https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/241599528
While out walking behind my old highschool I came across a plant called Yarrow. I have seen these plants before scattered throughout the wetlands here in Juneau and have heard they can be good for treating wounds. When I saw it on my walk I knew I could take this opportunity to dive into what the plant itself does or is. Its scientific name is Achillea Millefolium which comes from “Achilles, who used plant extracts to treat soldiers’ wounds in the battle of Troy. The name milfoil comes from its Latin name “millefolium” meaning “a thousand leaves”” (U.S. Forrest Services). It can also grow up to 3 feet tall and come in many colors although rare. Typically they have no branches except for at the top which also has compact clusters of one or more flower heads that are yellowish white. This plant can often thrive with minimal water and sun which is why they can be so abundant here in Alaska. When this plant is used recreationally it is for decoration, and for arrangements. However, Indigenous groups often crush them and use them to apply to wounds and burns, creating teas out of their dried leaves to soothe headaches, colds, and fevers. In addition to this, they could also be used for rashes and stomach disorders when steeping the leaves. My interaction with them has always been to admire their beauty and use them as decoration; however, this plant has a strong impact in history that I encourage everyone to dive into such as their collection by Lewis and Clark during their Expedition in the year, 1806!
Sources:
Rey-Vizgirdas, Edna. “U.S. Forest Service.” Forest Service Shield, www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/achillea_millefolium.shtml. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.
“Plant Database.” Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin, www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACMI2. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.
Comments
Yarrow is one of my favorite plants that grow in here southeast Alaska. As you mentioned in your post, historically, they were used as medicinal plants, treating burns, cuts, and scrapes. I've also heard of people ingesting them in foods or beverages but never tried it myself. I know that locally some people will put very small amounts of yarrow in their salads to add a kick. I have a friend who has done a lot of experimenting brewing beer, I know that in one batch he brewed he added a pinch of yarrow in place of hop to make it more bitter.
I love Yarrow! I personally have never harvested Yarrow but I have heard of people harvesting it. I didn’t really know the uses for it so thank you for sharing this. I didn’t know that it was used to treat wounds, headaches, colds, and fevers. This also makes me wonder when the best time is to harvest them. I know that you have to harvest different parts of some plants at different times for certain uses. Like you, I have always just stopped to admire their beauty and to smell them. Their scent is definitely one of my favorite scents.
Good evening, Ela,
Wow, that scientific name is so interesting! I had no idea it was tied to the tales of Achilles. Your post is so informative in regard to the medicinal qualities. Such a versatile plant. Yarrow is delightfully tasty in my opinion. Better in the earlier part of the year but leaves are delicious. The bitter aftertaste for most people turns them off but after a lifetime of eating them I've grown quite attached to the sensory experience. If you're feeling congested it's wonderful to boil and breath in the steam, it'll clear you right up! Izak, your comment about brewing with yarrow sounds amazing! I could totally see how that would pair very well with beer.
Hi Ela,
Thanks for including the story of the scientific name. That is a super interesting origin. I have never really known anything about yarrow besides that it had some medicinal benefits that were unknown to me. Thanks for sharing a bit about it. It is cool how something like a little plant that I might never have really payed much attention to can have so many uses and such intriguing history behind it.
And Izak, yarrow beer sounds very intriguing, I would love to try something like that, although 'more bitter' doesn't necessarily sound like something I usually look for in beers.
I really enjoyed reading this because I have never seen Yarrow before and had no idea that you could use Yarrow to treat wounds. I really like how you told us the scientific name but then broke that down into what it actually means. I really appreciate learning the background of this like this so thank you for that! I also had no idea that it could grow to be so tall and have so many different color variations. It's also interesting to learn that something that can heal wounds doesn't require a lot of sun or water. Thank you for all of this information I truly enjoyed learning about Yarrow!
Nice work, Ela! I want to commend you for already embarking on MLA Format. With that in mind, I want to point out that we use in-text citations for quotes -- just like you did -- but also for paraphrases. The sentence after the quote that you cited is a fact, which means it is information you learned from a source, but then stated in your own words. Whenever we get information from a source, we must cite that source, so you would need to include a parenthetical citation (or use a signal phrase) at the end of this paraphrased sentence.
Otherwise, thanks for sharing an observation that elicited a great response from your peers!
Prof. Brooke
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