Update on Making Yarrow Oil

Three weeks ago I posted about making yarrow oil here.  I had a slight problem, possibly due to the plant material being fresh rather than dried, although I am told fresh is better and will produce a stronger oil.  I got a bit of white moldy stuff growing on top.  After doing some online checking, that is not uncommon and won't hurt a thing.  Just needed to scoop out the fuzzy stuff and the plant material it was attached to.  

The problem was oxygen!  As you can see in the above photo I had a bit of head room.  Some of the yarrow poked above that and that caused it.  So I cleaned out the fuzzies and according to the remedy I found, added more oil to reduce the air in the jar.  So far so good.  I will let it go another week or two before I make the salve.

Here's the pure beeswax I got from a beekeeper that I will be using to make the salve with.

In case you are not familiar with yarrow, it has been used for ages for wound healing among other things.  Achilliea Millifolium is its Latin name.  Named for Achilles and the wound he received in the heel.  It was often used on the battle field because of its ability to staunch bleeding.  It is an astringent and antiseptic and has a very strong medicinal odor.  

It's very easy to grow and loves the sun.  It will spread but is fairly easy to contain by pulling up the fronds where you don't want it.  Wikipedia has a good article on yarrow's uses and there are many other websites that do also.  

I'm not medically trained and do caution you to do your research and always check with your doctor before using an herbal remedy, especially if you are on medication.

9/4/2012
I had the yarrow oil steeping for some time.  I opened the jar today to see if it was ready and it had a yucky moldy scum on the top so to be safe I threw it all out.  My conclusion is that fresh plant material is good for tinctures but for oils you need to use dried plant material.