The story of the healing properties of the yarrow ordinary began from the time of the Trojan War, and more precisely from a literary episode attributed to that period. The legend describes an ancient rite of healing that saved the life of the son of the Greek hero Hercules, who died from terrible wounds. Another hero, named Achilles, used a yarrow leaf to heal the wound of a young demigod and he, thanks to a wonderful plant, soon recovered. Achillea millefolium - the yarrow of Achilles - is another name for this amazing healing gift from a natural pharmacy.
Description
Yarrow grows on household plots, between plantings of cultivated plants, in wastelands and in the area of urban landfills. It blooms all year round, and before the onset of the first frosts it manages to drop inconspicuous seeds into the soil, similar to flat drops in longitudinal grooves.
The prevalence of ordinary yarrow (GF 11, part 2) is not universal - to meet a plant, one of more than one hundred species of this perennial, is possible only in the temperate latitudes of the Mediterranean, that is, in any corner of Russia, in some countries of Asia and the Far East. Despite the multilingual name, there are much less than a thousand leaves on a straight, lint-covered stem of a plant, but tiny flower formations can be twenty times as many.
The main raw materials used for medicinal purposes are medium and large intact leaves from the central part of the stem, which, when crushed or ground in a mortar, begin to produce a pleasant grassy odor with a specific spicy note. Separately, the flowers of the plant are harvested , while not only the petals of the inflorescences are collected, but also the green adjacent part.
Grass composition
The strong smell of yarrow grass from the Astrov family is inherent in it due to the content of essential oils, which are saturated with both greens and plant seeds. The composition of only these oils is already a unique collection of valuable acids and chemical compounds, among which the most significant are cineole, tuyol, choline, camphor, azulene, as well as formic, ascorbic and acetic acid.
The leaves, stem and flowers of yarrow during the growing season contain:
- Flavonoids.
- Volatile
- Phylloquinones.
- Coumarins.
- Carotenoids.
- Inulin.
- Organic acids.
- Mineral salts.
- Tannins and resins.
The root system of yarrow in phytotherapy is of no value.
Side effects and contraindications
Yarrow poisoning is seriously quite difficult, but you can provoke signs of an overdose or cause symptoms of individual intolerance, exceeding the permissible norms when taking the substance inside. An allergy to plant components is a common occurrence, but speaking of rejection of yarrow grass as a whole, they usually mean an allergy to one of the many types of esters in its composition.
It is possible to understand that treatment with this plant is strictly contraindicated, if one or more symptoms are detected in itself:
- indigestion
- gas formation;
- dry mouth
- taste of bile on the tongue;
- pain in the hypochondrium;
- rashes or hyperemia.
However, there are many situations in which it is obviously forbidden to take any funds with yarrow. It:
- bleeding disorder;
- a history of hepatitis C;
- the presence of blood clots in the vessels.
Pregnancy and lactation are considered relative contraindications, reviewed in each case. With caution in taking funds with this herbal ingredient, it is recommended to approach people who have problems with digesting food and excessive sensitivity of the esophagus.
Useful properties of yarrow for women
For women's health, the most important is the hemostatic effect of yarrow. It is used for too strong and painful periods, uterine bleeding, not associated with the menstrual cycle, as well as the prevention of fetal rejection during pregnancy.
Tea brewed from a small amount of yarrow herb begins to be drunk at the first sign of an approaching menopause. Regular consumption of a drink at this difficult time for every woman helps smooth out the acute moments of age-related changes and prevent a sharp deterioration in well-being. Tea is prepared in this way: take 1 teaspoon of yarrow herb and 0.5 teaspoons of dry calendula, pour a mixture of 300 ml of boiling water and after cooling and filtering the aqueous solution, they drink it in a sip three times a day.
With abundant monthly or inflammatory processes in the uterus associated with spotting, apply the juice of a fresh plant or infusion on dry grass:
- The crushed yarrow leaves are pressed until juice is formed, then filtered. Exactly forty drops of the extract are introduced into a quarter glass of cold water and the solution is drunk in one gulp. The treatment regimen involves drinking a concentrated mixture three times a day until the condition is relieved.
- 2 teaspoons of dry grass is brewed with one and a half glasses of boiling water and removed in heat for 45 minutes to insist. After filtering, the infusion is taken in a third of a glass three times a day, 15 minutes after the main meal.
The medicinal properties of yarrow are used to enhance lactation, as well as to improve the nutritional value of low-fat, watery milk:
- Stir a tablespoon of dry grass in a glass of cold boiled water, pour the solution into an enameled saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat. After boiling, cover the saucepan and simmer the broth for another 10 minutes. And set aside for an hour to cool. After filtering, the volume of the broth is brought to the original 250 ml and the product is taken according to the scheme: 2 teaspoons of the broth three times a day 20 minutes before eating.
- 20 g of herbs are brewed with a glass of boiling water and insisted under the lid for about two hours. Strained infusion is taken 2 teaspoons four times a day before meals.
- Freshly squeezed juice of fresh leaves is drunk a teaspoon three times a day between main meals.
Pediatricians warn that treatment with yarrow during breastfeeding can adversely affect the health of the baby, especially if the mother is allergic to any food products. For this reason, you need to start taking the drug with the smallest dosages and with constant eye on the baby's well-being.
Plant Health Benefits
In the initial stages of prostatitis, the infection that provoked the disease can be killed without the help of antibiotics. The healing properties of yarrow for men's health are due to a strong antibacterial effect and increased motility of the bladder, which ensures better elimination of the pathological flora after the suppression of its vital functions.
To avoid the progression of the disease and more likely to alleviate the condition with inflammation of the prostate gland, apply microclysters, course, lasting 30 days. Since the procedures are completed every other day, the entire cycle includes 15 rectal administrations, after which the body is allowed to rest for about one and a half to two months, and then, if necessary, the treatment is repeated.
Microclype recipes:
- 1 tbsp. a spoon of dry grass is brewed with 100 ml of boiling water directly in a thermos, after which they insist 5-6 hours. After filtering, the liquid is cooled to 36 ° C and immediately fill its syringe.
- Combine 1 teaspoon of the yarrow herb and medicinal chamomile, a mixture of 150 ml of boiling water is brewed and heated in a water bath for 15 minutes. The warm strained mixture is divided into two procedures.
The development of prostatitis to prostate adenoma implies the mandatory use of strong antimicrobial medications, but one should not forget about the benefits of a unique herbal remedy. Yarrow, photo of which is presented in the article, significantly enhances the anti-inflammatory effect of pharmacy drugs and does not have a wide range of side effects.
Recipes for adjunctive therapy for prostate adenoma:
- Take 1 teaspoon of yarrow and birch leaves and 2 teaspoons of bearberry, brew a dry mixture of 0.5 l of boiling water and insist in a glass jar for 3 hours. A strained warm mixture is drunk in 30 ml before meals.
- Take in equal proportions: corn stigmas, yarrow and goldenrod, mix everything well. 2 teaspoons of the composition are brewed with 200 ml of boiling water, infused for 2 hours and drunk throughout the day in a small sip.
- Take 1 teaspoon: yarrow, celandine, chaga powder and St. John's wort, then pour the dry mixture into a liter thermos and top it with boiling water. After 5 hours of infusion, drink the collection, like tea - 50 ml 2-3 r / day.
Most herbal preparations with yarrow have a bitter taste, so in all cases when taken orally, a small spoonful of natural honey can be added to the drink.
Yarrow Medicines
The unique healing capabilities of the yarrow are used to treat all body systems. In some cases, decoctions and tinctures of greens and flowers of the plant constitute a full-fledged therapy, in others - auxiliary or supportive.
With intestinal disorders, abdominal pain:
- Place 3 teaspoons of the crushed flowers of the plant in a dark bottle, fill everything with a glass of vodka and put in a shaded place for a week. Prepared strained tincture is dripped 15 drops per tablespoon of water three times a day before meals.
- Mix 1 tbsp. a spoon of pharmacy chamomile and yarrow herb, brew all 250 ml of boiling water, and strain after half an hour. Infusion should be divided into 4 servings and drink them throughout the day.
With dermatitis, trophic ulcers, non-healing wounds:
- Brew 80 g of dried yarrow herb with 2 liters of boiling water and leave for about an hour. The resulting infusion, without filtering, is poured into a bathtub, filled with a third of warm water. The time for taking such a bath is up to 20 minutes, the frequency of procedures is every other day, for a month.
- A quarter cup of freshly chopped leaves of the plant is poured 3 tbsp. tablespoons of boiling water, stir and add to the mixture a tablespoon of white petroleum jelly. The mass must be ground to homogeneity and used twice a day, rubbing into the affected areas of the skin.
With hemorrhoid cones, diabetes mellitus or thyroid disorders:
- brew 2 teaspoons of dry grass 200 ml of boiling water, insist for half an hour, then strain and drink the solution warm, 100 ml in the morning and evening;
- pour 3 teaspoons of dry yarrow into a thermos, brew 1 liter of boiling water and insist for three hours, then drink the infusion, like tea, in small cups between main meals.
The use of yarrow in cooking
The yarrow, whose photo can be seen in the article, can rarely be found in the description of recipes for high cooking, since its use is more often justified in diet and vegetarian dishes. Of particular difficulty is the verification of the exact proportions of the substance, because at the slightest excess of the permissible dosages, the finished dish gets very sensitive bitterness. The optimal calculation of the amount of dry grass for the first and second hot dishes is considered half a teaspoon of grass for 4-5 full servings.
Spicy, moderately sharp sauces from small young leaves and shoots of the plant are served with fish and red meat. Powdered dry grass is added to vegetable oils for dressing vegetable salads, in dough for baking snack buns, and in a mixture for pickling and preservation. In small quantities and after appropriate procedures for removing excess bitterness from the grass, yarrow is used to flavor sweet dishes and wine and liquor products.
Yarrow for problem skin
Oily skin, dotted with foci of inflammation and reacting with irritation to many external and internal factors, happens not only in adolescents - women of any age suffer from the problem epidermis. Pharmacy lotions bring relief for a short while, but natural antibiotics, which include yarrow, can permanently, if not forever, solve a problem. As an ambulance for increased grease or acne, you can try using one of the following masks:
- Freshly squeezed juice from the green part of the plant is added dropwise to egg white in the process of whipping until a fluffy mass is obtained. In total, you can add from 5 to 15 drops - depending on the degree of skin damage. The liquid mask is applied with a brush and held until dry, and then washed off.
- Brew in a thermos a cool infusion of a full tablespoon of dry yarrow herb and 100 ml of boiling water. The liquid infused for an hour is filtered and used as a tonic.
- Mix 1 tbsp. spoon of chamomile pharmacy and yarrow, brew all 0.5 liters of boiling water and insist under the lid until cool. Warm strained infusion is used for cosmetic ice or face wash.
Complex results using ready-made infusions with yarrow give good results in drying and matting oily skin. Dry stabilizers are used as the basis for the mask: cosmetic clay, oat flour, starch. Dry matter is diluted with warm infusion to a thick slurry, then honey, cosmetic and essential oils, fruit and vegetable juices are added to the mass. Such masks give a long-term effect and significantly improve the characteristics of the epidermis.
Yarrow for mature skin
After 45 years, rare female skin can tolerate aggressive care products, such as alcohol lotions or fresh juices of medicinal plants, but this does not mean that it requires less care. Obvious signs of aging, manifested in weakening of the subcutaneous framework and the epidermis itself, make it necessary to significantly change the tactics of the course and direct efforts to stimulate cellular metabolism.
The first tool to cope with several problems simultaneously - skin fatigue, gray complexion, fine wrinkles and morning swelling, will be rubbing the face with cubes of frozen infusion or a yarrow decoction. After a week of daily procedures, the skin turgor will noticeably improve, a clear face contour will be indicated.
Milk tonic, infused with fresh yarrow grass, is replaced with a nourishing cream with increased dryness of the skin and a fine mesh of wrinkles. It is prepared as follows: a dessert spoon of chopped greens is poured into 150 ml of hot (not higher than 80 ° C) boiled milk and insisted in a sealed container for 45 minutes. The product is stored at a temperature of 4 to 8 ° C for three days, but before rubbing the face a small amount of tonic is heated to 25-30 ° C.
Yarrow Benefits for Hair
This plant should be declared a panacea for the healing of the scalp and hair strengthening, only thanks to the complex and very useful esters contained both in the seeds of yarrow and in all elements of its green parts. But besides ethers, the composition of the herb has a lot of useful vitamins and organic acids that have a beneficial effect on the delicate structure of the follicles.
Dry grass powder is added to dandruff treatment shampoos to enhance their effect, it is mixed into honey-oil hair masks or simply boiled with boiling water and a ready-made solution for rinsing the hair after washing the hair is used. With infusions and broths with yarrow, prepared according to any recipe, you can moisten your hair when combing, eliminating excessive dryness and static.
For women who periodically experience seasonal hair loss or are familiar with focal forms of alopecia, you should always have a bottle of yarrow oil at home, which is easily prepared on their own. To prepare such a composition, take 2 teaspoons of the dried grass of the plant, which is pounded in a mortar with a few drops of olive oil until gruel is formed, and then pour a mixture of 200 ml of the same oil and shake well. For several days, the bottle with the solution is removed in a cool dark place, and then used, rubbing the extract into the scalp half an hour before washing the hair.
From time to time, it is useful for healthy strands to carry out preventive two-week courses of oil wrapping, especially since the procedure will be equally useful for all types of hair and will not entail any negative reactions for the body, except for the already indicated individual intolerance.