Of Blood and Blossoms: Wisdom of the Wounded Healer

Hey friends,

How are you doing this week? Like, really. If you feel called, hit reply and let me know!

It’s been a challenge sitting down to write this because the increased violence we are witnessing is undercutting my creative thinking. Despite this, I know that rest and creativity are acts of resistance in a world that wants us frazzled, scared, and depressed. I return to gratitude for the plants - some of my most trusted allies (like Skullcap, Valerian, and Motherwort) are offering my heart a spaciousness to hold onto joy along with the suffering. So I’m choosing to keep going, and I hope this message offers your mind and spirit a moment of calm and wonder.

What follows is more about Yarrow, the Earth Medicine found in our Kingfisher Clarity design. It’s a bit longer, so grab a cup of tea and let’s learn more about this amazing plant healer.

(In case you missed last week’s EarthMed Threads, you can read it here.)

Across cultures, yarrow has been recognized as a medicinal herb for the wounded, a plant that teaches us to tend to injury without losing our strength.

Yarrow is a plant of battlefields and gardens, of deep resilience and gentle repair.

In Greek mythology, yarrow is closely associated with Achilles and his mentor, Chiron. Achilles, the great warrior of the Trojan War, bathed in the River Styx as an infant to make him invincible. (By some accounts, it was perhaps a tea made from yarrow and water of the River Styx.) Chiron, the wounded healer, taught Achilles the use of plants, including yarrow, to tend to the injuries of soldiers on the battlefield, as it does, in fact, act as a styptic - clots blood - while its pungent aromas point to antiseptic qualities. - Thus, in 1753, Carl Linnaeus dubbed this plant Achillea, with its species, millefolium, meaning “thousand leaves.”

A Warrior Plant for the Garden

Yarrow is one of the most generous plants you can grow in your garden, and once you know its scent, pungent and green with a hint of bitterness, it becomes unmistakable. (Well, mayyyyyybe it can be confused with its also pungent cousin, Tansy… but that’s about it). Did you know that Yarrow is a dynamic accumulator, meaning it can help sequester minerals from deep in the soil, releasing them as the leaves, flowers, and stalks die back and compost?

From my herbalist’s perspective, growing yarrow at home (much like any plant) builds a relationship with the plant’s spirit. Fresh yarrow has an incredible vitality, though freshly dried material retains its potency when stored correctly. Harvest the flowering tops and upper leaves on a dry day, ideally when the plant is in full bloom. And as with harvesting any plant, one must first ask for permission (yup, from the plant) and make an offering (water, hair, saliva, tobacco, prayer, dispersing seeds).

Yarrow as a Western Herbal Medicine

Clinically, yarrow is one of the great polycrest herbs of the Western materia medica - that is, an herb that has multiple effects in different body systems and tissues. Yarrow is most closely associated with the blood and is perhaps best known as a hemostatic, meaning it helps stop bleeding. It can be applied fresh (chew it up and pack it in!) to cuts, scrapes, and nosebleeds. When drunk as a tea or taken as a tincture, it supports the regulation of blood flow, making it appropriate for heavy or irregular menstruation when appropriate.

Yarrow is also a diaphoretic, helping the body open the pores and regulate fever. Rather than forcing sweat, it supports the body’s innate intelligence to cool itself when heat is trapped. This makes it a classic remedy at the onset of colds and flus, particularly when there is alternating heat and chills.

As a bitter tonic, yarrow stimulates bile flow and digestive secretions, easing bloating, cramping, and sluggish digestion. Generally speaking, highly aromatic herbs are full of volatile oils/terpenes that, by their nature, are antiseptic and antioxidant. Thus, Yarrow is an invaluable ally to support the body’s defense against certain bacterial infections; for this reason, drinking regular strong infusions is well indicated.

Overall, yarrow is an incredibly safe herb; however, given that it can act as an emmenagogue, it’s best to avoid it in pregnancy.

Wounded Warrior Medicine

Yarrow holds the signature of the wounded warrior because it teaches an appropriate response; it does not numb pain or bypass healing. Instead, Yarrow tones tissue, regulates circulation, and brings the Vital Force back to areas that have been disrupted.

Energetically, yarrow is often related to by those who give a lot, care deeply, or move through the world with porous boundaries. It helps maintain integrity without hardening. One might experience yarrow as a boundary-setting plant, one that helps sensitive people stay open without becoming overwhelmed. It strengthens the edges, both physiologically and emotionally. 

Making Yarrow Tea

Yarrow tea is simple and effective.

Use about 1 tablespoon of dried flowering tops or leaves per cup of hot water. Pour just-boiled water over the herb, cover, and steep for 10 to 15 minutes. The tea will be aromatic and slightly bitter. This bitterness is part of its medicine; this function can be enhanced by steeping it in cold water instead.

And if needed, for things like hemorrhoids, UTIs, or other difficult situations well indicated for this plant, take 1 full oz (28 grams) of dried herb and cover with hot water. Let it steep for an hour, or overnight, and drink daily for several days.

Drink yarrow tea for early colds with fever, digestive discomfort, menstrual support, or as a gentle daily tonic when strengthening boundaries and circulation. It pairs well with many other plants. It can be quite drying, so also consider blending with something moistening - red clover, linden, or plantain - to counteract and drink longer term.

Making a Yarrow Tincture

Yarrow makes an excellent tincture, especially when prepared fresh. Below are some simple steps to make a maceration.

For a fresh plant tincture, chop freshly harvested flowering tops and leaves and pack them loosely into a glass jar. Make sure to take the total mass (weight) of the herb on a kitchen scale. The great herbalist, Michael Moore, recommends a 50% concentration of alcohol and water (the menstruum) for dried herb, I would recommend 80% for fresh since the plant also contains around 30% water already.

The process is simple: weigh the herb, multiply this by 2, and add that much in volume of menstruum for fresh, or multiply by 5 and add this to the dried plant matter.

Example: I have 100 grams of fresh herb, so I will measure 200 mL of menstruum. OR, I have 100 grams of dried herb, so I will measure 500 mL of menstruum.

To make a different concentration of menstruum, use this formula:
(Desired Concentration * Total Volume)/(Concentration of alcohol you have).

So, if I have 95% cane ethanol, and I want to make a 50% concentration mensutruum of 500 ml: (0.5×500)/0.95 = 263 mL of cane alcohol needed. Then I take 500 total volume - 263 to get 237 ml of water needed. Blend these together and pour over the plant material to capture its medicine into solution.

Make sure the plant material is fully submerged. Seal, label, and let steep for 2 to 6 weeks, shaking occasionally. I like to make my tinctures in accordance with moon cycles, starting on a New Moon, straining, filtering, and bottling on the Full Moon.

Yarrow tincture is especially useful for acute situations like bleeding, fever onset, or digestive cramping. Dosage varies depending on the person and context, but small, frequent doses are often most effective.

Closing Reflections

Yarrow reminds us that healing is not about avoiding harm, but about learning how to respond when life inevitably leaves its mark. It grows where the soil is thin, where the conditions are not ideal, and it thrives anyway. This is its teaching.

To work with yarrow is to honor resilience without glorifying suffering, to recognize strength that remains flexible, and to tend to wounds with both skill and humility.

I bow with reverence to the magic of this ancient plant teacher.

We’re dreaming up new designs to launch this Spring, and beginning to apply to vend at events in 2026. We’ll announce our Spring calendar soon, and until then - get some rest!

Holding space,

Founder, CEO
Earth Medicine Apparel Co.