COMMON NAME(S): Yarrow, Common Yarrow
FAVORITE USE(S): info here…
FAVORITE TIME(S): info here…
FROM THE WEB:
YARROW (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow is, perhaps, the most secret and overlooked of all dream herbs. That is because, in and of itself, it is sort of a secret. You won’t find much lore on it being a dream plant, except by word-of-mouth from some herb folks. The only official record of practiced, tried-and-true use, is in Traditional Hispanic Herbal medicine— but even then, the preparation of the plant is very much kept close, only passed down from practitioner to practitioner.
I did find clear references to it in Daniel E. Morgan’s compendium called “Native American Ethnobotany”, where he describes its use as a snuff for headaches, and chewed to relieve pain.
What intrigues me most, though, is that Yarrow contains Thujone, and thujone is the powerful psychoactive component of Absinthe. Absinthe was used by dreamers and artists, and the dream-like state of the art created under the influence of Absinthe is strikingly cloud-like.
Yarrow also has a strong tie to the I Ching or Chinese Book of Changes, which can make one wonder. Traditionally, yarrow stalks were used to cast the hexagrams through which the oracle gave a reading. Perhaps the herb was taken by the one giving the reading, in order to reach the correct mind state where one could receive impressions and intuitive advice more easily.
This is only speculation, on my part.
Yarrow contains thujone, a constituent found in Artemisias too– Mugwort, Wormwood, and Estafiate. It is also found in the common garden Sage, Salvia officinalis, as well as various Cedars and Junipers.
The effects of thujone are said to calm, sedate, slow the heartbeat and alter the mind, if only barely– just enough to hear the voices of your subconscious, among others.
From empirical experience, those who have dreamed with Yarrow talk about some interesting brush-ins with lucidity. In fact, a sensation of feeling like you are “underwater” or “swimming” is reported among many. Above all else though, you are more aware of what is happening around you in the dream, and you take part of it more readily. Messages and clarity find their ways to you all the easier, and many have startling significance.