Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.): A Neglected Panacea? A Review of Ethnobotany, Bioactivity, and Biomedical Research1

Abstract

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.): A Neglected Panacea? A Review of Ethnobotany, Bioactivity, and Biomedical Research. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the world, primarily for wounds, digestive problems, respiratory infections, and skin conditions, and secondarily, among other uses, for liver disease and as a mild sedative. Preclinical studies indicate that it may have anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective, anxiolytic, and perhaps antipathogenic activities. Animal studies have also shown that yarrow is generally safe and well tolerated. The claim that yarrow has been shown to be specifically contraindicated during pregnancy is based on a single low-quality rat study the results of which were incorrectly interpreted. The combination of human use data from multiple cultures, independently reporting similar activities for yarrow, and the discovery of potentially relevant bioactivities by in vitro and animal studies represent meaningful evidence of the plant's efficacy. We therefore argue that human clinical trials should be funded and conducted.

Achillea millefolium Aqueous Extract does not Impair Recognition Memory in Mice

“…As there might be some new implications for A. millefolium in preventing or treating mental disorders [2], the result of present study demonstrated that long term treatment with aqueous extract of A. millefolium has no impairing effect of recognition memory in mice.…”

“…In several studies, various doses of A. mellifolium extracts ranging from 8 to 3000 mg/kg were used. However, the most frequent doses for A. millefolium extracts were between 50 to 1000 mg/kg [2].…”

“…millefolium has been used as a treatment for wound healing, infectious diseases, pain and gastrointestinal complaints as well as many other conditions [2]. Although A. millefolium has been suggested as a folk remedy for the traditional treatment of central nervous system diseases, few data have been published supporting this claimed ethnomedical action.…”

Antioxidant Activity and Ethno pharmacological Survey of Achillea biebersteinii Afan. in the Treatment of Dysmenorrhoea in Traditional Medicine of Golestan Province, Iran

“…In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the flowers of Achillea species has been used for a variety of conditions such as bleeding, wounds, haemorrhoids, varicose veins, dysmenorrhoea and tuberculosis condition (3). In the entire American continent, the most important uses were for skin problems and injuries, bleeding conditions, respiratory illnesses, digestive problems, toothaches and eye problems (14). Karamenderes and Apaydin demonstrated that ethanol extract Achillea micrantha exhibits an inhibitory effect on the dose-response curves induced by acetylcholine and CaCl 2 on rat duodenum (13).…”

Radiolabeling of methanol extracts of yarrow (Achillea millefolium l) in rats

“…The genus Achillea is represented by about 110-140 species mostly found in Europe and Asia and a few species native to northern Africa and North America 1 .About forty species of Achillea are located in Turkey 2 . Edirne is one of the places where members of Achillea family are located in yarrow particularly.…”