Latin name: Stellaria media
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Folk Names: mouse-ear, satinflower, starweed, starwort, tongue grass, white bird’s-eye, winterweed, and chickenwort, capiqui, fleur en satin, herbe de langue, hierba gallinera, morgeline, mouron des oiseaux, pamplina, stellaire intermédiaire, stellaire moyenne.
DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Part of the Plant Used
Native to Europe, chickweed is now found all over North America (and even the Arctic). This ground creeping annual plant thrives in partial shady areas with moist soil. It grows long stringy succulent type arms which bear tiny white flowers. The leaves grow opposite each other present with oval shaped leaves. There is a line of “hair” which grows along the stem alternating between joints. There should be no milky sap. Its mild flavor is similar to that of corn silk yet is dense in nutrients.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
CONSTITUENTS
Ascorbic-acid, Beta-carotene, Calcium, Coumarins, Genistein, Gamma-linolenic-acid, Flavonoids, Hentriacontanol, Magnesium, Niacin, Oleic-acid, Potassium, Riboflavin, Rutin, Selenium, Triterpenoid saponins, Thiamine, and Zinc.
THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
Clinical: constipation, asthma, stomach and bowel problems, blood disorders, lung disease, obesity, scurvy, psoriasis, rabies, itching, and muscle and joint pain. Topically, chickweed is used for skin problems including wounds, itching, boils, abscesses, ulcers, psoriasis, and eczema. In foods, chickweed is eaten in salads or served as cooked greens.
Folk: abscesses, arthritis, bug bites, conjunctivitis, coughing, dermatitis, diarrhea, fever, gout, hemorrhoids, lung disorders, sores, sore throat, tuberculosis.
Energetics: Sweet, moist, very cooling – soothing to hot skin complaints where there is heat and itch. Swellings (mastitis), wounds, rashes – any inflammation. Internal cooling actions also.
HERB-DRUG INTERACTIONS
None reported.
Dosage
Three 389 mg capsules or as much as 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh herb three times a day, or try 6 to 12 grams of the dried herb, 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of tincture or 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of liquid extract daily. Try a chickweed poultice on an abscess, carbuncle or other external inflammatory sore. It’s also delicious and a salad.
