Weed Technology: Volume 4 - Issue 2

Yarrow – the Herb of Achilles
Larry W. Mitich
Published online by Cambridge University Press:

12 June 2017, pp. 451-453
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Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium L. ♯3 ACHMI) was called Achillea by the ancient Greeks (4), referring to the all-but-invulnerable Achilles who stormed Troy around 1200 B.C. According to legend (12), the centaur physician Chiron taught Achilles the benefits of this plant; the warrior then used yarrow to stanch the wounds of his compatriots during the siege of Troy. In fact, Achilles' knowledge of this herb may have provided him with the invulnerability which catapulted him into legend. Since the time of Achilles and the Trojan War more than 3000 yr ago, yarrow has been used to heal wounds and cure other ailments. Yarrow's legendary curative powers have a basis in chemical fact, as we will see.

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