How to Make a First-Aid Kit Yarrow Tincture

Yarrow, and especially yarrow tincture, is a wonderful herbal ally and addition to your first-aid kit to help you stay well prepared for any unfortunate bump in your herbal adventures! 

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), known also as woundwort, staunch weed, nosebleed, and carpenter’s weed, is a rather common herb that can be wild foraged in many areas. Oftentimes herbalists will also grow this beneficial herb in their gardens. 

You’ll find yarrow growing in the summer months, but it starts appearing in mid-to-late spring, which is the best time to harvest young yarrow leaves (before the plant sets flowers). Harvest the flowers in summer when the plant is blooming (the best harvest time is in the morning after the dew dries). You can dry your own yarrow using some of these methods in preparation for making your own yarrow tincture, or purchase it in dried form from trusted sources like our friends at Mountain Rose Herbs (Herbal Academy students get 10% off supplies and herbs).

Yarrow has astringent, anti-inflammatory, and hemostatic properties that can help staunch bleeding internally and externally and soothe the itch of bug bites and weepy rashes. Yarrow can be made into a hot tea, which is helpful in lowering hot body temperatures by stimulating perspiration. It’s also an antimicrobial herb, and therefore a welcome addition in the case of cuts, scrapes, and sore throats. With its bitter flavor, yarrow is often used as a digestive herb in cases of upset stomach, cramping, gas, and indigestion. 

Yarrow has many uses and applications, as you can see! As herbalists, we will prepare it most commonly as an herbal tea, poultice, infused oil, salve, or tincture—and yarrow tincture is our favorite form for first aid.

Yarrow Tincture for First Aid

While yarrow is often growing rather abundantly and can be found in fields, along roadsides, and in ditches, it’s always wise to come prepared with some trusty first-aid tools—and a small bottle of yarrow tincture is a helpful preparation that suits many needs! Should you encounter any unfortunate scrape or cut while out on your foraging adventure or hike, you’ll be well prepared to act quickly with your First-Aid Kit Yarrow Tincture.

A yarrow tincture can help cleanse wounds, stop bleeding, soothe rashes, ease intestinal distress, lower fevers, and more. To use your yarrow tincture, squeeze a dropperful into a small amount of warm water and apply to skin to cleanse wounds and slow bleeding. This can also be applied to rashes. 

This First-Aid Kit Yarrow Tincture can also be helpful for home use. Add 10-20 drops to a cup of hot water to help soothe digestion and fevers.

In Closing,

Now that you’ve foraged, dried, and made your own First-Aid Kit Yarrow Tincture, don’t forget the most important part! Be sure to bring your yarrow tincture with you—put it in your backpack, beach bag, purse, or pocket for your next adventure!