Smolweaving Resources

Gently placing this here and scurrying away

Yarrow and its Uses

Disclaimer: The below is the culmination of tedious, scrupulous research meant to assist with magical and medicinal practices. However, we lack a variety of lab-conducted herbalism trials in humans, so precautions are necessary. None of the below represents medical advice or is meant to replace treatment by a medical professional.

Identification and Profile:

Appearance: White, yellow, or pink flowers bloom from March to October. Very strong sweet smell. Often mistaken for hemlock or queen anne’s lace; leaves and flower shape are the most reliable identifiers for telling these three apart.

Distribution & Habitats: Native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Thrives in meadows, roadside ditches, grasslands, and open forests. Attracts predatory wasps, ladybugs, and other beneficial insects. Reduces parasites in the nests of birds such as the common starling, who line their nests with it.

Associations: Yarrow was found in a neanderthal burial site in Iraq, suggesting its use by humans for more than 60,000 years. While yarrow has impressively consistent medicinal usage across cultures - namely healing and inflammatory pain relief - cultural and spiritual connotations vary. Yarrow’s botanical name refers to the legend that the centaur Chiron taught Achilles to use yarrow on the battlegrounds of Troy to heal wounds. Across the British Isles, yarrow was used to assist women in finding husbands, from divination to sleeping with the flowers under ones’ pillow. In Europe, it was known as a witch’s herb, occasionally called the Devil’s Nettle.

Uses: Topical: Effective antibacterial, astringent, antifungal, and antiseptic agent and can be applied to wounds to deter infection, speed up healing, and soothe inflamed or irritated skin. Ethanol extracted essential oil is the most lab-studied form of topical application, though dried flowers can be powdered, applied as whole dried flowers, or made into poultices and salves to wounds to stop bleeding. Oral: Flavonoids of yarrow make it a powerful antispasmodic and decent anti-inflammatory, most often used for gastrointestinal disorders. Yarrow can also induce sweat to break a dry fever. Essential oil of yarrow heals stomach ulcers. Navajo people chewed the leaves to reduce tooth and gum aches or inflammation in the mouth. Mild laxative properties. Mild sedative when consumed as tea. Tea also can be consumed to reduce headaches and cold symptoms, and sterols in yarrow can regulate menstrual cycles. Inhalation: Boiling the plant and inhaling the steam can reduce headaches and sinus inflammation. Dosage: Oral dosage is 2-4g of dried herb, flower and leaf, or 3g of whole flowers. Consecutive use is not recommended for longer than 2 weeks.

Interactions & Side Effects: - Adding nettle to yarrow consumed orally can reduce oxalate burden on kidneys. - Possibly an abortificant by relaxing the uterus, and may reduce breast milk supply while breastfeeding. - Increases production of stomach acid, lowers blood pressure, and increases risk of bleeding for those on blood-thinning medications. - Also interacts poorly with lithium based medications by increasing the body’s lithium retention.

i was inspired

will never be over how when sonic and caliburn are at molten mine and they're surrounded by a sea of lava and caliburn tells him they could literally die if they fall and sonic says "I KNOW ISN'T IT GREAT?!"

i dont think i posted these but here i made a little frog pattern to make tiny frog toys with my grandma

this is the first lil guy I made while still learning how i should sew it

[typewriter sounds]

hey dude im on Loves You island and all of your friends are here too. what time are u planning on getting here? we are gonna order pizza

being traumatized is so embarrassing sometimes like oooogh my mom was mean to me when i was little so now i want to eviscerate myself anytime i think i’ve done something wrong. fuck you

The first step to resistance in any way, shape or form is to have hope. When you learn about this, it's easy to realize that half the efforts being put into crushing any attempts at fighting back against systemic opression are all about making you feel hopeless.

Change is possible. It's already happening. Humans care about each other and they are good at working together because we (quite literally!) evolved to be together. There is no inherent evil or good about us, but we have to power to do both. Choosing to do better is an everyday decision, and you and I can do it.

We can change. We can fight back. But first, we must have hope.