Medicinal Yarrow First Aid Salve
A few years ago was the first time I learned about the amazing medicinal properties of yarrow. Since then, I harvest some every year to keep around the house for first aid uses. When yarrow is in bloom during the summer, it is easy for me to run out to the garden and harvest some to use. I used to dry yarrow to use for first aid purposes year round. I found that it wasn’t as effective and trying to reconstitute dried yarrow to make a poultice was rather difficult compared to using fresh yarrow. To solve this issue and have medicinal yarrow to use year round for first aid purposes, we made a medicinal yarrow first aid salve. This salve has quickly become our family’s go-to natural remedy!
Medicinal Properties of Yarrow
Yarrow is my number one go-to natural remedy for first aid needs. It is such a versatile herb with so many different medicinal properties. It is quite easy to grow and is commonly found growing wild so it is easy to find and wild harvest. According to author Linda Kershaw in her book Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies:
“Yarrow has been used for thousands of years as a stypic-a plant that stops bleeding….The plants contain alkaloids that have been shown to reduce clotting time and have been used to suppress menstruation. They also have sedative, pain-killing, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic constituents…..Yarrow leaves have been used in washes, salves, and poultices for treating burns, boils, open sores, pimples, mosquito bites, earaches, sore eyes, and aching backs and legs.”
The first few times I used yarrow medicinally, I was amazed! It stopped bleeding in a cut, drastically reduced skin irritation from a rash, and was a miracle worker on the crazy itches from a bee sting and bug bites! According to Darcy Williamson in her book Healing Plants of the Rocky Mountains:
“Yarrow contains achilletin and achilleine that aids in blood coagulation. The fresh leaves are an effective first aid to stimulate clotting in cuts and abrasions, as well as working as an antiseptic and a local anesthetic.”
With all these amazing medicinal properties, no wonder yarrow is my number one choice for a natural first aid remedy!
Medicinal Yarrow for Rashes
We used medicinal yarrow for first aid needs several times already this summer. The day we were out harvesting yarrow last month, my husband broke out in a weird rash on his arm. We weren’t sure what caused it, but it was really itchy. We chewed up a bunch of yarrow leaves and made a poultice to put on the rash. My husband felt quick relief from the itching. A few minutes later we removed the yarrow leaves and the rash had almost gone away! I read in this herbal book that the author noticed a greater first aid benefit from yarrow when the person affected actually chewed on the yarrow leaves and swallowed the bitter juices instead of spitting them out. I have to agree that we noticed this too!
Medicinal Yarrow for Bee Stings
A few weeks ago I had the unfortunate experience of getting stung by a honeybee on my big toe. My foot started swelling and boy did it hurt!! I wasn’t at home when it happened and could hardly push the clutch in my car to drive home. Miserable! Had I been near yarrow, I would have chewed up some leaves to put on the sting.
The pain and swelling went away after a day or so. Then the weirdest thing happened. A week later my foot swelled up in that same area and began itching like crazy. I hadn’t turned our yarrow infused oil into salve yet, so I just rubbed some yarrow infused oil on the affected area. The relief was unbelievable! The medicinal properties of the yarrow soothed the red, irritated skin and made the itching go away for a several hours at a time. I applied the yarrow infused oil every couple hours for a day or two until the itching was completely gone.
Medicinal Yarrow for Bug Bites
There’s nothing worse than an itchy, pesky mosquito bite. It seems like the more you scratch ’em, the more they itch! Since I knew the yarrow oil worked wonders on my itchy foot from the bee sting, I tried it on itchy bug bites. It worked wonders on bug bites too!
Medicinal Yarrow for Cuts, Scrapes and Burns
The first time I ever harvested yarrow for medicinal purposes a couple years ago, I accidentally cut my hand when cutting yarrow. I thought it was pretty ironic it happened, considering the medicinal value of yarrow to help stop bleeding. Yarrow is known as “nature’s band-aid” for that very reason! When I cut myself, I chewed up a yarrow leaf, made a poultice, and placed it on top of the cut. After a few minutes I removed it and the bleeding had stopped! Since then, I’ve used yarrow to help stop bleeding on several cuts, scrapes and burns. I read a few years ago that it is not recommended to use yarrow on very large, deep cuts but it works great for smaller “boo boos” as Little A would say!
Making Medicinal Yarrow Infused Oil
You can use yarrow flowers and/or leaves to make an infused oil. When we were harvesting yarrow last month in the mountains, the flowers had barely started blooming. There weren’t enough for me to ethically harvest just the flowers so our infused oil is made of mainly yarrow leaves and still works wonders!
Ingredients:
– 1 to 2 cups of freshly harvested yarrow leaves and/or flowers (If they have any moisture on them, let them dry out for a day before using)
-olive oil
-clean glass jar with tight fitting lid
Directions:
1. Harvest fresh, dry yarrow leaves and/or flowers. Roughly chop the yarrow and pack the yarrow leaves and/or flowers into the glass jar.
2. Pour olive oil over top the yarrow until the yarrow is completely covered.
3. Place the lid on the jar and sit in a dark place like a cupboard for 3-4 weeks to infuse.
4. After the yarrow has infused into the oil, strain the yarrow through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Store the yarrow oil in a clean glass jar out of direct sunlight.
Yarrow First Aid Salve
This salve is easy to make and only requires two ingredients. This salve was the first product I made with our own rendered beeswax from honeycomb in our bee hives! This recipe can be halved or doubled depending on the quantity of salve you want to make. Just make sure you keep the same basic ratio of beeswax to oil in the recipe.
Ingredients:
-1 cup yarrow infused olive oil
-1 ounce beeswax, shredded or broken into small pieces (before I rendered our own beeswax, I bought these low cost and easy to shred beeswax bars)
Directions:
1.Place the yarrow infused oil and beeswax into a glass jar or measuring cup.
2. Put an old pot on the stove and fill with a few inches of water. This will be used to create a double boiler for the glass jar the ingredients are in. Place the glass jar or measuring cup filled with beeswax and oil into the center of the pan of water. Turn the stove on medium heat. Slowly heat until the beeswax is all melted.
3. Carefully remove the glass of hot liquid from the stove. Pour it into clean glass jars until cool and cover with tight fitting lids. I love to use these small glass canning jars which are the perfect size for homemade salves.
4. Store in a cool, dark cupboard. This should keep for at least six months to a year and then the yarrow may begin to lose some potency since it is getting old. As much as we’ve used medicinal yarrow in the last few months, I highly doubt this batch will last longer than a year!
If you have yarrow infused olive oil left after making salve, you can store it in a dark colored glass jar in a cupboard. I was given a bunch of amber glass bottles with medicine dropper tops (you can find them here) that I use to store my homemade herbal infused oils.
Here’s a list of things we use medicinal yarrow first aid salve for:
- Bee Stings
- Stop bleeding in minor cuts
- Scrapes
- Burns
- Rashes
- Headaches (I rub it on my temples and find some relief, although chewing fresh yarrow leaves is more effective for headache relief)
- Bug Bites
- Diaper Rash
*Before using any herbal product on yourself or others, test a small quantity to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction. I’ve read in several of my herbal books that pregnant women should not use yarrow. Please also note that I am not a doctor and I’m not giving medical advice here. What I am doing is sharing our own personal experiences with this amazing medicinal herb that grows in my gardens and grows wild in the mountains around us.*
What do you use yarrow for?
Tansy is closely related to yarrow and more abundant in my neck of the woods. Do you know if tansy has the same medicinal properties of yarrow?
I looked it up in my wild edibles book. Tansy has some medicinal properties but not the same as yarrow. Since you have a lot of tansy around you maybe you could read more about the medicinal properties and uses to see if it is something you can use!
What part of the world do you find Yarrow.
Delicious!
Love this! I have not made a yarrow salve yet, but will soon. I dry it and keep it on hand for tea when someone is sick and it will break a fever. Also a friend of mine will chew it up and put in her nostril to stop a nosebleed.
That’s a great tip to dry it and save for tea to break a fever! I remember reading that the first year I harvested yarrow to dry a couple years ago. We didn’t need it that winter and I forgot about that use. I’ll be heading out to harvest and dry some to have for this winter now!
Will yarrow work on animals? I have a cat with an itchy spot above her tail. The hair is growing back, but it is scabby and sometimes looks irritated. I have tried Coconut oil, A&D creme and at first I put a povidine solution on to kill any bacteria. She does lick the area as dogs one of the dogs. I need something that is safe if ingested.
I have not yet tried it on our animals since we haven’t had a need to. I personally am going to try it on our animals since it works so well for us!
Ingesting yarrow is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. It may also be toxic to cows, but i can’t recall for certain. I would recommend avoiding topical use as well, in case the toxic chemical can be absorbed through the skin
Yes you have to be very careful with animals cats especially. Just like tea tree oil is toxic to them I had no idea and was using it on my one cat she was allergic to mosquito or fleas. I read about it on the internet to use it on cats and then I found out the hard way. I see that the author did not comment on your comment. Hopefully she will see it and remove her comment that she will be trying on her animals. Horses as an ointment on a small abrasion might not hurt being such a large animal but best not to even try it.
Are all varieties of yarrow as effective?? I have multi colored varieties in my flower garden!
I read somewhere that all varieties are effective but the wild yarrow (white/pale pink) is supposedly more potent than the varieties you get at the greenhouse that are bright red or yellow.
Yep! White blossoms pink blossoms and the new sprouted leaves will be sweet and the darker variety is more green scented. I grow the wild varieties and use the blossoms to make the infused yarrow oil. It’s fantastic For eczema and other issues.
I live in Arizona. Where would I find this leaf? Sounds really interesting but I don’t know where to find it.
I’m not familiar with the wild edible plants in AZ but I bet if you google wild yarrow in AZ you could figure out where some grows?
The white Mountains are covered in it.
Safest bet would be to order the seed and grow it yourself – there are look-alikes out there that could make you sick😱
We harvested some from my great grandfather’s home in Prescott. It was all over the place. It was also in Flagstaff and on the Peaks, before you get to the lodge, in the field.
I can provide for you, how much do you need?
Kevin,
Do you have wild yarrow plants?
Shelli
I just came inside from weeding my flower garden and was thinking I need to find something to do with yarrow! This was perfect for me and I am starting some infused oil this afternoon for salve. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve begun to save my yeast jars. They are dark and I plan to use them for my herbals.
We do the same as you. We also add in plantain, mullen, comfrey, st. John’s wart, chickweed, balm of gilead, and whatever else we can find. The base starts with yarrow as it’s plentiful hear and a great starting point.
We use it on everything. If there’s something wrong this will heal it. We make it by the gallons. We even use it on our animals. See: http://www.thesimplefarm.com/2013/07/torn-cow-teatwhat-to-do.html
Thanks for the post. I found you from the barn hop.
Thank you for sharing that Doug and I love that you make it by the gallon!!
It says the page can’t be found.😥
Can I still find this somewhere? Thank you.
Thanks for sharing your post at the HomeAcre Hop!
This will be my featured post tomorrow 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the feature Sandra!!
This is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing! Will be making this. Just spotted some yarrow in the meadow the other day.
Great recipe!
We always have a bottle of dried yarrow in the fridge and we add calendula ointment to make a paste that we use on cuts, scrapes, burn etc. for us and our pets. The healing is pretty amazing. I used yarrow on a large burst cyst on my cat’s tail over the course of a week and you would never know it was there. It was much cheaper than a vet bill too. I’ve also heard that pine sap is a very good emergency first aid if you cut yourself in the woods. Just grab a gob and apply to the wound. It seals it and is a natural antiseptic.
will just any old yarrow work? are there different varieties like , say, lavendar where you can use some and not others? I have some in my cutting garden, but I’m sure it’s not organically grown from seed.
I spread it out into the lawn. It never gets brown like grass and it’s so soft to walk on. Just keep it mowed. Me seed catalogue offered grass seed mixed with yarrow at $76.00/lb. So I just moved some into the lawn and collected my own seeds to oversaw. I have green at the curb edges all summer. That’s in addition to the reasons I planted it in the first place.
This is great! I am pinning this for later so that I can put this in my “herbalism” bank of information lol
I just bought my first yarrow plants and plan to start some from seed in the spring, as I heard it was great for permaculture orchards. Very happy to learn it has other uses as well!! Thanks for all the info!!! 🙂
Oh crap! I stored my yarrow infused oil in 1 month in a jar i thought was air tight, but now it’s got mold on the top!
It’s too late making a new batch, the lovely snow has arrived. So, do I have to wait until next year, or can I somehow manage to save/rescue it?
Many times it can be ok to just filter it through a coffee filter or something like it and save it. I have done it with a few things and it has worked ok so far. Worth a try. The mold is on top and hasn’t gotten into the oil so might be fine.
I read in an old medicinal herb book that Yarrow has been used for thousands of years. The most shocking story was of warriors carrying it with them for first aid to heal drastic injuries. It is said that yarrow has these ‘to the bone’ properties and that it can not only save your life by stopping injuries ‘to the bone’ but also heals it in only days. I have been looking for the proper way to use it as such ever since.
Can I use coconut oil to infuse the yarrow ..instead of olive oil??
I just found your article on yarrow and am wondering if all yarrow works this way. I have white, yellow, and pink yarrow plants. I would love to try making this but don’t know which plant I should use. Thanks for your help!
Mary
Hello. I’m impressed with your pinterest site. I have always been interested in these topics. I live between Butte and Whitehall and I’m part of the Whitehall garden club. I don’t know where you, but if you live closer, would you be interested in doing a presentation? I’m an avid gardener, please visit my Facebook page, Backyard Artistic Impressions. Thanks
I learned of the powers of yarrow from a older gentleman yesterday while at work. He is part of the Blackfeet tribe here in Montana and said they have used it for years in helping sinus issues, respiratory, and other uses. I am now in search for salve and the plant itself to use for tea. We have a 3 year old with ongoing respiratory issues as well as breaks out in rashes all the time. We have some awesome ointment that is made from all natural/non toxic ingredients. But want to try yarrow and see how it works by itself! Thanks for sharing the info and I definitely need to share this with others!
I got into holistic healing about 25 years ago due to my youngest son. I don’t think he would have lived to be an adult without it.
Yarrow is good but here are some other ideas.
Respiratory: steam with sage, rosemary or red pepper flakes for 5 to 10 minutes. This opens up the airways.
Asthma: for sudden onset and no rescue inhailer- drink 1 cup of Hot Coffee. Do not substitute another caffeine drink. It must be hot, not just warm. No additives.
Skin problems (rashes, chickenpox, edema or even psoriasis): bath in 1 cup cooked-to-a-mush oatmeal. 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup salt (desolved in boiling water) Fill tub 1/2 full of warm water. Add ingredients. Swirl water until combined. Bath in it for at least 20 minutes (the longer the better) – making sure to soak All parts in water.
Soapwort Plant: get rid of your soap! It has lye in it – no matter what kind or how gentle. Use soapwort instead. It is a natural effective cleaner. You can get the plants online. Plant some inside and some outside. They’re easy to grow.
Hope this helps your little one and the rest of your family.
I can’t wait for summer and to give this a try!! My daughter and her family live in Hamilton, MT…been through Missoula many times!
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I’m so excited, the yarrow this year are coming along so nicely in N. Idaho. Here we are, just barely about to hit mid April and I’ve got more than enough yarrow leaves to harvest and infuse. Thanks for your great post.
My husband slipped while drilling into something, putting a hole in his finger halfway through. We rinsed it well, then put dried yarrow into the wound and wrapped fresh around the finger. It stopped gushing blood in about a minute or two. After 1/2 an hour, we reapplied fresh yarrow and put cotton gauze wrap to hold it on. He finished the job he was doing.. Before bed, repeated the routine. The next morn, it looked good and was healing quickly. I then used yarrow salve and gauze wrap to keep it clean. He did this a couple of days. Within the week, it was fully scarred over. The final scar is barely noticeable. Yarrow is abundant in northern Idaho. I have to rip some out that tries to take over the food garden. Great stuff. Oh… great for hemorrhoids, according to my great-grandma. There is nothing like your husband driving down the highway with a piece of yarrow stuck to his face to stop a shaving nick bleeding, either.
When making infused oil, you really should dry the yarrow first, to prevent moisture in the plant from ruining your infusion. Also, when you cap your maceration jar, use a piece of gauze held on with the lid ring, so that moisture can evaporate. Another thing you should do is add a few drops of Vitamin E oil, as it has preservative properties and is also good for you. I mix my yarrow with calendula and plantain, in equal amounts, for a first aid salve. Comfrey is good, but you don’t want to apply it too soon to a deep cut because it can cause the wound to heal over too quickly, trapping infection inside.
What is the title of your informative book. I need to have one on hand as to learn more. Please…
I have heard to let the oil infusion sit in the sun for 6 weeks and also your recommendation to let it sit in a dark place for 3-4 weeks. Do you know what difference these two methods makes?
Thanks,
Andy
Can you make a ‘Printer Friendly’ button?
Hello,
Just found your blog and love it. I would like to make the yarrow salve and was wondering if we could substitute the olive oil with coconut oil?
Thank you.
+3 can you use coconut oil? I read on recipe use part coconut part olive oil in the past. I like the long shelf stable aspect of coconut oil plus it’s natural benefits to cuts and antibacterial/ antifungal. Actually I think I will try it what a the worst that can happen…….by themselves there great and pretty safe why can’t see why I shouldn’t but I’m new to this so we will see.
natural medicines are the best option when it comes to healing sickness.
We are providing some advices on how to have a healthy life with organic
solutions.
Wow! I never knew much about yarrow! Mom used to fix me tea when I first came down with MS. I. Didn’t notice anything miraculous on MS just that it tasted strange and the MS ran it’s course I have it under control now. I didn’t know the power of healing wounds and stuff in your blog though, very good to know! Anxious to use it on bug bites and cuts if they should happen this summer!
That’s interesting to hear that your mom made you yarrow tea for MS, I will have to research that since I’m curious to learn more about it!
noticed some growing in my garden last summer , having been interested in identifying it for years, so read up about it and found out its big use in dealing with cuts
a few days later I was ding some rewiring work and had the power as I worked on the heavy duty feed wires. Stupidly for one who preaches safety a got a very deep cut when I stripped the last wire. I knew it would be very difficult to finish the job with the wound where it was with no chance of reconnecting the power to the house.
I then remembered the yarrow and chewed some before applying to the finger, True to its reputation I was soon able to carry on working. I found you recipe latter and made the salve which is great as an aftershave or cure for itches
carried a bag yarrow leaves when I was grape picking last year too as the are always plenty of painful cuts in the teams of workers fingers. Came in useful several times when out in the vines
Wow that’s amazing to hear how helpful yarrow has been for you!
My husband decided to tidy the garden and pulled all my yarrow out! I managed to find a small piece hidden under the lavender so im looking after it to make sure it survives!! Hopefully therell be enoigh to try this salve as ot sounds great!
Do the colored versions of yarrow that you can find at a garden center have the same medicinal qualities? Are they safe to ingest?
It was answered earlier in the comment section. Bottom line yeah it’s ok to have a yellow version or other color but white probably has the most potent properties. Please look through the comment section for the other post to get a better answer.
Can this be used on a three year old for hemorrhoid?
We have not used it for that purpose before so have no experience to share. Maybe you could ask a natural healthcare provider or clinical herbalist?
Has anyone made the yarrow infusion using sweet almond oil? Would that work as well as olive oil?
Also wondering if sunflower oil can be used. This is my second year making the salve and it’s been incredible what it’s done for many who I shared it with. Thank you so much.
Oops. My name is Esther Byler
Can you use yarrow bought from Menards? I bought a couple of yarrow plants from Menards, but I’m concerned because I don’t know if pesticides/chemicals were used on it.
Do you think you could infuse with Arnica and/or into Arnica oil for pain relief?
Pregnant wimen can use Yarrow so ong as they are not allergic if they don’t ingest it.
My husband loves the scent of yarrow leaves, so occasionally I’ll cut a few from our backyard plants, and snip them into little pieces to release as much of the scent as possible. I heap them in a little crystal bowl and put it on his desk. Always makes him happy!
The link to the beeswax say page not available. Can you please post a new link to the kind of beeswax you suggest using to make a salve? Thanks!!
I bought a couple of beautiful Yarrow bushes a couple of years ago, one pink and one orange, since then I have loads of yarrow leaves growing out of old plant pots in the garden, none ate flowering except the ones I planted, but at least I know what I can do with the leaves 🙂
Thank you for this 😀😀
I bought a couple of beautiful Yarrow bushes a couple of years ago, one pink and one orange, since then I have loads of yarrow leaves growing out of old plant pots in the garden, none are flowering except the ones I planted, but at least I know what I can do with the leaves 🙂
Thank you for this 😀😀
Hello, we have a bunch of yarrow growing wild on our homestead. I was delighted to find your helpful article! Immediately I harvested a bunch and packed leaves and flower heads into a half gallon jar and covered it with the 2 quarts of olive oil I have. I have 3 questions:
1. The oil is 2.5” from top. Should I (or can I) add avocado oil now to within the 1/2” of top?
2. I also read on another blog that the yarrow and oil will go rancid if it is not properly “infused”. What do you say? Can I safely store it in a dark cupboard for 3-4 weeks?
3. After the 3-4 weeks should I strain it and then make your balm recipe?
Thank you so much for taking time to help this novice homesteader!
I used an poultice of yarrow as well as gentle washing with yarrow infusion daily on my cat who had an infection on her face around her nose, lips and cheeks. It was completely healed within weeks.