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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / How to Make and Use Yarrow Tincture as Herbal Bug Repellent (stronger than DEET)

How to Make and Use Yarrow Tincture as Herbal Bug Repellent (stronger than DEET)

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Yarrow Herb
  • How to Make Yarrow Tincture
  • DIY Method Using Dried Herbs
  • Prefer to Buy?
  • How to Use

How to properly make and use yarrow as a broad spectrum insect repelling herbal tincture (including ticks) which has a reputation for being stronger than DEET.

bottle of yarrow tincture on table with white flowers background

My family recently spent the day at a local beach on a large lake. The horseflies proved to be very annoying and painful, which was surprising given the strong, direct sunshine in the middle of the day.

I really wished I’d brought along a small spray bottle of homemade yarrow tincture as protection.

Yarrow Herb

Note that crushing yarrow leaves and stems and rubbing them on yourself does not really work very well (neither does citronella, by the way). The yarrow potency needs to be concentrated via tincture.

Herbalist extraordinaire Susun Weed of the Wise Woman Herbal series of books says that the United States Army studied yarrow and found a tincture of this herb outperforms DEET in repelling ticks and mosquitoes.

One thing is for sure. Avoiding DEET insect repellents no matter what is a wise parenting decision.

This stuff is so highly toxic – possibly worse than even spraying neighborhoods for mosquitoes. It isn’t worth it to ever use, in my opinion.

It has been known to cause seizures in young children even at low potency. In addition, a review of the scientific literature turns up 17 cases of DEET-induced toxic encephalopathy in children (1).

The one drawback is that yarrow tincture does not remain effective as long as DEET. So, it needs to be reapplied often. I was unable to find a source for this study, so you will have to try it and see if you agree.

Ms. Weed suggests spraying yourself with yarrow tincture every 20-30 minutes if the insects are heavy. If not, every couple of hours should be sufficient.

Yarrow works for repelling horseflies and other insects that are bothering your horse when you are riding too.

How to Make Yarrow Tincture

The best tinctures are made yourself at home with freshly picked plants.

Buying a commercially prepared tincture from the store made with dried plants is not as potent.

Fortunately, finding fresh yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is not that hard as it is a common plant that grows wild all around the world in temperate regions.  

It has lovely, long-lasting flowers that may be white, yellow, red, or pink. Susun Weed suggests the white or pink yarrow varieties as the best ones to tincture. She recommends picking the flowers, flower buds, seeds, stalk and leaves from the top third of the plant.

Preparing the yarrow tincture is performed as follows:

  1. Discard any damaged yarrow plant material
  2. Do not wash any of the yarrow with the exception of the roots and only with water and if necessary.
  3. Coarsely chop the yarrow plant parts except for the flower and buds.
  4. Fill a jar to the top with the chopped yarrow. You don’t leave an inch like when you are fermenting food and drinks.
  5. Pour in 100-proof vodka or vinegar. I would suggest vodka as a better choice because a tincture made with a vinegar base will make you pretty smelly if you spray yourself with it. Tip: use potato vodka if there is a gluten sensitivity in your home.
  6. Cap the jar.
  7. Label the jar with the date and type of plant used (yarrow).
  8. The next day, top up the liquid. The level will go down slightly as the plant material absorbs the liquid.
  9. Leave in the home medicine cabinet or on the counter for a minimum of 6 weeks.
  10. Strain the tincture into a spray bottle. It is now ready to use.

DIY Method Using Dried Herbs

If you absolutely cannot source fresh yarrow to make this insect repellent tincture, you can use dried yarrow. Just know that it will not be as potent and you will most likely have to respray yourself more often to achieve satisfactory results.

Note that powdered yarrow is not suitable for tinctures. You can only use the dried yarrow root, as the dried flowers, buds, stems, and leaves will not retain enough potency after drying.

Place two ounces of the dried yarrow root in a pint jar.  Add 10 ounces of 100-proof vodka.

Cap and label as described above.

Top up with more vodka over the next week as necessary.

Leave for 6 weeks and then strain it for use.

Prefer to Buy?

If you are planning outdoor activities soon and don’t have enough time to brew your own yarrow tincture, there are places to buy it that are reputable.

This yarrow tincture is local to my area and a good one to consider.

Whatever source you buy from, be sure to get tincture made from the yarrow plant and not the flower itself.

How to Use

Note that a properly made yarrow tincture is appropriate as a broad-spectrum insect repellent, but especially for mosquitoes, ticks, horse flies, and deer flies (this deer fly trap is great for prevention too).

Apply liberally to areas of the body you wish to protect.

Application to clothing and hair is also effective. Take care to avoid the eyes.

bottle of yarrow tincture with yarrow herb on table

References

Wise Woman Herbal Series
Herbal Adventures with Susun Weed
Herbal Pharmacy: Making a Tincture

More Information

Nontoxic Pest Control Ideas that Work
Natural Fire Ant Killer that Works FAST
Fast and Effective Fly Repellent
Attracting and Using Ladybugs for Garden Pest Control
How to Resolve a Flea Infestation Naturally
Quick and Easy Homemade Fly Trap
Spider Repellent Guaranteed to Work
Fast Acting Mosquito Bite Remedy That’s Probably Already in Your Kitchen

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Category: DIY, Natural Remedies, Pest Control
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (72)

  1. watchmom3

    May 30, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    Wow, I will be trying this! Now, not trying to be neg, Sarah, but I have done some research on Disney, and they are not the “good” guys they portend to be…everyone has to make their own decision, but it is good to let people know to do some research. Thanks for the good info!

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 30, 2015 at 7:10 pm

      I know Disney isn’t what it seems, but we love going there. We go several times a year (to different parks or just to hang out in Downtown Disney and shop/see a show etc) and have a great time every single time.

  2. Carrie

    May 29, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    People!!! Please read the article, wow all the questions you are posting for poor Sarah when she has already explained all of them in the article. Try reading first and reading also all comments to see if somebody else had the same question answered by Sarah. Sarah you have too much patience!!! Bless you.

    Reply
  3. Aimee

    May 29, 2015 at 10:51 am

    I know Susan Weed says that white or pink are more potent, but I only have yellow yarrow in my yard, and they haven’t flowered yet. Being in Colorado, we aren’t horribly buggy, but it would be great to have something around. Do you think the yellow would be effective as well?

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 29, 2015 at 10:54 am

      Yes, it would still work. If that’s all you have fresh, then definitely make it.

  4. shae

    May 28, 2015 at 11:19 pm

    Once the tincture is complete, how long is it potent for?

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 29, 2015 at 7:50 am

      Many, many months. You will likely use it up long before it’s no longer good. You will know it’s lost its potency though, when it no longer keeps the bugs away 🙂

    • wildcucumber

      Jun 6, 2015 at 9:14 am

      Actually, tinctures retain their potency for years.

  5. Margie

    May 28, 2015 at 9:17 pm

    Is there any fragrance from yarrow? I don’t ever remember one, but I was wondering as I don’t do well with even natural oil fragrances. If there is some, maybe the root powder recipe might be more neutral? Thank you. Sounds like a great alternative to toxic repellants. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 29, 2015 at 7:53 am

      Yes there is a fragrance. But, it is not unpleasant at least to me. Feel free once the tincture is prepared properly to add a drop or two of essential oils to add the fragrance you desire. I prefer as is. I don’t know if adding additional essential oils will affect potency, however. I don’t think it would.

    • Kris Johnson

      Jun 1, 2015 at 11:13 pm

      Lavender would be good to add, as it too repels insects, and adds a refreshing fragrance.

  6. Sue

    May 28, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    Do you know how long the yarrow tincture will last? Thank you.

    Reply
  7. Jeanette

    May 28, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    Unrefined virgin coconut oil with a few drops of lavender oil does the trick on the nasty mosquitos we have in the FL summer. Apply on skin and they won’t sting through.
    Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

    Reply
  8. Laurie

    May 28, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    Can you use dried herb and is it as effective?
    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 28, 2015 at 6:05 pm

      No… dried herb is not as effective and powdered yarrow won’t work at all. This is discussed above in the article if you need specifics.

  9. Jenny

    May 28, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    This is great information!
    One question: So no flowers or buds to go into the jar, just plant and root?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 28, 2015 at 6:06 pm

      Flowers, buds, stems and leaves all go in the jar coarsely chopped (top third of the plant). They just can’t be used if dried … only fresh.

    • Donna

      Jun 7, 2015 at 4:02 pm

      The article “recommends picking the flowers, flower buds, seeds, stalk, and leaves from the top third of the plant”, but then goes on to say in the instructions, “Do not wash any of the yarrow with the exception of the roots and only with water and if necessary.” So why wash the roots if they’re not even supposed to be picked as part of the recipe?

      Also it says, “Coarsely chop the yarrow plant parts except the flower and buds”, but just above this comment you say, “Flowers, buds, stems and leaves all go in the jar coarsely chopped (top third of the plant).” So, which is it?

    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      Jun 7, 2015 at 9:16 pm

      If you notice in the instructions, the roots are used ONLY if dried yarrow is being used.

  10. Audrey

    May 28, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    Just wondering…..could the alcohol in the Vodka be too strong for some people’s skin? If it is like regular rubbing alcohol, I don’t think it would bother me.

    Reply
    • Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist

      May 28, 2015 at 6:07 pm

      I don’t think it would bother you at all … the alcohol would dry off very fast like with alcohol based hand sanitizers.

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