The Herbarium Series

From the Apothecary

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

AN OLD APOTHECARY HERB

Yarrow has followed people for centuries–from kitchen gardens and cottage doorways to the shelves of the apothecary.

Its feathery leaves and clusters of tiny white flowers are easy to overlook, but this humble plant has earned a lasting place in traditional herbalism.

August is an especially beautiful time to gather yarrow, when the flower heads are open and the plant is at its aromatic peak.

In the Apothecary

Flower • Leaf • Tradition

Yarrow has a long history in Western tradition, where the flowering tops and leaves have been prepared as teas, tinctures, infused oils, washes and poultices.

Fresh or dried, it's distinctive aromatic character made is a familiar resident of the houshold apothecary–particularly when a simple, versatile herb was called for.

Harvest • Dry• Keep

HARVEST:

Gather flowering aerial parts on a dry day, after the morning dew has evaporated.

DRY:

Hang in small bundles or spread loosley in a single layer, away from direct sunlight.

KEEP:

Once completely dry, store in a tightly closed container away from heat, moisture, and light.

An old plant needn't become an old-fashioned one

FROM PLANT TO BOTTLE

The art and alchemy of distillation.

Where art meets science.

THE JOURNEY OF AN ESSENTIAL OIL

An essential oil begins long before the first drop

reaches the bottle.

For Yarrow, the journey begins with the flowering plant. At the proper time, the aromatic plant material is gathered and placed into the still, where steam gently releases its volatile aromatic compounds.

As the steam rises, it carries those compounds through the copper alembic. The vapor once again to liquid.

What emerges is a fragrant distillate containing both essential oil and the hydrosol. Given time to settle, the two naturally separate–the concentrated essential oil and the beautifully aromatic water created alongside it.

It is a process both ancient and precise: plant, water, fire, steam copper, and time.

Plant •Water • Fire • Steam • Copper • Time

YARROW ESSENTIAL OIL

Achillea millefolium

BLUE FROM THE STILL

Yarrow essential holds one of the distillation's

little surprises. The flowers themselves are

white, yet some Yarrow oils emerge from the still in shades of deep blue to

blue-green.

That color develops during distillation as

naturally occurring constituents in the plant are transformed into chamazulene, the compound responsible for the oil's striking blue hue.

Its aroma is equally distinctive–warm, herbaceous, penetrating, slightly sweet, with an earthy balsamic character beneath it.

AROMATIC PROFILE

Herbaceous • Earthy • Sweet • Camphoraceous

DISTILLED FROM

Flowering aerial parts

METHOD

Steam Distillation

White Flower • Blue Oil • Ancient Plant

WORKING WITH YARROW

Complex • Herbaceous • A Little Goes a Long Way

Yarrow–The Blue Alchemist

There is something ancient about Yarrow.

It grows wild and unassuming, crowned in tiny white flowers, yet hidden within the plant is something unexpected. Through steam and copper, the pale flowering herb surrenders an oil that can emerge an extrordinary shade of deep blue.

Its aroma belongs to the wild places–green and herbaceous, earthy and penetrating, with a soft medicinal sharpness and a quiet sweetness underneath.

Yarrow has long carried the folklore of protection, courage, boundaries and healing. It is the plant at the edge of the path; the botanical guardian between what we carry with us and what we choose to leave behind.

In the diffuser, it feels grounding. In a blend, it lends depth and an almost mysterious herbal character.

White FLower • Blue Oil • Wild Earth

A reminder that sometimes the most remarkable things a plant holds cannot be seen until they are transformed.

Plant • Water • Fire • Copper • Steam • Blue

BOTANICAL PROFILE

Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium

Plant Family: Asteraceae

Extraction Method: Steam Distillation

Parts Used: Flowering aerial parts

Perfumery Note: Middle

Color: Deep blue to blue-green (varies by chemotype and lot)

Consistency: Thin/mobile

AROMATIC PROFILE

Herbaceous • Earthy • Camphoraceous • Balsamic • Slightly Sweet

Top Notes: Penetrating green–herbal freshness with a slightly camphoraceous edge.

Middle Notes: Complex, warm herbaceous character with subtle sweetness.

Base Notes: Earthy, dry and softly balsamic

IMPRESSION:

Wild Yarrow beneath an open sky–the green bite of crushed leaves, warm earth and flowering herbs, with something deeper and almost mysterious lingering underneath.

BLENDS WELL WITH:

Lavender – softens Yarrow's penetrating herbal character and adds a gentle floral sweetness.

Clary Sage – complements it's earthy, herbaceous depth and creates a beautifully complex botanical blend.

Frankincense – adds resinous warmth and grounding depth; gorgeous for comtemplative and ritual blends.

Bergamot – brightens Yarrow's heavier herbal notes with a fresh, sparkling citrus lift.

Geranium – brings a green-rosy softness that rounds Yarrow without overpowering its wild character.

Cedarwood – deepens the earthy, woody side of Yarrow and anchors the overall aroma.

Roman Chamomile – adds a soft apple-herbal sweetness and pairs beautifully with Yarrow's more medicinal facets.

Helichrysum – creates a rich, intensely herbaceous pairing with warm honey-like undertones.

Black Spruce – gives a forest-floor quality; green, resinous, earthy and grounding.

Sweet Orange – an easy way to tame Yarrow's intensity and make the blend brighter and more approachable.

Yarrow rarely needs to lead a blend. Used with restraint, it adds complexity, depth, and a distinctly wild botanical character.

USING YARROW

Practical • Intentional • A Little Goes a Long Way

A POTENT BOTANICAL

Yarrow is an oil best approached with

intention. It's aroma is powerful, its

character complex, and only a small amount

is needed to influence a blend.

It's deep herbal presence can easily dominate more

delicate oils, so begin sparingly. One drop may be

all that is needed to bring earthiness, depth,

and a distinctly wild character to a formula.

DIFFUSION:

Begins with ONE drop of Yarrow alongside

softer companion oils such as Lavender,

Bergamot, Frankincense or Sweet Orange.

Rather than allowing Yarrow to lead the blend, use it as an aromatic anchor – adding depth, complexity, and grounding beneath brighter or softer notes.

WILD EARTH

Diffuser Blend

3 drops Bergamot

2 drops Frankincense

1 drop Yarrow.

TOPICAL USE

Yarrow's strong aromatic character means a little goes a long way on the skin as well. Always dilute the essential oil in a carrier before topical use.

For general adult use, begin with a low dilution – around 1% – especially when using Yarrow as a part of a large blend.

Its earthy, herbaceous character pairs beautifully with oils such as Lavender, Frankincense, Roman Chamomile, Helichrysum, and Cedarwood

WILD BOUNDARIES

Anointing Oil

1 oz Jojoba

3 drops Frankincense

2 drops Lavender

1 drop Yarrow.

Apply a small amount to pulse points as an aromatic ritual before meditation, journaling, or whenever you want a quiet moment to reset and gather yourself.

For external use only.

AROMATIC BATH RITUAL

Yarrow can bring a deep, wild-herbal character to the bath, but essential oils should never be added directly to bathwater. First, incorporate the oil into a properly formulated bath product or suitable dispersing medium.

Because Yarrow is so aromatically potent, use it sparingly. Pair it with softer oils such as Lavender, Frankincense, Bergamot, or Roman Chamomile to round its sharp herbal edges.

BLUE EARTH

Bath Ritual

1 drop Yarrow

2 drops Lavender

2 drops Frankincense

Add the essential oils to an appropriate bath dispersant

or properly formulated bath base before adding to the water.

Sink in. Breathe

White flower above the earth. Blue oil hidden within.

SAFETY

Yarrow essential oil is highly concentrated and should be used sparingly. Always dilute appropriately before topical use. Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes. Patch test before use.

Avoid during pregnancy and use caution with young children. Individuals with sensitivity to plants in the Asteraceae family should use caution. For external and aromatic use only. Keep out of the reach of children and pets.

BATH USE: Never add essential oils directly to bathwater. Always incorporate them into an appropriate dispersing medium or properly formulated bath product before use. When in doubt, less is more.

Yarrow does not need much to make its presence known.

THE RITUAL

Protection • Boundaries • Courage • Release

The Warrior's Herb

Long before Yarrow found its way into little green bottles,

it carried a reputation as a plant of protection and courage.

It's botanical name, Achillea recalls Achilles, the warrior

of Greek legend. Across centuries of folklore, Yarrow

became associated with the places where we were most

vulnerable – the boundry between strength and tenderness,

holding on and letting go, protection and openness

In ritual, Yarrow can represent the simple act of deciding

what belongs within your space – and what does not.

Not a wall.

A boundary.

Not fear.

Discernment.

Not armor.

Strength with the wisdom to remain soft.

Root • Protect • Release • Begin Again.

BOTANICAL PRACTICE

Thoughtful • Versatile • Used with Restraint

BODY & MASSAGE

Yarrow's intensely herbaceous character

makes it a beautiful supporting note in

body oils and massage blends, particularly

when paired with softer botanicals.

Used at an appropriate dilution, even a small amount can bring depth, complexity,

and a distinctly wild herbal character to a

formula without overwhelming it.

Pairs beautifully with:

Lavender, Frankincense, Helichrysum, and

Roman Chamomile.

BATH & RITUAL

Yarrow brings and earthy, herbaceous presence

to bath rituals–grounding, complex, and

unmistakably botanical.

Because essential oils do not disperse

safely in bathwater on their own, Yarrow

should first be properly diluted or

incorporated into an appropriate bath

formulation rather than added directly

to the water.

It's wild herbal character pairs beautifully

with softer, warmer aromatics, creating a

bath that feels less perfumed and more like

stepping into an old botanical apothecary.

Beautiful comapanions:

Lavender • Frankincense • Roman

Chamomile • Cedarwood

Steam • Water • Herb • Stillness

SKIN & BODY CARE

Yarrow brings its distinctive herbaceous

character to thoughtfully formulated

skin and body preperations. Its bold

aromatic presence means it rarely needs

to be the star – a small amount can add

depth and a beautifully complex botanical

note.

In balms, salves, body oils, and other

formulations, Yarrow pairs especially well

with gentler aromatics and rich botanical

carriers.

Beautiful companions: Helichrysum • Lavender • Frankincense •

German Chamonile • Geranium

Deeply botanical. Quietly complex.

Best used with intention

EMOTIONAL & AROMATIC

Grounding • Reflective • Wildly Botanical

Yarrow has an aroma that seems to ask

for stillness.

Green, earthy, and quietly penetrating,

it brings a sense of depth to an aromatic

blend – less about sweetness or softness

and more about feeling rooted in the

moment.

It's long association with protection,

courage, and boundaries gives Yarrow

an especially fitting place in personal

rituals centered around reflection,

transition, and intention.

This is not an oil that disappears

politely into the background. Even

in small amounts, Yarrow leaves it's

mark –wild, complex and unmistakably

itself.

For quiet ritual:

Frankincense • Cedarwood •

Bergamot • Black Spruce.

Rooted in the earth. Clear at the edges. Open to what comes next.

ALCHEMY OF BLUE

Steam • Transformation • Angel's Breath

Angel's Breath

There is a moment in distillation known

as Angel's Breath – that first fleeting

aroma that announces the botanical

has begun to surrender its volatile

essence to the steam.

Before the oil has collected, before

the hydrosol has filled the receiver,

there is that first breath.

Every botanical has its own voice.

WHEN YARROW TURNS BLUE

Yarrow holds on of distillations most

beautiful surprises.

The flowers entering the still are white,n the foliage, green. Yet during steam distilation, heat transforms naturally occuring constituents within the plant.

Matricin is converted into chamazulene, contributing the extraordinary blue to

blue-green color characteristics of

many Yarrow essential oils.

The blue does not exist in the living flower as we see it,

It is born in the still

White flower. Green leaf. Fire. Copper and steam. And from them–blue.

ROOT • PROTECT • RELEASE • BEGIN AGAIN

Yarrow has spent centuries at the edges –

between field and forest, medicine and

folklore, strength and tenderness.

Yarrow reminds us that protection does

not require hardness.

That boundaries can be living things.

That we may root deeply without refusing

to change.

And that sometimes beginning again

requires nothing more dramatic than

deciding what we will carry forward – and

what we are finally willing to leave behind.

Root into what steadies you.

Protect what matters.

Release what no longer belongs.

Rise again

There is wisdom in knowing what to hold

There is freedon in knowing what to release.