Medicinal plant of the year 2025 - Common yarrow
The medicinal plant of the year is traditionally chosen by the "Studienkreis der Entwicklungsgeschichte der Arzneipflanzenkunde" in Würzburg. For 2025, this is common yarrow, a plant that has been anchored in the European pharmacopoeia for centuries, but which has faded into the background in recent years. Typical traditional names for the plant include Achilles' herb, stomachache herb and maiden's breath herb.
The medicinally used yarrow herb (Millefolii herba) consists of the whole or cut, dried, flowering shoot tips of Achillea millefolium L. The herbal drug used for pharmaceutical purposes is monographed in the current version of the European Pharmacopoeia (EuAB).
Application
Effects: Antispasmodic, antibacterial, choleretic, astringent. The clinical applications of Millefolii herba are summarized in a monograph by the HMPC (Herbal Medicinal Product Committee) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which acknowledges its "traditional use." This denotes the long-standing documented safe use in the application areas mentioned below. Internally, preparations made from yarrow herb can be used to address loss of appetite, for the symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints, and for cramps associated with menstruation. Externally, aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic preparations from the drug are employed for the treatment of minor superficial wounds of the skin and mucous membranes. The effects of yarrow in both internal and external applications are comparable to those of chamomile flowers due to their similar constituents.
Components
Essential oil (0.1 to 1.4%) with mono- (pinene, sabinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor) and sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene, germacrene D). It is important to note that the exact composition of the essential oil is largely determined by the morphological type. The high variability in the composition of the essential oil thus leads to the formation of chemotypes. Specific representatives of sesquiterpene lactones are represented by the so-called proazulenes (guaianolide derivatives), with achillicin being regarded as the lead compound in this regard. The proazulene mixture is complex and, in addition to achillicin, consists of many other guaianolide lactones that are very similarly constructed but slightly altered structurally. These inherently colorless compounds show great structural similarity to the proazulenes of chamomile, are unstable in the presence of heat, light, and acid, and are easily converted into the blue-colored chamazulene. It is noteworthy that the bitter taste of yarrow is determined by the sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene lactones, whereas the aromatic scent is more characterized by the monoterpene fraction.