Yarrow

This is another pasture herb which is wide spread.

Fresh Yarrow is a very handy styptic. This means it stops bleeding. It does this as it is very astringent. It will not fix a cut artery or serious loss of blood but cuts and bites respond very well.

A while ago our dog had a fight with a huge rat. In the end it was dog 1 ; rat nil, but there was a price to pay. She ended up with a nasty bite on the nose and was shaking her head and spraying blood everywhere. We took a handful of yarrow, thoroughly scrunched it up and applied it to the cut. Within about 30 seconds the bleeding had stopped.

It is important that you bruise the plant well before you apply it. This allows the active constituents in the plant to make intimate contact with the tissue.

If there is profuse bleeding apply a pressure bandage and call your vet immediately.