The Description.

            1. Common Yarrow hath very many stalks coming up a cubit high, round, and somewhat hard: about which stand long leaves, cut in the sides sundry wise, and as it were made up of many small jagged leaves, every one of which seem to come near to the slender leaves of Coriander: there stand at the top tufts or spoked roundels: the flowers whereof are either white or purple, which being rubbed do yield a strong smell, but unpleasant; the root sendeth down many strings.

            2. The second kind of Milfoil or Yarrow hath stalks, leaves and roots like unto the former, saving that his spoky tufts are of an excellent fair red or crimson colour, and being a little rubbed in the hand, of a reasonable good savour.

The Place.

            The first groweth everywhere in dry pastures and meadows: Red Milfoil groweth in a field by Sutton in Kent called Holly-Deane, from whence I brought those plants that do grow in my garden; but it is not common everywhere as the other is.

The Time.

            They flower from May to the end of October.

The Names.

            Yarrow is called of the Latin herbarists Millefolium: it is Dioscorides his Achilleos: in Latin, Achillea, and Achillea sideritis; which thing he may very plainly see that will compare with that description which Dioscorides hath set down: this was found out, saith Pliny in his 25th book, chap. 5, by Achilles, Chiron's disciple, which for that cause is named Achilleios: of others, Sideritis: among us, Millefolium: yet be there other Sideritides and also another Panaces heracleion whereof we will treat in another place: Apuleius setteth down divers names hereof, some of which are also found among the bastard names in Dioscorides: in Latin it is called Militaris, Supercilium veneris, Acrum, or Acorum sylvaticum: of the Frenchmen, Millefeuille: in High Dutch, Garben, Scharffgras: in Low Dutch, Geruwe: in Italian, Millefoglio: in Spanish, Milhoyas yerva: in English, Yarrow, Nosebleed, Common Yarrow, Red Yarrow, and Milfoil.

The Temperature.

            Yarrow, as Galen saith, is not unlike in temperature to the Sideritides, or Ironworts, that is to say, cleansing, and meanly cold, but it most of all bindeth.

The Virtues.

            A. The leaves of Yarrow do close up wounds, and keep them from inflammation, or fiery swelling: it stancheth blood in any part of the body, and it is likewise put into baths for women to sit in: it stoppeth the lask, and being drunk it helpeth the bloody flux.

            B. Most men say that the leaves chewed, and especially green, are a remedy for the toothache.

            C. The leaves being put into the nose, do cause it to bleed, and ease the pain of the megrim.

            D. It cureth the inward excorations of the yard of a man, coming by reason of pollutions or extreme flowing of the seed, although the issue do cause inflammation and swelling of those secret parts, and though the spermatic matter do come down in great quantity, if the juice be injected with a syringe, or the decoction. This hath been proved by a certain friend of mine, sometime a Fellow of Kings College in Cambridge, who lightly bruised the leaves of common Yarrow, with hog's grease, and applied it warm unto the privy parts, and thereby did divers times help himself, and others of his fellows, when he was a student and a single man living in Cambridge.

            E. One dram in powder of the herb given in wine, presently taketh away the pains of the colic.