Chickweed unites the world.

Stellaria media – Chickweed

Botanical Name – Stellaria media

Family – Caryophyllaceae

Other names – Starweed, Addre's mouth, Indian chickweed, satin flower, starwort, stitchwort, tongue-grass, winterweed, star chickweed, tongue grass.

History - Chickweed is native to Europe and Asia, though now it is found in most regions of the world. It is said that there is now no part of the world where chickweed is not to be found and it has become one of our most common weeds. Dioscorides in the 1^st century described chickweed as a ‘useful corn meal for inflammation of the eyes.’ Chickweed does have a history as being used as a tasty and nutritious vegetable.

Chickweed was reportedly used at times for food. Chickweed enjoys a reputation as treating a wide spectrum of conditions in folk medicine, ranging from asthma and indigestion to skin diseases. Traditional Chinese herbalists used a tea made from chickweed to treat nosebleeds.

Chickweed was used in cases of bronchitis, pleurisy, coughs, colds, hoarseness, rheumatism, inflammation, or weakness of the bowels and stomach, lungs, bronchial tubes. Chickweed was said to heals and smoothes anything it comes in contact with.

Description - It has hairy stems, oval leaves and star-like white flowers. It is distinguishable from other weeds of the same genus by a line of hairs that run up the stem on one side only, which when it reaches a pair of leaves the hairs are continued on the opposite side.  Chickweed is an annual or biennial weed found in abundance all over the world in gardens, fields, lawns, waste places, and along roadsides. The usually creeping, brittle stems grow from 4 to 12 inches long and bear opposite, entire, ovate leaves. The small white flowers can be found blooming all year long in terminal, leafy cymes or solitary in the leaf axils.

Parts Used - Ariel parts are collected in summer, though it can be harvested all year round. It can be used both fresh and dried. Both wild and caged birds like to eat the seeds of this plant, as well as the fresh plant. 

Cultivation - Chickweed grows easily on wasteland, parks lawns. It can be seen throughout Perth during the cooler months of the year. Seeds can be planted during wetter winter months.

Active Constituents - Chickweed contains triterpenoid saponins, coumarin’s, flavonoids, carboxylic acids and Vitamin C. The saponins may account for chickweed’s ability to reduce itching.

Actions

·         Anti-pruritic

·         Vulnerary

·         Anti-inflammatory

·         Emollient

·         Demulcent

·         Refrigerant

·         Alterative

·         Pectoral

·         Resolvent

Indications - Chickweed is commonly used topically for the treatment of skin conditions and especially for irritated skin. It is commonly used for externally for cuts, wounds and those especially for itching and irritation.  It is used chiefly as a juice, poultice, cream or ointment. It is commonly used to relieve eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulcers and nettle rash. An infusion of the fresh or dried plant can be added to a bath, where the emollient properties are useful for helping rheumatic inflammation of the joints, as well help to encourage tissue repair.

Eczema , Insect stings and bites, bronchitis, pleurisy, coughs, colds, hoarseness, rheumatism, inflammation, weakness of the bowels and stomach, lungs, bronchial tubes, and any other forms of internal inflammation.

Chickweed may be used externally for inflamed surfaces, skin diseases, boils, scalds, burns, inflamed or sore eyes, erysipelas, tumours, piles, cancer, swollen testes, ulcerated throat and mouth, and all kinds of wounds.

The fresh leaves can be used as a poultice for ulcers, carbuncles and abscesses.

A decoction from the fresh plant is good for constipation and an infusion is effective for coughs and hoarseness. 

Chickweed is an old wives remedy for obesity.

Dosage - Although formerly used as a tea, chickweed's main use today is as a cream applied liberally several times each day to rashes and inflammatory skin conditions (e.g., eczema) to ease itching and inflammation.

Tincture 1-5 (45%)                  1-5 ml  tds

Liquid Ex. (25%)                     1-5 ml

1-5 ml of a 1:1 extract 3 times a day.

Infusions: 1 cup of boiling water onto 2 tsp of dried herb. This can be drunk 3 times a day.

Caution - Can cause diarrhoea and vomiting in excessive doses.

C. I. in Pregnancy