Yarrow

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From the terrific newsletter by Kat Morgenstern,

owner of the EthnoBotany group on

 

Herb Profile: Yarrow Achillea millefolium

 

Yarrow derived its Latin name from the Greek hero Achilles, the son the

Sea-Goddess Thetis and the mortal king Peleus. Thetis, attempting to make

her son invulnerable, dipped him into the river Styx. But afraid to let the

infant go completely, his ankles remained vulnerable where his mother had

held him, the part that has become known as the 'Achilles heel'. She also

wanted to make him immortal by the power of fire, but Peleus disturbed her

in her ritual and so she fled back to her father, leaving the infant in

Peleus' hands. Peleus gave him to Chiron, the centaur, who had a great

reputation for educating young boys in the art of archery and healing. And

so, Achilles went on to become one of the greatest, and *almost* invincible

warriors, but in the end he died of a mortal wound to his Achilles heel. He

was a great student of the healing arts though and Yarrow was his special

ally. He used it to staunch the wounds of his fellow soldiers, which is how

yarrow became known as 'Militaris'.

 

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