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Discovering Wild Herbs: Red Clover and Yarrow
- Jun 27
- 3 min read
It is always great to be in North Carolina learning about various plants! Some of them are in Florida, but not as abundant as here. One that I’m enjoying now is the red clover.
I thought it was native, but it is actually one that has naturalized from cultivation.* It was brought from Europe to be used as hay and as a pasture crop. It stores nitrogen in its root nodules and is used in crop rotation to improve soil fertility.**
Benefits of Red Clover
Red Clover is good for us! It offers a rich bounty of nutrients that support the whole body. It is high in beta-carotene, calcium, vitamin C, a whole spectrum of B vitamins and essential trace minerals such as magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper and selenium. And don’t forget the obvious, they are great for our pollinators!
Pollinators and Red Clover
I have harvested and dried the blossoms to use for tea, which, while writing this, I realized it would be good to add to my morning chamomile tea that I’m drinking now. 😊
Fresh blossoms can be added to salads, soups, etc. as well. They are not only nutritious, they add a pretty touch to your plate!
One caution I will mention is that red clover does have blood thinning properties. This needs to be considered for some of you, and should also not be used 2 weeks before or after surgery.
Discovering Yarrow
Yarrow is another herb I have found growing wild here!
Years ago, a friend, and one of my herb mentors, brought to my attention that if I cut myself, I could take a yarrow leaf, crush it and apply it to the wound to stop the bleeding. I found it worked! I have since found information and history of its great medicinal use.
I did not find it growing wild where I lived in Florida, so I purchased seeds to grow plants in my yard and in my nursery (when I had one) to sell to those who wanted it.
When we first came to North Carolina, I found a single wild plant. I was very excited! Knowing how this land was manipulated, churned and moved around in developing it, the yarrow somehow survived!
Wild Yarrow
Each year I come back, they seem to spread slightly. As with most wild plants, they take care of themselves.
Note, if you see colorful yarrow hybrids, they are bred for aesthetics, rather than medicinal properties, and most likely NOT wild.**
Planting Yarrow Around the Cottage
Last year, I brought some of my yarrow plants from Florida to North Carolina and planted them in a few areas around the cottage to add more of these medicinal plants around my cottage. When I came back this year, I noticed how the ones I had planted were doing quite well!
Wild vs Planted Yarrow
Interestingly, there was a difference between the wild and planted ones. The wild patch was continuing to spread as I recognized the lacey fine fern-looking leaves amongst the grass. The flowers were about 18-24 inches tall!
The ones I had planted were much larger, reaching 3-4 feet tall with much healthier foliage. Hmm, could that be from rain runoff from the roof?
The planted ones were too tall for where I had planted them, hiding plants behind them. I didn't expect this because the ones I had sown in the past were never this big. I cut them back and will transplant to different locations.
One of those locations is near the wild patch. So now I will see if the difference is variety or location. I'm very curious to see what will happen next yar!
Resources and Herbal Learning
Both of the resources I’ve referred to (below) have good information on red clover AND yarrow (as well as a bunch of other plants and herbs). Rosemary Gladstar’s, Medicinal Herbs A Beginner’s Guide, also shares recipes, which I like.
On an entirely different note, I'm excited to tell you that I got another YouTube video up! I know, it has been a while, but I was quite busy preparing to leave my Florida home for the summer.
It's part of a series of how to use your herbs to make water, oil and lotion (how to make herb-infused oil is part of the comfrey salve video. This first one is how to make flower water, in this case I used lavender.
Check it out and remember to like and subscribe! 😊
Resources:
*The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers Eastern Region https://amzn.to/3IgEW7l
**Rosemary Gladstar’s, Medicinal Herbs A Beginner’s Guide https://amzn.to/4aJE6Zu
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