Achillea millefolium (yarrow) is a flowering plant belonging to the Asteraceae or daisy family. There is a long history of use of yarrow medicinally, and traditional medicine has made use of the plant in many different countries. Science has corroborated many of the traditional uses of the plant, and the pharmacological effects likely stem from the unique phytochemistry of the plant. In particular, yarrow is rich in antioxidants and may have particular anti-inflammatory effects through the ability of components within the plant to inhibit certain proteases. This anti-inflammatory protease inhibiting effect likely stems from the flavonoids present in extracts of the plant. Anxiety and depression may be caused by inflammation in the brain, and this explains the traditional use of yarrow in the treatment of mood disorders. Experiments on animals confirm the ability of yarrow to alter the behaviour of animals. Animal experiments show yarrow to have particular anxiolytic effect, corroborating its traditional use.
Achillea millefolium (yarrow) is known to contain a number of important phytochemicals that may explain its pharmacological activity. These include the alkaloid achilleine, isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagines, sterols, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, choline and trigonelline and coumarins. The flowers of yarrow contain an essential oil which contains the phytochemical azulene.
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