Condition
    Effectiveness 2/5

    Yarrow for Slow Wound Healing

    Yarrow has one of herbalism's oldest wound-care reputations and supportive rodent data, but human evidence amounts to a small episiotomy trial.

    Overview

    Yarrow has one of herbalism's oldest wound-care reputations and supportive rodent data, but human evidence amounts to a small episiotomy trial.

    Verdict

    Insufficient evidence

    Plausible mechanism and encouraging animal work, but the human record is too thin to make a real recommendation.

    How It Works

    Astringent tannins promote local hemostasis and tissue contraction while sesquiterpene lactones and flavonoids suppress inflammatory cytokine signalling at the wound site.

    Dosing & Protocol

    Typical dose

    Recommended dose
    Topical extract or ointment applied to intact healing tissue
    Expected timeframe
    Not established

    Protocol

    form
    Traditionally an infusion or poultice of Achillea millefolium applied topically, or a diluted tincture; no standardised preparation or dose has been validated in trials
    duration
    Not applicable
    co factor
    Evidence is insufficient. Yarrow has a long traditional reputation as a wound herb - the species name millefolium and the folk name herba militaris reflect battlefield use to staunch bleeding - and laboratory work shows antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and mild haemostatic activity from its flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones and achilleine. But there are no controlled human trials showing faster wound closure, and one small trial of a yarrow ointment in episiotomy healing is not sufficient evidence. Wound healing is driven by moisture balance, debridement, infection control, offloading pressure, nutrition and treating the underlying cause.
    titration
    Not applicable
    starting dose
    Not applicable as an established treatment

    Evidence

    What the studies say

    Rodent excisional and incisional wound models consistently show accelerated closure, increased fibroblast proliferation and higher hydroxyproline content with topical Achillea millefolium extract compared with untreated controls, and some studies report results comparable to standard topical agents. Human data are far more limited. A randomized trial of topical yarrow ointment applied after episiotomy reported reduced pain scores and improved REEDA wound-assessment scores relative to placebo over ten days, in a sample of under 150 women. No trial has examined chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers or surgical incisions. The traditional hemostatic use — pressing crushed leaf onto a bleeding wound — is mechanistically reasonable from tannin astringency but has never been formally quantified. Anyone with Asteraceae allergy risks contact dermatitis, which would worsen rather than help healing, and yarrow should not be applied to deep or infected wounds.

    Achillea millefolium L. s.l. - Ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological review

    Score: 6/10
    2017
    systematic_review
    0

    Ali SI, Gopalakrishnan B, Venkatesalu V

    Yarrow extracts show anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antispasmodic and wound-healing activity in preclinical models; clinical trials are scarce.

    View source

    Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L. s.l.): a neglected panacea? A review of ethnobotany, bioactivity, and biomedical research

    Score: 5/10
    2011
    systematic_review
    0

    Applequist WL, Moerman DE

    Traditional use for wounds, fevers and menstrual complaints is extensive, but controlled clinical evidence is nearly absent.

    View source

    Safety

    Caveats

    Do not apply plant preparations to chronic, deep, surgical or infected wounds - what genuinely accelerates healing is proper wound assessment, appropriate dressings, compression for venous leg ulcers, offloading for diabetic foot ulcers, correcting protein, vitamin C and zinc deficiency, and treating diabetes and arterial insufficiency. A wound that is not healing after four weeks, or shows spreading redness, increasing pain, foul smell, fever or exposed bone or tendon, needs urgent medical assessment - cellulitis, osteomyelitis and, in long-standing ulcers, malignant change are all possible. Diabetic foot wounds are a limb-threatening emergency. Safety: yarrow is in the Asteraceae family, so it causes allergic contact dermatitis and cross-reacts with ragweed, chamomile and chrysanthemum - the very reaction you least want on a healing wound. It causes photosensitivity. Contraindicated in pregnancy: yarrow is a traditional emmenagogue with reported uterine-stimulating and abortifacient effects, and should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding. It may add to the effect of anticoagulants and sedatives, and should be stopped two weeks before surgery.

    Less likely to help if

    Everyone: no responder group has been demonstrated, and non-healing wounds need medical management.

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    Individual results may vary. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.