Prairie Sportsman

(upbeat music) (gentle music) - We are looking at a native plant, it is commonly called yarrow.

The scientific name, which I cannot pronounce, but I'm sure we'll have on the screen for you, actually translates to "To stop bleeding."

And then the other part of it translates to "Mini feathers."

So with the mini feathers, they are referring to the fern-like leaf that is also kind of feather-like.

And then with the to stop bleeding, this plant has been used for a millennia as a wound healer.

Apparently it was used also on battlefield.

People will actually make a tincture out of yarrow, and say you have a wound, you're out hiking, you cut yourself, spray that yarrow tincture on, and your wound will actually kind of pucker up and it will stop bleeding.

So it's been used as a spray tincture.

Also people just take it as a tincture for the medicinal benefits.

The whole plant is edible, and I especially love to use it for tea.

And the stem, it is edible.

You can grind that right up as well after drying it, but it's just pretty woody.

So I just stick with the leaves and the little tight flower clusters, which is an IDing characteristic of yarrow.

So you've got the tight white daisy-like flower clusters, then you have the feathery or fern-like leaves.

And unlike bergamot, which was the leaves were opposite, these are alternating leaves and they also hug the stem.

So there's not really an extending stem with the leaf.

And so for making tea, and again, yarrow is a great example of a plant where you really do wanna do your research.

Check if you are pregnant or nursing or think you could be pregnant, or if you are taking other medications for other health issues.

When consuming tea, it is recommended that you don't overdo yarrow.

So they say no more than three cups a day.

And I also wanna point out, as we're looking at the IDing characteristics of yarrow and utilizing for tea, when they are a young plant, they're gonna have a bunch of just very thin stems popping up from the ground.

And the leaves are actually very large when they're beginning to form.

As the plant's stem grows, then you're gonna get these tinier leaves.

So when I do tea, I harvest the leaves, I harvest the flower clusters, I'm gonna naturally air dry them, again, in just a cool darker place.

I like to use paper bags, I like to use cardboard boxes, and it still allows for breathing and drying, so you're not gonna get any kind of moisture or mildew.

After it dries, takes maybe about a week, then I can choose to grind it up however I want.

Could be powder, could be fairly looseleaf, or it could be partially ground.

And I'll use that for my tea, up to two teaspoons for one cup.

Also, it's got kind of a peppery flavor, so people do actually utilize this kind of as like a pepper maybe replacement, but they do grind that up and use it as pepper.

The plant can be utilized raw or cooked.

I prefer, like I said, to use it in my teas, and I do grind it up and use it as kind of that peppery component.

With anything, there's a myriad of nutritional and medicinal benefits.

Yarrow though is pretty spectacular and just stands out.

So again, if you're experiencing chest congestion, sinus issues, of which I have major allergies and sinuses, yarrow tea is fantastic for that.

It contains a boatload of antioxidants, which basically goes to town detoxifying our bodies from just everything we're taking in by virtue of walking out our front door in the morning.

It is a fever reducer because it actually induces hot flashes or some heat, which causes us to sweat, which helps to tame that fever.

Basically this plant is just great for our bodies.

And like I said, you can eat it raw or cooked.

You can make tea, you can make tincture.

So multifaceted, multipurpose plant.