Yarrow Botanical Features and Agriculture

Latin: Achillea millefolium L.
English Name: Yarrow

Botanical Characteristics:

Yarrow is a plant of European origin in the Asteraceae family, distributed in the northern temperate zone and is distributed throughout Europe, North Asia and America. Approximately 115 taxa are distributed in the world. In Turkey, Achillea L. has a total of 70 taxa including 52 species, 17 subspecies and 1 variety, 33 of which are endemic. Yarrow is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 60 cm. The plant has white, cream, yellow, pink and red coloured flowers and the soil of the plant dries up completely in winter and re-grows in spring. Leaves are needle-shaped and fragmented. Flowering takes place at the end of the flower stalk. Since the flowers are in clusters, it resembles an umbrella. It has a unique odour. A dynamic accumulator that collects minerals or nutrients from the soil and stores them in a more bioavailable form, used as a fertiliser or to develop mulch.

Cultivation

Yarrow is grown in many agricultural areas with different ecological characteristics. The plant is resistant to cold. However, it is not possible to cultivate yarrow in dry agricultural areas without irrigation. It is more suitable for cultivation in permeable soils that do not retain water with loamy soil structure. Plant production is practically done by seed. The seedlings obtained from the seeds sown in seedling pads or vials are planted on the land in March-April in spring. Planting density can be 50x20 cm or 70x20 cm. Row spacing is selected according to the use of intermediate hoeing machine. Approximately 8000 seedlings are planted per decare. In irrigated areas, approximately 200-300 kg of drog herb yield can be obtained from the decare. Drog flower yield is around 100-150 kg.

Content and Active Ingredients:

Chemical studies on Achillea L. species show that yarrow is very rich in essential oil, mainly terpenoids (monoterpene, sesquiterpene, diterpene, triterpene), flavonoids and lignans. It contains Achillein substance in its structure. Although the essential oil ratio varies according to the species, it varies between 0.2-1%, while 0.2-0.4% essential oil is present in the herb part. The plant contains components such as luteolin, quercetin, apigenin, artemetin, betonisin, stakhidrin, trigonellin, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, camphor, linalool, azulene, chamazulene, sabinene, achillin, 1,8-cineole and others.

Applications:

Cosmetics: Hair care, face/body creams, skin care, massage creams, anti-dandruff, revitalising, tonic
Beverage Flavouring: Juice, tea
Herbal Medicine: Tablets, syrup
Extract Form: Liquid
Active ingredients: The most common compounds include flavonoids (glycosylated and non-glycosylated), phenolic acids (mainly cinnamic and benzoic acid derivatives), terpenes (including guaianolides, diterpenes, sesquiterpenes and their oxygenated forms), phytosterols, organic acids, fatty acids and alcohols. The main constituents of the essential oil are chamazulene, caryophyllene oxide, thorilenol, (E)-nerolidol and borneol.