• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CooksInfo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
×
You are here: Home / Herbs / Yarrow

Yarrow

Yarrow is a perennial herb that grows 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 cm) tall. It has feathery, fern-like leaves that are 1 inch wide (2.5 cm) and 3 to 4 inches (7 1/2 to 10 cm) long. It blossoms with very tiny white, light pink or purple flowers in clusters. It propagates itself both by root and seeds.

The leaves have a very strong flavour that is somewhat bitter, sharp and tart. Consequently, it is used in very small quantities — which is probably wise anyway (see Nutrition below.)

In practice, Yarrow is not really used at all for cooking anymore, though you will see very occasional references to using the very new, young leaves in salads and soups. Most of the few recipes that you will still see calling for it are wines, beers or tisanes.

Yarrow needs to be kept out of pasture land where cows are grazing as eating it can make their milk taste bitter.

The flowers have historically been used to make dye from.

Nutrition

Unlike many herbs whose medicinal quantities are very faint, Yarrow actually contains active compounds — it’s just that they aren’t necessarily good ones. Many people are sensitive to the herb and just handling it will give some people a rash. Consuming too much of it can give some people skin photosensitivity.

Yarrow cannot be used commercially in the US except in beverages. Producers must ensure by law that the finished product is free of thujone, which is one of the active compounds in Yarrow. Thujone, one of the dangerous compound in the liqueur, Absinthe, can cause brain damage in large quantities.

History Notes

Yarrow is native to Europe, but has very successfully naturalized itself in North America.

Language Notes

The word “Yarrow” comes from the Anglo-Saxon name, “gearwe”. “Millefolium”, in the scientific name, means “thousand leaves”, referring to all the little fronds that make up a single “leaf”. The English word, “Milfoil”, came from the French name, “millesfeuilles”.

 

This page first published: Nov 27, 2004 · Updated: Jun 14, 2018.

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · Information on this site is Copyright © 2021· Feel free to cite correctly, but copying whole pages for your website is content theft and will be DCMA'd.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Home canning resources

Vist our satellite site Healthy Canning for Home Food Preservation Advice

www.hotairfrying.com

Visit our Hot Air Frying Site

Random Quote

‘Physically [James Beard] was the connoisseur’s connoisseur. He was a giant panda, Santa Claus and the Jolly Green Giant rolled into one. On him, a lean and slender physique would have looked like very bad casting.’ — Craig Claiborne (American food writer. 4 September 1920 – 22 January 2000)

Food Calendar

food-calendar-icon
What happens when in the world of food.

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe for updates on new content added.

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About this site
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright enforced!
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Site

  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · The text on this site is © Copyright.