Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
White alpine yarrow is a small white-flowered herb of the daisy family. Botanists call it Achillea clavennae. In the German-speaking Alps it is known as Weißer Speik or Bittere Schafgarbe.
Alpine folk use treated it as a bitter stomach herb and a wound wash. It also flavours some alpine bitters and liqueurs. The taste is sharply bitter and aromatic.
Human evidence for any health use is essentially absent. Long use in tradition is not proof that it works. It is also not proof that it is safe.
The plant grows on limestone rock in the eastern Alps and the Balkans. It is protected in parts of its range, so wild picking may be banned. Most of what is sold is cultivated or comes from a licensed source.
No one has shown how this herb acts in the human body. Any account of its action is a proposal, not a finding.
The plant is rich in bitter compounds. Bitter plants in general can prompt saliva and stomach juices when tasted. That broad effect has not been measured for this species in people.
In test-tube work, the essential oil of Achillea clavennae slows the growth of some bacteria and fungi. It also shows antioxidant activity in lab assays. Whether either matters in a person is unknown.
In cell studies, sesquiterpene lactones from related yarrows appear to damp some markers of inflammation. The same class of compounds also triggers skin allergy. A lab signal is not a treatment effect.
You will meet it most often as a flavouring, not as a medicine.
- Dried flowering tops, loose or in a tea blend - Alcohol tincture or bitter drops - Alpine herbal bitters, schnapps and liqueurs - Essential oil, sold for scent and for outside use only - Cosmetic creams and after-sun products, usually as a minor extract
It is rarely sold on its own as a capsule. Many products that say "Speik" contain other alpine plants, such as valerian relatives or common yarrow. Read the botanical name on the label.
Herders and country healers in the eastern Alps valued this plant for centuries. It was gathered on high limestone slopes in summer.
Folk accounts describe it as a bitter tonic for a poor appetite and a heavy stomach. Washes and poultices were applied to grazes and slow-healing skin. Steam and tea were used for coughs and chest colds.
The herb also entered regional drink culture. It flavoured bitters and herbal schnapps in Austria, Slovenia and northern Italy. Heavy wild harvesting led to legal protection in several areas.
These records describe custom and belief. They are not tests of benefit, and none of this is a reason to treat yourself.
Stop using it and see a doctor if any of the following happen.
- A rash, blisters or swelling appear after use - Your mouth, lips or throat swell, or breathing gets hard; this is an emergency, call emergency services - Stomach pain or vomiting does not settle within a day - A wound looks red, hot, swollen or oozing - A cough lasts more than three weeks, or you cough up blood
Go to an emergency department at once if anyone swallows the essential oil, especially a child. Seizures, confusion and severe vomiting can follow.
In the EU, the UK and the US it is not approved as a medicine for any condition. It is handled as a flavouring and a cosmetic ingredient, and it appears in some food supplements. The wild plant is legally protected in parts of Austria, Slovenia and Italy, so picking it may be an offence.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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