Achillea millefolium

Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow /ˈjæroʊ/ or common yarrow,

is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and North America. It has been introduced as a feed for live stock in places like New Zealand and Australia. However, it is a weed in those places and sometimes also in its native regions.

In New Mexico and southern Colorado, it is called plumajillo (Spanish for 'little feather') from its leaf shape and texture. In antiquity, yarrow was known as herbal militaris, for its use in stanching the flow of blood from wounds. Other common names for this species include gordaldo, nosebleed plant, old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, thousand-leaf, and thousand-seal.

The several varieties and subspecies include:

Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium
A. m. subsp. m. var. millefolium - Europe, Asia
A. m. subsp. m. var. borealis - Arctic regions
A. m. subsp. m. var. rubra - Southern Appalachians
A. millefolium subsp. chitralensis - western Himalaya
A. millefolium subsp. sudetica - Alps, Carpathians
Achillea millefolium var. alpicola — Western United States, Alaska
Achillea millefolium var. californica — California, Pacific Northwest
Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis — North America
Achillea millefolium var. pacifica — west coast of North America, Alaska
Achillea millefolium var. puberula — endemic to California

Yarrow has also been used as a food or in teas, and was very popular as a vegetable in the 17th century. The younger leaves are said to be a pleasant leaf vegetable when cooked like spinach, or in a soup. Yarrow is sweet with a slight bitter taste. The leaves can also be dried and used as an herb in cooking.

In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of an herbal mixture known as gruit used in the flavoring of beer prior to the use of hops. The flowers and leaves are used in making some liquors and bitters.

فَبِأَيِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذبٰن