Which plant stops blood, encourages saliva, and has a pungent smell?

Hey Friends,

We’re excited to announce our Kingfisher Clarity and Magpie Mystery shirts will be available at Front Range Birding & Optics in Boulder in the coming week or so. We met our first retail partner at the Denver Audubon Society Wings & Wonder Holiday Market in December, and we are thrilled to be sharing our sacred bird designs with fellow bird enthusiasts in Boulder.  Kingfisher Clarity has quickly become one of our top-selling designs, and it sure was fun to draw it.

Kingfisher Clarity was inspired by my experiences witnessing a kingfisher hunt at my favorite local park on multiple occasions within a short period of time, one of those animal encounters that really caught my attention. Sitting on the bank along the creek, I noticed several small yarrow plants, further inspired to incorporate these into the design.

»Read more about this design here!«

But who is yarrow?

A plant so ancient that it grows all over the globe except Antarctica, so common that most people recognize it. It’s a plant of myth and legend, with feather-like leaves and pungent smell, it can stop bleeding wounds and move stagnant blood, supporting our body’s resistance to sickness. A darling for pollinators, this herb is commonly found where I live, along mountain paths and in garden beds, or tucked amongst forests of Aspen, Spruce, and Pine. 

We even have one growing out of a crack in our driveway!

Achillea millefolium - so named by Linnaeus in 1753 to honor yarrow’s place in The Iliad of Homer as an Earth Medicine carried by Achilles on the battlefield, taught to him by the centaur, Chiron. Millefolium is the predominant species because its leaves are comprised of these gorgeous, tiny, feather-like structures - “million leaves.” Yarrow shows up all over the world, and one of my mentors taught me it grows all over the world (except Antarctica) - a testament to just how ancient this plant is. 

Traces of yarrow have been found buried with Neanderthals in modern-day Iran, dated about 65,000 years ago, and I only dream of how our most ancient of ancestors came to be in direct relationship with this plant. How incredible it must have been to open one’s eyes in the ancient days, as illustrations of megaflora and megafauna fill my mind. I, too, have explored wild spaces and happened upon this plant, its leaves so fragrant - a blend of woody aromatics with pungent tones - its flowers so hauntingly simple, with an unmistakable inflorescence. Perhaps a curious ancestor chewed on its leaves, maybe they could hear its sweet voice more clearly, perhaps the smell of deep fragrance was so obviously antiseptic to our ancestors, that it made its way to being rubbed into wounds, and hey! Blood will clot, and wounds will be disinfected.

I love the imagery of a Centaur teaching a human about plant medicine - a creature half human, half animal, a bridge between worlds. This herb was famously applied to battlefield wounds, though our understanding of its medicine has since deepened. When I look at herbal medicine, though, I’m not just thinking about its constituents or clinical uses; I’m thinking about the ecosystems these plants are a part of, the relationships it maintains. 

This plant is incredibly adaptable, and with its flower structure, it may be a preferred landing place for native pollinators, including wasps, sweat bees, and butterflies. The abundance of terpenes - the aromatics of plants - acts like a communication and immune system for the plant, repelling disease, attracting pollinators, and humans. I get super geeky about terpene-rich plants, because these molecules are so incredibly therapeutic when humans take them - especially as whole-plant preparations like teas and tinctures. Fun fact - yarrow shares with chamomile a terpene called chamazulene. When distilled, it has a deep blue color and is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. 

In our next newsletter, I’ll share more about how to grow Yarrow at home, how to prepare two infusions and a tincture of this plant, and discuss the way yarrow supports vitality - why someone would want to relate to this plant and when. Part of my vision with Earth Medicine Apparel Co. is to share more about the wisdom each plant and animal contains, with hopes that it deepens your own appreciation and understanding of all the incredible gifts this big, beautiful world offers those who choose to receive it.

Maybe in the meantime, you’ll think about growing yarrow in your garden next season…

Do you have a story about yarrow to share? Hit reply and send me your inspirations with this magical, ancient herb.

For the plants,

Founder, CEO
Earth Medicine Apparel Co.