Yarrow — Traditional Use & Preparation

Cautions to Know

• Pregnancy: Yarrow is a traditional emmenagogue — a substance that affects menstruation — which carries real pregnancy relevance. This same caution is already flagged on this section's Oxymel General Method card, where yarrow appears as a suggested daily ingredient with no warning attached in that source either.
• Daisy family (Asteraceae) allergy: Same cross-reactivity family already flagged on the Positive ID card and on this section's Echinacea and Pineapple Weed cards — ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, and daisy allergy sufferers should use caution.
• Concentrated preparations (essential oil, high-dose tincture) — thujone content: Neither source card mentioned this. Yarrow essential oil can contain thujone, a compound documented as neurotoxic and potentially seizure-provoking at high doses in concentrated forms (the same compound family flagged for wormwood, thuja, and sage essential oils). This doesn't apply to tea or food-amount use — it's specific to essential oil and high-dose/long-term concentrated extract use, which should be avoided in pregnancy and by anyone with a seizure disorder.