As promised, this last post on Wild Medicine is dedicated to a plant that helps stop bleeding.  Remember those skinned knees?  In addition to helping to arrest bleeding when used externally, it is also useful for colds, the flu, and breaking a fever when used internally.  You may even have it in your garden--right now!!

What is this beautiful and amazing plant?  It's Yarrow.

Achillea millefolium was historically used as an herb for the battlefield, specifically for its anti-hemorrhagic properties for wounds.  At the end of a day outside playing, my little ones sometimes look like they've come off a battlefield.  So they have learned how to identify Yarrow, crush the leaves and/or flowers well (much like Plantain), and apply to the bleeding area.  If they can do it, so can you!

Yarrow is found all over North America, although there are several varieties.  All are excellent for medicine however.  Even the pretty cultivated kind that you may have in your garden.  A member of the Sunflower family, they have small white flowers, and the most delicate feathery leaves.  They are often found along roadsides and meadows so keep your eyes open, they are in full bloom right now!

Use them for medicine, hang them up to dry, put them in a vase to beautify your home.  Just use them!  These plants can empower you to heal yourself in a deeply fulfilling and gentle way.

In Health,
Kristin Henningsen M.S., C.H., R.Y.T.