It grows like a weed and looks more like a common garden flower than a herb, but Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is in fact an ancient healing herb that dates back to the legendary battle of Troy. Achilles used the flowers and leaves to treat his soldiers wounds, hence its Latin name. What's been more recently discovered is that Yarrow is a good gynaecological herb. It helps regulate the menstrual cycle, eases period pain and reduces heavy menstrual bleeding.

The leaves are also rich in minerals and vitamins so chop them up finely and add sparingly to fresh salad, stir into curries or include in stuffing for roast meat.

Yarrow needs full sun and grows easily in most types of soil, especially if compost has been added. The soil should be kept moist at all times and it's a good indicator plant because it droops very quickly if the soil gets too dry. Add the old leaves to the compost heap as they help speed up decomposition.

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