It seems I posted a quick comment that obviously initiated some rapid sure fired, if not rude, responses that I suppose lead me to explain my seemingly ill informed casual post.
Maybe I should have placed a more informed post in the first place, hey ho here it goes now. Hopefully this will educate and placate your curiosity.
Seeing that this is a Bushcraft skills site where when a person mentions that a plant can be used to help you out in the wilderness should, I suppose, lead one to investigate its properties. Considering we all ultimately would like to be able to travel with as few ties to our civilised world as possible, we ought to revel in the fact that nature actually supplies us with many cures to enable our frail human form to survive in its wilder zones.
If you hear of a plant that is useful take time to check it out and learn all you can about it rather than pass flippant comments like, “Which is OK if there happens to be some Yarrow near you and you know what to do with it when you cut yourself.” This is really a comment you could pass on any skill or tool that could assist you, this ultimately highlights the fact you need more dirt time!
This plant is ubiquitous in its nature both in the many eco zones around the world and also in its medicinal use throughout history.
Now of course the point may raise its self that you should not use this plant on a client or other person, you have duty of care of, who may sue you butt off. So justifiably this kind of knowledge should be kept for your own personal survival, or if you are a clinical herbalist you are able to legally act as a practitioner.
I teach courses for different modes of wilderness travel, the Advanced Wilderness First aid courses I teach are up to 10 days long, so I am fully aware of the limitations of skill and or amount of equipment we should carry. Within this skill set I do not teach plant medicine as I edify that a person should be carrying a suitable conventional First Aid/Medical Kit for the planned trip.
For my personal safety, and planning for those times when the preverbal **** could hit the fan, I have taken time to learn about everything ‘out there’ that could save my life. I personally have used Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium) on many occasions.
My reference to quick clots and yarrow was in the general historical vane, so I apologise if anyone out there happens to be a staff member of that trade name selling quick clot.
Now of course you will know that the trade named product ‘quik clot’ actually consists mainly of kaolin, or synthetic derivatives from volcanic rock (Zeolite being one) calcium based products.
Back to Yarrow; it is sometimes, in the herbal world, referred to as nature’s ‘quick clot.’
Brief History
Millefolium is from the Latin meaning thousand- leafed.
Achillea from either the warrior Achilles or new theories suggest the Greek doctor who recorded its medicinal uses.
Yarrow – is believed to have come from either Dutch or German or possibly Anglo Saxon ‘Gearwe,’ meaning “to repair,” or prepair.
I have references to this plant from the Swiss, German, Scots, English, Brazilian, Chinese, Greek, and Iranian peoples.
In North America many tribes reference this plant and to name them all would take a book in its self, however one tribe that I work closely with the Cree people call this plant Wapanew – Uskew (“bee plant”
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Medicinals
This plant contains 149-recorded Constituents such as achilleine, numerous sesquiterpene lactones (anti septic, anti bacterial, anti-inflammatory), achillin, estafiatin, leucomisin, artecian and so on.........
The chemical profiles of this plant have been tested and agreed upon by many science labs.
Achillean is a nerve relaxant with an affinity to the heart, and in combination Yarrow is useful for treating high blood pressure. Achillein also increases the ability of the blood to clot 60% more efficiently than calcium chloride, often used in allopathic medicine. (et al Professor Robert Dale Rodgers page 120 ‘Roberts Herbal Manual’ ISBN 1-894453-22-0)
Here let me remind you that many of the products in quikclot are calcium based probably as it is easy to come by, incidentally calcium is used in many other products such as toothpaste and talcum powder.
Hopefully this small piece has passed on some interesting facts to you.