and; as I began to need more psychic and energetic protection, I also asked of her essence.
Yarrow eases pain - she contains salicylic acid, relieves fevers - she is an anti-inflammatory, is excellent for women who are hemorrhaging - she is a hemostatic: post childbirth, irregular menstruation, suffering a wound. I was bleeding 14 days, stopping, resuming 14 days later, all the while in pain. Yarrow is not the only herb I used to help me regain my menstrual regularity, but she is the same white flower that spoke to me before I ever realized the gifts she would give me.
We should most seriously note that Yarrow can also help to give menses with a slow start a push and "because of it's stimulating action on the uterus, it is one of the herbs that should not be used during the early stages of pregnancy." (Rosemary Gladstar, Healing Herbal for Women, pg.179)
Plants are beautiful, magical, hopeful, life giving companions to humans. You may be asking how can a herb simultaneously promote and prevent bleeding as part of it's attributes? An Herbalist and my Mentor, Lata Chettri-Kennedy told me often, "Herbs are intuitive,
they give us what we need and they go to the areas that we need them, and what we don't need will be flushed through our system." Flower Power, Lata's herboristerie is where I went for my healing. I worked with and for her and she taught me.She guided me to use Yarrow and Yarrow guided me herself. Yet, it was many months before I was to realize that the dried, yellowish, mildly bitter, flower tops and stalks I made into infusions and teas was the same wild plant growing in Central Park. I also learned of Flower Essences in my time spent helping and healing in Flower Power.
The essence of Yarrow is for protection. It helps me to not be so effected by others beliefs about me and protects me from attracting their pain. Yarrow creates psychic boundaries. I am left feeling safer and more able to walk through this world.
Flower Essences are when the energy of a flower or plant is absorbed into water and then stabilized with some sort of alcohol. You may have heard of Bach's Remedies? They effect your emotional body, I thought they were completely ineffectual and ridiculous before I tried them. The first drop had a profound effect. Yarrow is a flower essence developed by the Flower Essence Society, who has expanded on Bach's works and contributed greatly to the possibilities in North America.
Love her? I do! Yarrow holds a special place in my heart. She helped open me to my possibility and protect me in the making. I hope that if it is meant to be you too will encounter Yarrow and all of her positive attributes, her light heartedness and easy going lifestyle. She is just dancing in the sun floating on the breeze. Waiting for a greeting!
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