Category: Miracle Plant

One of the oldest herbs used by humankind, yarrow has always been associated with ritual & tradition.
Counted as one of the nine herbs sacred to the Anglo-Saxons, the name Yarrow is in fact a modern corruption of its Anglo-Saxon name – gearwe.
Yarrow was also sacred to the Druids who used the stems to divine the weather, and if we are to believe ancient writers, with much more accuracy than we do today with modern satellite imaging.
Similarly in Chinese divination the dried and stripped stalks of yarrow were thrown to consult the I Ching – Book of Changes.
The highlanders of Scotland traditionally made yarrow ointment for application to wounds, a tradition which has continued up until modern times.

Known to the ancients as ‘ herba militaris’ or ‘the soldiers herb’, it is on the battlefield throughout the ages that yarrow  provided one of its greatest services.
Wounds from swords, spears or arrows were not stitched; instead yarrow was applied directly to the wound and even packed inside the wound to staunch blood loss and reduce the amount of swelling, enabling the wound to swiftly close by itself. Many other common names reflect this usage including “Wound-wort”, “Staunchgrass”, “Sanguinary” and “Knight’s Milfoil”.
We may attribute this valuable function of yarrow to its potent astringency. Astringent herbs tighten, tone, bind and contract, effectively equalising fluid levels in body tissue. Because of this balancing effect astringents have on fluid levels in the body, herbalists prescribe yarrow for conditions which involve fluid loss including diarrhoea, dysentery and both internal and external haemorrhages; and for those involving fluid retention i.e. oedema.
Another common name “Nosebleed” gives further testament to its astringency.
A fresh leaf of yarrow placed in the nose will cause a nosebleed and relieve the pressure which is caused by certain types of migraine. Alternately a much smaller dose of yarrow can staunch a nosebleed. A treatment which should not however be attempted by anyone who does not possess professional training and experience.

Yarrow is of most use in the household when the dried aerial parts of the plant are brewed into a tea. Prepared as such, yarrow can be used to help overcome cold and flu, lower a fever and as a general tonic when the days load seems more than you can bare.
 It is not a drink that should be relied on regularly but rather one that should be used only in times of real challenge, for that extra bit of strength. Pick a piece of yarrow from the garden next time you happen to cut yourself whilst preparing dinner or shaving, apply it to the wound, and watch as this truly amazing plant goes to work.

As every organic gardener knows, this herb is as useful in the garden as it was on the battlefield in days gone by. One of the five herbs used in composting, yarrow acts as a catalyst in the process, speeding up the rate of fermentation to such an extent that you will be astonished, and the pile will be ready to turn out within 8 weeks. Only a couple of leaves is all that is required for an average sized compost bin, if you add any more it will have the opposite effect.
Not only does yarrow provide strength to humans, but it also has a healthy effect on all plants in the garden that grow within a close proximity to it.
Being such a hardy plant, rarely troubled by insect pests and spreading rapidly, once introduced into the garden you will always have more than enough yarrow on hand to meet your household and garden needs as well as those of your neighbours.

By Luke Hughes

Listen to the interview with Luke online.

Herbs have been used for centuries to assist human kind in many and varied ways.  A look at the herb, chamomile, gives a good insight into just how herbs can be as relevant to man today as they were  to the ancients in bygone eras.

There are two types of chamomile widely used by herbalists today: German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) which is a hardy annual and grows upright with fern-like foliage; and  English Chamomile ( Anthemis nobilis)which  is a creeping perennial, growing low to the ground and commonly used for lawns or along garden paths in Europe. Chamomile is well suited to this purpose.  It seems to grow more vigorously when walked, on and releases a delicate scent underfoot,, earning it the title “herb of humility

Both varieties have small daisy-like flowers. It is the flower-heads which are chiefly employed medicinally.

Called Maythen by the Saxons,it was counted as one of their nine sacred herbs, and was placed under the sign of the Sun for its virtues.

In days gone by, it was grown and used by English country folk for their domestic medicine while the whole herb was used to make herb beers.

 

Strengthens bones

 

Chamomile was also considered the ‘Plant’s Physician,’due to its beneficial effect on the health of  any plant growing next to it, and indeed the garden as a whole. Organic gardeners still use it today as one of the five main herbs for composting, and as a rich source of phosphates for soil conditioning.

It is this rich supply of minerals in chamomile, which herbalists find so useful both nutritionally and therapeutically, especially when treating the very old and young. Growing bodies need calcium phosphate at times when young bones, hair, teeth etc., are developing; likewise in older age when degenerative processes lead to diseases like osteoporosis.

As a tea, chamomile is traditionally taken by all, from babies to the elderly.

Chamomile acts on the Vagus nerve which runs from the brain down to the pancreas affecting the areas of the face, lungs, heart and stomach. Therefore it has a calming effect on digestive and respiratory processes as well as the emotional and intellectual nerve centres.

 

Calms children

 

Chamomile tea is particularly good for hyperactive children and is best given to them as soon as they come in from school and just before bed to calm excited minds to sleep. This in itself may contribute to a better nights sleep for parents provided they themselves have not over indulged in food and wine too close to bed time. A cup of chamomile tea in this case will help digestion and calm any nervous tension left over from the day  for parents as well.

 

Helps skin and hair

A bag of chamomile placed in the bath will also sooth skin irritated by overly acidic perspiration, or sunburn. The dried flowers boiled in water also make a great rinse for fair hair.

Plant chamomile in your backyard today and in the future both your garden and your family will thank you!

 

 

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Luke Hughes – herbalist, organic gardener and permaculturist – introduces the first of his five part series on the five compost activators, the Dandelion. Not only is it useful in the garden but Dandelion is the only known vegetable source of Vitamin D and one of the few plants that supplies vitamin B through its leaves.

Hear the full segment here.

The hemp plant has been an integral part of human society for time immemorial. In the era of sail, hemp and flax fibres literally fuelled the global economy, money and bibles have traditionally been made from hemp paper, and hemp fabric is warm, resilient and soft.

The plant also provides a rich source of high protein oils that are useful in cosmetics and food. The health benefits of hemp oil have been respected by many different cultures over the millenia.

The pith or, more properly, hurd of the plant also makes a strong concrete that lasts for centuries as opposed to the decades that modern cement is rated for. Hemp masonry was used in some of the Roman aqueducts that are still standing in Europe, making it one of the most resilient building materials known to humanity. In this Miracle Plant segment, Klara Marosszeky and Dr Keith Bolton discuss their work to bring a hemp industry about in Northern NSW. Listen to the interview

Of course, the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant also provide a powerful drug that is used for religious and recreational purposes in many societies. The banning of marijuana by the United States in the early twentieth century has unfortunately led to the demise of the plant’s central role in western society. It is the fervent wish of those working to promote the benefits of hemp that a new attitude to drugs in the White House may see an end to the unsuccessful and counterproductive abolition of many recreational drugs.