Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium)
The One who holds the boundary & steadies the breath
Light of bloom yet steadfast in spirit, Yarrow holds the line where clarity is needed most.
Gathered from field edge and wandering path, it has mended wounds of flesh and courage alike.
Tucked into charms, brewed for truth seeking and bound in healing bundles, Yarrow guides the breath towards steadiness and calm.
Yarrow soothes the wary heart, clears what clouds the mind, and keeps the boundary firm so the spirit can settle back into itself.
Common Names
Yarrow
Milfoil
Soldier's Woundwort
Nosebleed
Thousand Leaf
Bloodwort
Carpenter's Weed
Staunchweed
Folk Names & Titles
Devil's Nettle
Old Man's Pepper
Herb of the Blood
Wound Wytch
Seven Year Love
Field Wytch
Gearwe (Old English ~ the prepared one)
Warrior's Feather
Bad Man's Plaything
Ghostleaf
Element
Air
Clear, quiet, and truth-seeking.
Yarrow works through the subtle spaces between thoughts, the currents of intention, and the boundary where breath becomes calm presence.
Habitat
Found on field edges, meadow paths, and open grassland.
Yarrow favours sunny places where the tended land meets the wild
It often follows old footways and grazing routes, growing where generations have quietly passed.
Lore & Legacy
Long kept by hedge wytches and charm makers, Yarrow stands where edges fray. Its white umbels brighten field borders, crossroads and the wild margins between places that belong and places that wander.
In old English lore it sealed wounds, strengthened courage, and steadied the breath of those who travelled unfamiliar paths.
It was carried in pocket or pouch to hold fear at bay, woven into charms to guard thresholds and brewed into infusions for courage when the heart felt unsure.
Soldiers once used it to stanch blood. Seers use it to sharpen focus. Lovers tucked it beneath pillows to learn the truth of a wandering heart.
Wherever clarity falters, Yarrow returns the line.
Modern Lore
Today Yarrow keeps it place as a herb of resilience and inner honesty. Many wytches work with it to strengthen emotional boundaries, especially for those who take on the weight of others.
In ritual it sharpens focus and brings truth to the surface.
In meditation it clears the mental field so intention can take shape cleanly.
Hidden Lore
Old country healers once trusted Yarrow at the thresholds of both life and death. It was laid with the departed to keep the boundary safe, and carried by mourners so that no restless spirit could follow them home.
For questions of love and loyalty, Yarrow was called upon to reveal what was true. A stem held to the nose was said to bleed only for a faithful heart, and a sprig placed beneath the pillow would show a future beloved in dreams.
Deeper still in the bones of folk memory, Yarrow was kept against "Elf-shot" ~ the unseen darts of fear, pain or ill intent. A small bundle tied with red thread was believed to turn such troubles aside before they ever reached the bone.
Calendar Dates
Best gathered from late spring into high summer, when its pale flowers rise above the meadow grasses and the plant hums with quiet resilience. Choose a clear morning, once the dew has lifted but before the day warms.
Keeper's Note
Yarrow is a gentle sentinel, that listens without absorbing, witnesses without carrying, protects without force. When your edges feel thin or your breath unsteady, this herb stands with you.
It teaches that boundaries are not walls but sacred lines of self, the places where your spirit chooses how close the world may come.
Yarrow sees through veil & lie