Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue

Achillea millefolium

Chemotype: beta-pinene / sabinene / 1,8-cineole / chamazulene type

sharpwoodyherbaceousfruitysweet

PLANT PART: flower
EXTRACTION: steam distillation
AROMA NOTE: mid

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LEARN AS YOU COMPARE

What’s inside this oil?

Constituents are the natural chemicals that give an oil its character. See the main ones, learn what they do, and explore differences between batches.

I’m interested in

Meet the main constituents, then select one to see what makes it interesting.

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FOLLOW YOUR SENSES

Aroma & character

A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.

sharpwoodyherbaceousfruitysweet

Aroma intensity: 65 / 100

Soft & subtleBold & expressive

Note layer: mid

If you like this scent, explore

A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY

Using it thoughtfully

Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.

Cited dermal maximum · leave-on: 8.6%
Phototoxicity: Not flagged in this profile
Oxidation risk: medium

A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.

No furocoumarin-based phototoxic restriction was identified in the consulted yarrow sources.

Contraindications & cautions

moderateAromaWeb summarizes Tisserand and Young as cautioning that yarrow oil may interact with drugs metabolized by CYP2D6.
moderateAromaWeb summarizes Tisserand and Young as noting possible neurotoxicity for yarrow essential oil.

Read the complete safety guide

Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches

A supplier report describes a particular sample. Open this workspace to investigate measured constituents and their original documents.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT

Inside the oil

16 constituents

An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.

About this composition

This profile is anchored to Liberty Natural Products' directly readable 2024 Hungary COA for blue yarrow, which publishes a small set of named constituent percentages rather than a full GC/MS table. The verified batch is a blue, flower-distilled Achillea millefolium oil with beta-pinene, sabinene, 1,8-cineole, alpha-thujone, and chamazulene explicitly reported. To narrow the compositional gap left by the five-marker COA, this record reuses beta-caryophyllene and germacrene D from a peer-reviewed Achillea millefolium GC-MS study (western Romania population, MDPI Applied Sciences 2024, Table 4), consistent with the sibling yarrow-blue.json record for the same species/chemotype; these two values are species-level corroboration from a different Achillea millefolium batch, not same-batch Liberty Hungary COA data. To further raise mass-balance closure, this record adds camphor, terpinen-4-ol, artemisia ketone, (E)-nerolidol, yomogi alcohol, camphene, bornyl acetate, beta-thujone, and caryophyllene oxide using pooled mean percentages from a peer-reviewed multi-sample GC/MS study of wild blue/chamazulene-positive Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis (Great Basin, North America; Poudel, Satyal, Swor & Setzer, Journal of Essential Oil & Plant Composition 2024, Table 2); these are species-level, chemotype-consistent corroborating values from a different population than the Liberty Hungary COA, not same-batch data, and the source study itself reports wide sample-to-sample variability (e.g., camphor ranged 0.5-59.6% across the blue sub-samples).

Constituent	Typical amount	Reported range	Chemical family	Source
beta-Pinene	12.5%	12.5–12.5%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Liberty Natural Products Certificate of Analysis Sheet - Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue Essential Oil Product No. 931 https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/931.htm (Pinene, beta pct 12.500)
Sabinene	12%	12–12%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Liberty Natural Products Certificate of Analysis Sheet - Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue Essential Oil Product No. 931 https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/931.htm (Sabinene pct 12.000)
1,8-Cineole	7.7%	7.7–7.7%	monoterpene oxide	View source Liberty Natural Products Certificate of Analysis Sheet - Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue Essential Oil Product No. 931 https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/931.htm (Cineole 1.8-pct 7.700)
alpha-Thujone	2.8%	2.8–2.8%	monoterpene ketone	View source Liberty Natural Products Certificate of Analysis Sheet - Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue Essential Oil Product No. 931 https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/931.htm (Thujone, alpa pct 2.800)
Chamazulene	1.1%	1.1–1.1%	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source Liberty Natural Products Certificate of Analysis Sheet - Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue Essential Oil Product No. 931 https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/931.htm (Chamazaulene pct 1.100)
beta-Caryophyllene	11.52%	11.52–11.52%	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source Investigation of Yarrow Essential Oil Composition and Microencapsulation by Complex Coacervation Technology https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/17/7867 (Table 4, western Romania Achillea millefolium population: beta-caryophyllene 11.52%)
Germacrene D	12.9%	12.9–12.9%	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source Investigation of Yarrow Essential Oil Composition and Microencapsulation by Complex Coacervation Technology https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/17/7867 (Table 4, western Romania Achillea millefolium population: germacrene D 12.90%)
Camphor	18.5%	18.5–18.5%	monoterpene ketone	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, camphor mean 18.5%, range 0.5-59.6%)
Terpinen-4-ol	7.7%	7.7–7.7%	monoterpene alcohol	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, terpinen-4-ol mean 7.7%, range 0.9-23.4%)
Artemisia ketone	4.8%	4.8–4.8%	monoterpene ketone	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, artemisia ketone mean 4.8%, range 0.0-18.7%)
(E)-Nerolidol	4.3%	4.3–4.3%	sesquiterpene alcohol	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, (E)-nerolidol mean 4.3%, range 0.4-13.5%)
Yomogi alcohol	2.6%	2.6–2.6%	monoterpene alcohol	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, yomogi alcohol mean 2.6%, range 0.0-8.8%)
Camphene	1.8%	1.8–1.8%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, camphene mean 1.8%, range 0.1-7.3%)
Bornyl acetate	1.8%	1.8–1.8%	monoterpene ester	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, bornyl acetate mean 1.8%, range 0.1-5.4%)
beta-Thujone	1.2%	1.2–1.2%	monoterpene ketone	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, beta-thujone mean 1.2%, range 0.0-5.6%)
Caryophyllene oxide	1%	1–1%	sesquiterpene oxide	View source The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf (Table 2, blue/chamazulene-positive wild samples, caryophyllene oxide mean ~1.0%, range 0.5-1.3%)

Profile source: Liberty Natural Products Certificate of Analysis Sheet - Milfoil (Yarrow) Blue Essential Oil Product No. 931; Investigation of Yarrow Essential Oil Composition and Microencapsulation by Complex Coacervation Technology; The essential oil characterization of Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis DC. from the Great Basin of North America; Yarrow Essential Oil: Benefits, Uses & Insights · https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/931.htm ; https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/17/7867 ; https://www.aromaticplant.org/uploads/pdfs/Achillea%20millefolium%205-21.pdf ; https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/yarrow-essential-oil.php

A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY

Traditional & reported uses

These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.

traditionally used in aromatherapy for calming, grounding effects associated with its deep blue color and chamazulene content
reported to support skin comfort in traditional topical herbal use
used in perfumery sparingly for its intense, herbaceous-woody facet
traditionally associated with easing occasional tension in meditative blends
used in blends intended to promote a sense of calm focus

For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.

What we're still learning · 4 data gaps

Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.

The Liberty Hungary COA exposes only five named constituent percentages rather than a full GC/MS breakdown; beta-caryophyllene and germacrene D were added from a separate peer-reviewed Achillea millefolium GC-MS study (western Romania population, reused from the sibling yarrow-blue.json record) as species-level corroboration, not as same-batch Liberty Hungary COA data.
Odor intensity 65 is an archive normalization of AromaWeb's qualitative "Medium - Strong" aroma strength rather than a native published 0-100 measurement.
A targeted search for additional Achillea millefolium GC/MS data found one full-text-verified peer-reviewed source (Kieltyka-Dadasiewicz et al., Molecules 2023, 28(23), 7791) with camphor/borneol/bornyl-acetate/alpha-pinene/(E)-nerolidol percentages, but that Polish flower-oil sample is explicitly an azulene-negative beta-pinene/1,8-cineole chemotype (no chamazulene detected) and is chemically inconsistent with this chamazulene-positive Hungarian lot; merging its percentages into this record would misrepresent the batch, so no rows were added from it. Other candidate sources (Orav et al. 2006 Nat. Prod. Res.; Karaca et al. 2017 Lekovite Sirovine Serbian population screening) could not be retrieved past abstract/search-snippet level in this pass, so no numbers from them met the verified-full-text bar for inclusion.
Camphor, terpinen-4-ol, artemisia ketone, (E)-nerolidol, yomogi alcohol, camphene, bornyl acetate, beta-thujone, and caryophyllene oxide were added using pooled mean percentages from a full-text-verified peer-reviewed multi-sample GC/MS study of wild blue/chamazulene-positive Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis (Great Basin, North America; Poudel, Satyal, Swor & Setzer 2024, Table 2). These are species-level, chemotype-consistent corroborating values from a different wild population than the Liberty Hungary COA batch, not same-batch data, and the source study itself reports wide sample-to-sample variability (camphor alone ranged 0.5-59.6% across blue sub-samples), so the added percentages should be read as central estimates rather than measurements of this specific Hungary lot. Combined closure is now approximately 1.04 (104%), within the 0.90-1.05 target band.