Talk:Yarrow

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Contents 1 Photo 2 Human Uses 2.1 Missing use? 3 Milk Stew Recipe 4 Hair loss

[edit] Photo

I uploaded a photo I took of a yarrow plant but am not sure how to link it into this article. zadcat

All you have to do is put the image's page in double brackets like this [[Image:Yarrow.jpg]]. It does appear that attribution info is missing from the image. Could you state on that page where you obtained the image and it's copyright status? --mav

Sorry to be stupid - it's the first image I've uploaded. I took the photo myself. Where do I put this information? zadcat

No. You are not at all being stupid. There is just much to learn here in wikiland and nobody expects you or andybody else to know everything right away (or ever for that matter -- I know I don't know it all yet and I've been around since January). All that needs to be done is for you to simply mention that you took the photo yourself on the image's page and you either; release it under terms of the GNU FDL or you place it in the public domain (there are other options too but they are more complicated). In the future the easiest thing to do is just state all this when you are uploading an image -- all that text is placed into the image's page for you by the software. You can access the image's description page by clicking on the image. --mav

Thank you. We probably need to disambiguate from Yarrow which is a random number generator and the subject of some of the links here. --zadcat

Having both on the same page seems OK for now. If and when a split has to be made I would keep the plant here and place the number generator in another article (the plant being the main use of the word). Can the computer program be naturally disambiguated? I do hate having to use parenthesis for things. This should also be done in disambiguation block format (see Blackberry for an example). --mav

[edit] Human Uses

I'm a bit wary of putting so much detailed information about medicinal uses into the article without a medical disclaimer. Is this necessary or am I simply being paranoid? Lisiate 00:06, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Oklahoma herb grower here - I've used yarrow on multiple occasions - as medicine - for cuts. This plant material pressed fresh into a wound has staunched the flow of blood many times. Nearly cut the end of a finger off with garden shears - no stitches used - just two applications of yarrow and bandage - looks better than my hernia repair by MD. Husband cut end of thumb, bleeding so bad pressure and cold water didn't slow it down, yarrow stopped the blood - virtually no scar - nail into foot from bottom - again, stops bleeding - only recommendation/action we took was - tetenas shot if long time since last one.70.142.56.112 15:30, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

There appears to be a lot of duplication in the uses section - the whole of this section could do well with sorting and checking, with medicinal uses scattered throughout mixed with non-medical uses, etc, etc. - MPF 14:12, 4 February 2006 (UTC)

Word origin Achillea. Do you have a reference for this? I was under the impression that it just came from the character, Achilles, himself and had nothing to do with using it as a medicinal plant. User:Amhernandez 18:45 24 May 2006

[edit] Missing use?

The major use that I know of for yarrow is to stop diarrhea or extreme vomiting during flu. This is quite common I think, both in my family and in others. I do not see it listed?--Filll 15:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Milk Stew Recipe

This easily prepared delicacy has been passed on over several generations, stemming back from my grandmother that lived close to the German-Czech border known as Bohemia. This dish is most recommended for children or the elderly, those with a weakened stomach, or someone recovering from a liquid diet. If you like the taste of yarrow appealing you may consider this a gourmet dish.

Also, I never wash the yarrow to keep the flavor. Obviously yarrow is not a recommended food staple if you harvest the leaves in high-traffic suburban areas or if your environment contains pesticides and other contaminants. I can vouch for the quality of this recipe and slight variations, ingredient-wise. However, I would prefer to eat yarrow freshly harvested from the mountain meadows of the alps. Otherwise pick your own preferred source of yarrow, I am certain it will be just as good.

This recipe serves one or two people - it is a very simple dish but we ate it frequently in early summer just before or during the early blooming season:

First, pick about a good heaping handful of yarrow. Perhaps most importantly, pick the yarrow just before consumption, literally minutes prior to adding them to this dish below. Also, be certain to pick smaller stems that are most delicate and sprouting with very little bitterness to them. Consider increased heating times for larger, dark-green stems. Don't boil or overheat otherwise the flavor and nutritious value will be entirely lost.

Once you're back in the kitchen pick a medium sauce pan and heat up a heaping tablespoon of butter. Melt the butter under low temperature but don't brown it. Mix in two tea spoons of white flour and mix it into the butter while increasing temperature slightly. You can add additional flour but it will add to the consistency of the soup. Consider this your base.

Set aside 1 1/2 cup of warm, whole milk and slowly mix it into the base. You will see the consistency of your milk stew thickening as you let it simmer for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt to offset the slight bitterness of the yarrow. Take the freshly harvested yarrow and mix it into the milk stew. Heat the soup for thirty seconds or less while stirring its content clock-wise. Enjoy!

[edit] Hair loss

I removed the following from the article: "Washing your hair with an infusion of yarrow will prevent baldness, but will not cure it if it already has begun." Pubmed searches for all combinations of "achillea"/"yarrow" "hair"/"alopecia" returns no results. If anyone has any evidence that yarrow prevents hair loss please restore the text, but I think it is very likely false.