{"id":6654,"date":"2019-05-23T04:47:07","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T04:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6654"},"modified":"2021-04-05T20:57:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T20:57:26","slug":"10-ideas-for-using-yarrow-as-astringent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/10-ideas-for-using-yarrow-as-astringent\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ideas for Using Yarrow as Astringent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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There are plenty of names for yarrow, some colloquial and some more widely appreciated. Each one of these points in some way to how it has been used as an astringent by plenty of civilizations gone before and how it still used to that end today. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amongst some of the more interesting names for yarrow are nosebleed, thousand leaves, and soldier’s woundwort, with some of the more unusual including bad man’s plaything. That one may take some working out but what is certain is that the use of yarrow as an astringent is far from a recent discovery. In fact, it was a 16th-century herbalist from Britain named John Gerard who claimed that Achilles healed the wounds of soldiers in the Trojan War 3000 years ago. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that was true, then we’re talking about millennia, not centuries, when it comes to the employment of yarrow as an astringent. Interesting stuff. Here are 8 examples for the use of yarrow as an astringent.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     Historic Use <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For many centuries, and even millennia as the introduction suggests, yarrow has been widely used for speeding up the healing of wounds. What is most interesting about the historic use of yarrow as an astringent <\/a>though, is that it has also been used for precisely the reverse effect at times too. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yarrow can be used to bring on bleeding as well, amazingly, and so it has long been a useful tool for historic herbalists in demonstrating the sheer versatility of the works of Mother Nature. It got the nickname \u2018nosebleed\u2019 for its incredible ability to stop nosebleeds, as it happens, although when a leaf is rolled up and placed inside a nostril, a nosebleed can actually be brought on! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The historic use of yarrow gives us the footing for its use today and without the experimentation of past civilizations, we wouldn\u2019t have the knowledge of how to use it as an astringent today.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2.     Broad Use <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some of these specific examples might not necessarily be ideas that you want to try out these days, but they sure do make for interesting reading. Native American tribes were known to use yarrow widely to help seal up wounds and injuries. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An old folksong talks about how “the Big Chief brought me yarrow, for where he cut me with his arrow” which is a testament to its use, as is the fact that over 40 American Indian tribes are well known to have utilized yarrow for its astringency. In another context and another time, yarrow was used on ulcers due to its potent anti-inflammatory properties, but not by a holistic practitioner from modern times, but by the 1st-century Greek physician <\/a>who was called Padanius Dioscorides. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much more sensitively, the British herbalist John Gerard claimed that yarrow was very effective when it came to providing relief to the \u201cswelling of those secret parts\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3.     Stimulant<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because of its astringent makeup, yarrow can be used as a tonic and a stimulant<\/a>, able to stimulate the body’s own agents into serious action. This can be effective not only in the treatment of open wounds but also in the stimulation of some of the other workings of the body, such as in new skin production or new hair growth. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How astringent a plant or a herb is usually referred to how effective it is at sealing wounds and healing abrasions and cuts, but the stimulating nature of yarrow makes it all the more interesting and ultimately, all the more versatile in its potential applications. Some suggestions for its use could be to include it as part of a hair tonic or as part of an ointment to rub on to bald patches on the scalp. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you needed any further proof of its value, you should try and find some in Red Dead Redemption 2 and explore just how versatile it is in that particular game!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4.     Aromatic<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When using an astringent from the natural world, there really is no need to sacrifice pleasant smells. Usually, when using an over the counter or clinically produced product to help seal a wound, there is an expectation that a fragrance <\/a>will have been added to make the process all the more palatable for all parties. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With many natural remedies, not just yarrow, there is a common misconception that just because it is found naturally and isn\u2019t produced in a laboratory, that there will be an unpleasant smell associated with its use. This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth with yarrow, as it is a highly aromatic herb, especially when put into boiling water, which helps to release some of the aromas. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst they may not be as soothing as eucalyptus or as gentle as lavender, the aromatic nature of yarrow makes it just as much of a nice smelling astringent as it is a successful one.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5.     Seals Wounds<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By far and away the most widely understood application of yarrow as an astringent is in the sealing of wounds<\/a>. A wide variety of cuts, abrasions, ulcers, and wounds are all aided in the sealing process by yarrow, as it encourages the body’s existing functions to work more quickly and more effectively. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of yarrow to seal wounds has been commonplace for as long as records go back, with recordings of its use present in nearly all records of significant wars and battles, both in places where it grows naturally and in places where it must have been carried in. When looking for ideas as to how to use yarrow as an astringent, this application will be the first that pops into the majority of peoples’ heads, simply because it is almost by definition what an astringent should do. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there is a better use for yarrow as an astringent than when healing wounds, it isn’t listed here.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6.     Prevents Infection<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When a wound is sealed quickly, cleanly and effectively, one of the most important positives is that infection <\/a>can be prevented. Yarrow has antiseptic qualities, which means that as it works to bind wounds together, it also works to keep infection out or at least to keep it at bay. This will have proven very important in years gone by when it has been used on the battlefield.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an age when more and more people are looking to natural remedies ahead of over the counter medicines, yarrow is a front runner in popularity and usefulness, perhaps because of its significance historically and widely documented use. To seal a wound is one thing, but to keep that wound from becoming infected in the process of healing and in the immediate aftermath is another thing entirely. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all makes you start to wonder whether a more effective astringent than yarrow actually exists.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7.     Stops Bleeding<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Part of an astringents job is to stop bleeding, but as mentioned earlier on in this article, the trick with yarrow is to know how and when to use it as it can also be used to encourage bleeding<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When sealing a wound with yarrow as an astringent, the clotting agents in the body are given a jump start in a way, which makes them perform much more quickly and much more effectively. Clotting will eventually cause the flow of bleeding to stop, which is vital if a wound is going to begin to seal. Yarrow is incredibly effective at both. One idea for someone to try might be to keep some yarrow in their first aid kit, on the off chance that they may be presented with an opportunity to put it to the test. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, no one is saying you should forget to call an ambulance if someone has been bitten by a shark, yarrow won\u2019t help too much with that, but let\u2019s say you\u2019re creating a paper cut or a sight graze, give it a try.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8.     Reduces Inflammation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yarrow, as mentioned before, has powerful antibacterial properties, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties too. This is particularly important when it is being used as astringent as any inflammation <\/a>in or around a wound can make the healing process of that wound all the more complicated. It usually follows that where there is a cut or an abrasion of some kind, that there will be some kind of swelling, either mild or severe depending on the cause of the injury, the conditions of the patient and a few other external factors. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When yarrow is applied topically, its anti-inflammatory properties kick into action, helping fight any unwanted swelling and ultimately speed up the healing process, which is, after all, exactly what we\u2019re looking for with an astringent of any kind. Yarrow is no different, but it is particularly impressive as an astringent, whether you\u2019re using it whilst out on a hike today, or on the Trojan war fields 3000 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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