Western herbalism
YarrowAchillea millefolium
Yarrow is a traditional European bitter for poor appetite and mild digestive upset; we could find no human trial of it for gut outcomes.
- Botanical name
- Achillea millefolium
- Part used
- flowering aerial parts (herb and flower heads)
- Also called
- Milfoil, Thousand-leaf, Common yarrow
- Used in
- Western herbalism
- Taken for
- Appetite, Indigestion, Cramping and pain, Bloating, Gas
- Sold as
- tea, tincture, capsules, extract, fresh
Yarrow, the plant and the part used
Yarrow is a hardy perennial of the daisy family (Asteraceae) found across Europe, Asia and North America. The medicinal material is the flowering aerial part, sold as the dried herb or as flower heads. The finely divided, feathery leaves gave the species its name, millefolium, meaning a thousand leaves, and the stems end in flat-topped clusters of small white to pink flower heads.
In the gut aisle yarrow shows up as a tea, an alcohol tincture, a liquid extract, a pressed juice, a capsule of dried herb and as one ingredient in digestive bitters and multi-herb tea blends. The European Medicines Agency’s herbal monograph covers herbal tea, pressed juice, liquid extract, tincture and dry extract. The aromatic part of the plant is an essential oil made mostly of monoterpenes, and the herb also carries flavonoids and bitter-tasting compounds. Because yarrow belongs to the daisy family, people who react to ragweed, chamomile or other relatives are the group the monograph specifically excludes.
Traditional uses, in their own terms
Western herbalism
European herbal tradition files yarrow among the bitter, aromatic herbs for the digestive tract, with long use for poor appetite, spasm and wind, and also as a wound herb. A review of its ethnobotany describes use from Europe to Asia for spasmodic gastrointestinal disorders, liver and gallbladder complaints, gynecological complaints, inflammation and wound healing. The EU committee on herbal medicines accepts yarrow herb as a traditional herbal medicine, a status that rests on long use and not on trials, for temporary loss of appetite, mild digestive problems such as bloating and flatulence, minor abdominal cramps linked to menstrual periods, and small superficial wounds.
Compounds, and what the laboratory says about them
The essential oil is mostly monoterpenes (about 90 percent in one review), with sesquiterpenes and many minor compounds, plus flavonoids. A cosmetic-ingredient safety panel named linalool, thujone, quercetin, hydroquinone and alpha-peroxyachifolid as constituents of concern in cosmetics made from yarrow. Laboratory and animal models report anti-inflammatory and antiulcer activity for yarrow extracts. Those are findings in cells and animals, and they have not been shown to carry over to people with digestive complaints.
Trials in people, with the numbers
We could find no randomized trial of yarrow for appetite, indigestion, bloating or gas, and none in irritable bowel syndrome or functional dyspepsia. The EU monograph reflects that: the gut indications are listed as traditional use, which means they rest on long use and not on clinical trials. A review of yarrow’s pharmacology likewise lists spasmodic gastrointestinal disorders among the traditional uses and asks for more clinical studies.
Randomized trials of yarrow do exist, in other conditions. In a double-blind trial in students with primary dysmenorrhea, tea bags used for three days in each of two menstrual cycles lowered a visual-analog pain score more than placebo at one month (P = .001) and two months (P < .0001); the abstract does not give the number of participants. In a double-blind trial of 60 adults with type 2 diabetes, 500 mg a day of yarrow capsules for 90 days was followed by a fall in ALT from 28.79 to 24.41 (P = 0.017) and in AST from 24.28 to 18.76 (P = 0.007) in the yarrow group; these are liver blood tests in people with diabetes, not gut symptoms. Randomized trials have also been reported for yarrow as an add-on in multiple sclerosis, for vulvovaginal candidiasis and for oral mucositis in chemotherapy.
What has not been tested: yarrow against placebo for bloating, gas, cramping or appetite; any comparison with other bitters such as gentian; any long-term safety follow-up of regular tea drinking.
| Study | Dose | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| EU herbal monograph on yarrow herb, traditional-use indications (not a trial) | Tea 1.5 to 4 g of herb in 150 to 250 ml, 3 or 4 times a day between meals | Accepts temporary loss of appetite, mild digestive problems including bloating and flatulence, and minor menstrual-related abdominal cramps as traditional uses; no clinical-trial claim |
| Double-blind randomized trial, students with primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps) PMID 26238568 | Yarrow tea bags for 3 days in each of 2 cycles | Pain score fell more than with placebo at 1 month (P = .001) and 2 months (P < .0001) |
| Double-blind randomized trial, 60 adults with type 2 diabetes (liver blood tests, not gut symptoms) PMID 39856724 | 500 mg a day for 90 days | ALT 28.79 to 24.41 (P = 0.017) and AST 24.28 to 18.76 (P = 0.007) in the yarrow group |
| Narrative review of yarrow pharmacognosy and pharmacology PMID 28618131 | Not applicable | Lists spasmodic gastrointestinal disorders among traditional uses; antiulcer and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory and animal models; calls for clinical studies |
The doses on record
For adolescents over 12 years and adults, the EU monograph gives these doses for the appetite and digestive indications: a tea of 1.5 to 4 g of herb in 150 to 250 ml of boiling water, 3 or 4 times daily between meals; pressed juice 5 to 10 ml two or three times daily; liquid extract 2 to 4 ml three times daily; tincture (45 percent ethanol) 2 to 4 ml three times daily. For loss of appetite the liquid preparations are taken 30 minutes before meals. The monograph advises seeing a practitioner if symptoms last beyond two weeks. The diabetes trial used 500 mg of capsules a day.
None of this is a dose recommendation. It is what the literature used, set down so a label can be compared with it; a pharmacist or clinician decides what applies to you.
The safety record
The EU monograph reports skin hypersensitivity reactions of unknown frequency and no cases of overdose. It excludes anyone hypersensitive to yarrow or to other plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae). Use in children under 12 has not been established because of a lack of data. Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and the monograph advises against use in both; no fertility data are available. The cosmetic-ingredient panel that reviewed yarrow flagged thujone, linalool and quercetin among constituents to keep below hazardous levels in cosmetic products, a finding about topical products rather than tea.
Medicines it can interact with
The EU monograph states that no interactions with other medicinal products have been reported, and we could find no interaction study of yarrow in people. The site’s own drug rules attach no rule to yarrow. Alcohol tinctures contain ethanol, and the monograph requires ethanol labeling on tinctures and extracts that contain it, which is relevant for anyone told to avoid alcohol with a medicine.
Where yarrow turns up in the catalog
Yarrow appears on the labels below, alone or inside a blend; each product page gives the printed amount, the evidence for that product and the review picture.
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Common questions
What is yarrow used for in digestion?
European herbal tradition uses yarrow tea and tinctures for poor appetite, mild digestive upset with bloating and gas, and minor cramps. The EU herbal monograph accepts these as traditional uses based on long use. It does not rest them on clinical trials.
Have any trials tested yarrow for bloating or indigestion?
We could find none. Randomized trials of yarrow exist for menstrual pain, liver blood tests in type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis and oral mucositis, but not for appetite, indigestion, bloating or gas.
Can people allergic to ragweed or chamomile take yarrow?
The EU monograph excludes anyone hypersensitive to yarrow or to other plants of the daisy family, which includes ragweed and chamomile. Skin reactions to yarrow have been reported, with unknown frequency.
How is yarrow tea made in the monograph?
The monograph describes 1.5 to 4 g of the dried herb in 150 to 250 ml of boiling water as an infusion, taken 3 or 4 times a day between meals. It advises seeing a practitioner if appetite or digestive symptoms last beyond two weeks.
Is yarrow safe in pregnancy?
The EU monograph says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established and advises against use in both. Use in children under 12 has not been established either.
Sources
- European Medicines Agency, European Union herbal monograph on Achillea millefolium L., herba (EMA/HMPC/376416/2019) ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-opinion/final-european-union-herbal-monograph-achillea-millefolium-l-herba-revision-1_en.pdf
- European Medicines Agency, Millefolii herba, herbal medicinal product page www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/millefolii-herba
- Ali SI et al., "Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Achillea millefolium L.: A Review", Phytother Res 2017;31:1140-1161 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28618131
- Becker LC et al., "Safety Assessment of Achillea millefolium as Used in Cosmetics", Int J Toxicol 2016;35(3 suppl):5S-15S pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27913788
- Jenabi E, Fereidoony B, "Effect of Achillea Millefolium on Relief of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial", J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2015;28:402-404 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26238568
- Daneshvar-Ghahfarokhi S et al., "Achillea millefolium capsule improved liver enzymes and lipid profile compared to placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind randomized clinical trial", BMC Nutr 2025;11:21 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39856724