EARTH WELL: YARROW ©
by Tira Brandon-Evans, CH


AN EARR-THALMHAINN

BUAINIDH mi an earr reidh,
Gum bu treuinide mo bhas,
Gum bu bhlathaide mo bheuil,
Gum bu ceumaide mo chas;
Gum bu h-eilean mi air muir,
Gum bu carraig mi air tir,
Leonar liom gach duine,
Cha leon duine mi.






THE YARROW

I WILL pluck the yarrow fair,
That more brave shall be my hand,
That more warm shall be my lips,
That more swift shall be my foot;
May I an island be at sea,
May I a rock be on land,
That I can afflict any man,
No man can afflict me.






(The Yarrow Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2,
by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900], at sacred-texts.com) 		Yarrow     EARR THALMHAINN

BUAINIDH mi an earr reidh,
Gum bu cheinide mo chruth,
Gum bu bhlathaide mo bheuil,
Gum bu gheinide mo ghuth.
Biodh mo ghuth mar ghath na grein,
Biodh mo bheuil mar ein nan subh.

Gum bu h-eilean mi air muir,
Gum bu tulach mi air tir,
Gum bu reuil mi ri ra dorcha,
Gum bu lorg mi dhuine cli,
Leonaidh mi a h-uile duine,
Cha leoin duine mi.

THE YARROW

I WILL pluck the yarrow fair,
That more benign shall be my face,
That more warm shall be my lips,
That more chaste shall be my speech,
Be my speech the beams of the sun,
Be my lips the sap of the strawberry.

May I be an isle in the sea,
May I be a hill on the shore,
May I be a star in waning of the moon,
May I be a staff to the weak,
Wound can I every man,
Wound can no man me.

(The Yarrow Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2,
by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900], at sacred-texts.com)





There are seven herbs that nothing natural or supernatural can injure; they are vervain, John's-wort, speedwell, eyebright, mallow, yarrow, and self-help. But they must be pulled at noon on a bright day, near the full of the moon, to have full power.

Of all herbs the yarrow is the best for cures and potions. It is even sewn up in clothes as a preventive of disease.

("The Properties of Herbs and Their Use in Medicine" Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde [1887])


Yarrow, (Achillea millefolium), is also called milfoil, noble yarrow, nosebleed, soldier's woundwort, and sanguinary. This perennial plant may be found growing worldwide in meadows and pastures, along roadsides and railway embankments, and other sunny places. It is becoming a popular garden plant and can be found in a variety of sizes and colours.

The uses of yarrow are many and this was one of the herbs most often sought out and used by our Celtic ancestors. Except for tansy and Queen Anne's Lace, few herbs look like yarrow, making it an easy plant to identify correctly. Yarrow rises from a brown, creeping rootstock. The stem, which may be smooth or hairy, branches near the top and the leaves grow alternately on the stem. Leaves are long and lanceolate, divided into hundreds of small segments, giving them a feathery appearance. The flowers appear the top of the stem in a flat-topped cluster called a corymb (kôr-im). In the wild varieties the flowers are white with yellow centres. Cultivated varieties may be white, pink, red, or yellow and add colour and texture to borders.

Yarrow flowers, leaves, and stems prepared as a tea is remedy for many ills. It is used to check spasm and cramps. It relieves gas and stimulates production of bile. Yarrow tea increases prespiration and is therefore recommended for colds and flu. It is remedy for mild, occassional hemorrhoidal bleeding. The Yarrow herb crushed and applied as a poltice, stops external bleeding as well. (Anyone who is bleeding internally should immediately see a medical doctor. Anyone who is bleeding profusely from any cut or wound should immediately go to the emergency room of their nearest hospital.)

Yarrow tea is a general tonic that may be beneficial at any time of year but especially in the fall when cold and flu season arrives. Essential oil of Yarrow, which may be obtained from many health food stores, may be combined with an inert vegetable oil, such as olive oil, may be rubbed on the chest of to relieve chest colds. This preparation, with eucalyptus or thyme added, is excellent for opening the chest and sinuses. Yarrow oil is also a natural mosquito repellent. (Frequent or prolonged use of Yarrow on the skin or taken internally may cause sensitivity to sunlight and allergic reactions.)

Anyone who is foolish enough to try it should know that poking a yarrow leaf up the nose causes nosebleed. This was a sovereign remedy for migraine for many centuries. Conversely, crushed leaves and stems applied into the nostril will stop nosebleed.

Planted in the garden, Yarrow attracts several beneficial species, including small predatory wasps, ladybugs, and hoverflies. These all prey on aphids and the larvae of destructive insects. By planting Yarrow you have the double blessing of cultivating a useful herb that is also a pleasure to behold.

Throughout Insular Celtica the Yarrow was valued for its magical qualities. Bags of Yarrow were worn about the person for protection and good fortune. Young women engaged in various Yarrow rituals at certain times of the year to discover who their future husbands might be.

A. millefolium—Yarrow. Gaelic : lus chosgadh tia fola, the plant that stops bleeding. Lus na fola, the blood-weed. Earr thalmhainn, that which clothes the earth {earr, clothe, array).
Athair thalmhainn, the ground father. Cathair thalmhainn, the ground seat or chair. Probably alterations of earr (for thalmhaimi see Bnnimn flexuosum). 'Cathair thalmhainn's carbhin chroc-cheannach."—M'TntyrE. The yarrow and the horny-headed caraway.

Achillea millefolium—Earr ihalmhainn. The yarrow, cut by moonlight by a young woman, with a black-handled knife, and certain mystic words, similar to the following, pronounced —
"Good-morrow, good-morrow, fair yarrow,
And thrice good-morrow to thee ;
Come, tell me before to-morrow,
Who my true love shall be."

The yarrow is brought home, put into the right stocking, and placed under the pillow, and the mystic dream is expected; but if she opens her lips after she has pulled the yarrow, the charm is broken. Allusion is made to this superstition in a pretty song quoted in the 'Beauties of Highland Poetry,' p. 381, beginning —

" Gu'n dh'eirich mi mocli, air madainn an de,
'S ghearr mi'n earr-thalmhainn, do bhri mo sgeil ;
An duil gu'm faicinn-sa riiin mo chleibh ;
Ochoin! gu'm facas, 's a ciil rium fein."
I rose yesterday morning early,
And cut the yarrow according to my skill.
Expecting to see the beloved of my heart.
Alas! I saw him—but his back was towards me.

The superstitious customs described in Burns's Halloween "were common among the Celtic races, and are more common on the western side of Scotland, from Galloway to Argyle, in consequence of that district having been occupied for centuries by the Dalriade Gaels."


(Gaelic Names of Plants by John Cameron Sunderland)




Tira Brandon-Evans is a Chartered Herbalist, the Founder and Moderator of the Society of Celtic Shamans, editor of Earthsongs: Journal of the Society of Celtic Shamans, and a Faery Shaman. Her books, The Green and Burning Tree: A Faery Shaman's Handbook, Portals of the Seasons: A Celtic Wheel of the Year, Through the Unremembered Gate: Journeys of Initiation, The Labyrinthine Way: Walking Ancient Paths in a Modern World, and Healing Waters, are all published by Elder Grove Press. She is presently writing a book about the Ogham. You may contact Tira by email at info@faeryshaman.org.



Earth Well: Yarrow copyright © 2009 by Tira Brandon-Evans, all rights reserved. Used with permission. Top of Page



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