Chickweed

Botanical Name:

Stellaria media (L.) Vill.

Family:

Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)

Phylogenetic Information

Phylum: Angiosperm

Class: Eudicot

Genus: Stellaria L. - starwort

Common names: Common chickweed, chickenwort, craches, maruns, winterweed

Ayurvedic/TCM/Native name: None known

Botanical Information

Identification Characteristics

The herbaceous plant grows well in disturbed soils. Likes gardens and is often thought of as a pesky weed. Early spring bloomer, cooler weather. Low growing, likes rich moist soils. There are five deeply cleft petals that give the appearance of 10 petals, 5 sepals, star-like appearance. The flowers close at night and the leaves close in stormy weather. The plant has a long weak stem that trails on the ground. The stem joints are slightly swollen. Opposite oval leaves. Propagation through self-seeding, ants, and birds.

There is a line of hair that runs down the stem until it gets to a set of leaves and then it runs down the opposite side of the stem. ²

Roots are thin and shallow

Potential look a likes and differences between them.³

Mouse-Eared Chickweed: Hair all over, not only in a single line or one side of the stem.

Yellow or Scarlet Pimpernel: Hairless stems, flowers are usually peach or orange-red and are poisonous.

Common-Chickweed-Stellaria-media-leaves-

Yellow-pimpernel-Lysimachia-nemorum-hair

Native Region: Europe

Geographical Distribution: widespread naturalized North America.

South Central Map¹

Harvesting guidelines

Blooms early March throughout the summer. Fresh chickweed provides the most nutrients. Add to your salad or cook with other veggies.⁶

Dried chickweed should be used within a couple of weeks after harvest for tinctures, nourishing infusions, and oils.⁴

Harvest chickweed while flowering. Regular harvesting will encourage thick regrowth.

Avoid harvesting once chickweed has gone to seed, as it becomes tough and fibrous.

You can make a delicious chickweed salad.

Nutritional Information

Daily intake 6-12g dried herb (¼-½ cup fresh herb). ⁶

Nutrient	Rank	Per Daily Intake of 10g	DRI*	Suggested Supplementation⁷
Zinc	Very High	.05mg	8-11mg	15-30mg
Vitamin A	High	722IU	700-900Ug	2500-5000IU
Silica	Very High	.06mg	Not Established	1-25mg
Potassium	High	84mg	4500mg	No Suggestion
Phosphorus	High	45mg	700mg	No Suggestion
Manganese	Very High	.05mg	1.8-2.3mg	3-5mg
Magnesium	Very High	53mg	310-420mg	250-500mg
Iron	Very High	2.5mg	8-18mg	15-30mg
Calcium	High	121mg	1000-1300mg	600-1000mg

Folk History and Use: Poultice on external abscesses and rashes. Diuretic, eyewash, expectorant in throat lozenges.⁶

Energetics: Cool, moist

Taste: Salty

Constituents: Saponin, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids, glycosides and other components.⁹

Herbal Actions: Lymphatic, nutritive, alterative, vulnerary, emollient, diuretic, modulates inflammation, demulcent, febrifuge, expectorant, galactagogue, nutritive.⁴

Indications:

Soothes irritation - Eyes, dry coughs, and skin conditions that are red and itchy. ⁴
Obesity - The anti-obesity activity of lyophilized juice of Stellaria studied in vitro and in vivo was found to inhibit pancreatic amylase and lipase activity and elevated plasma triacylglycerol levels in mice. This study also found that the lyophilized juice suppressed an increase in body weight, retroperitoneal adipose tissue, total triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol level at a dose of 900mg/kg (2.2 lbs) body weight of mice fed with a high-fat diet. Total phenolic, flavonoid, and saponin contents were found to be .26mg/g, 1.4mg/g, and 1.19ug/g respectively.⁸
Swollen or stagnant lymph - Gently supports and moves lymph associated with heat and swelling due to stagnant interstitial fluid or lymphatic system. Also used for cysts by some herbalists.⁴
Inflammation - Saponin-rich herbs act as catalysts in addressing immunity and inflammation. They wake up the innate immunity in the GI tract and then control overall inflammation with the non-polar backbones that are absorbed in the systemic circulation.¹⁰
Herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2) - An in vitro study of the antiviral protein, Stellarmedin A found in S. media was found to inhibit HSV-2 but not HSV-1 infection.¹¹
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) - An in vitro study found that the dose of 30ug/ml of S. media for 6 days/9 days inhibited HBV after 6 days of treatment.¹²

Preparation methods:

Food, succus (expressed juice), tea: Fresh raw in a salad or cooked. Fresh juice and dried leaf teas for bronchial and pulmonary issues. Ayurvedic treatment for obesity.
Oil/salve, cream/lotion: Let wilt overnight or dry for a few days to lose some water content.
Tincture, vinegar: Fresh herb
Nourishing infusion: Dried herb loses potency over a couple of weeks.

Plant parts used: Aerial (leaves, stems, flowers)

Dosing strategies:

Nourishing infusion: Quart a day, cupful every 3 hours for acute conditions.³
Lyophilized juice: 900mg/kg (2.2 lbs) body weight ⁸
Tincture (fresh): 1:2, 50% alcohol, 3-5ml/3-5xd.⁴
External applications: Frequent, may need to be used for several months in chronic irritated skin conditions.

Contraindications (medications, life stages, health issues, etc.):

Very safe herb. High in saponins, extremely large amounts may cause nausea and diarrhea. Start slowly and increase if there are no adverse reactions.⁴

Chickweed Salve ⁴

Yield 8 oz

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of fresh chickweed (Stellaria media)

1 ¼ c olive oil

1 oz beeswax

30-50 drops (¼ to ½ tsp) lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) EO (optional)

Chop fresh chickweed and let wilt on a cookie sheet for 12 to 24 hours.
Add wilted chickweed to olive oil (best results when 1:1 ratio).
Blend in a blender or food processor for 15 to 20 seconds.
Place chickweed and oil in a double boiler (top boiler not touching the water). Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Stir occasionally and heat until very warm to the touch. Turn off heat and allow it to sit for several hours.
Repeat the previous step several times within a 24 to 48 hour period.
DO NOT let the oil get so hot that it smokes or “fries” the plant material.
Strain chickweed through a double layer of cheesecloth.
Measure out 1 cup of oil (if you don't have a cup add olive oil).
Melt beeswax in a double boiler over low heat, once melted add chickweed oil. Combine well.
Add lavender EO, stir.
Immediately pour into tins or glass jars, let sit until set.
Label and store in a cool place.
Shelf life - 1 year

Citations:

Plants USDA (2020). Profile for Stellaria media. Retrieved from: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=STME2
Tilgner, S. (2008). Chickweed plant walk. Retrieved from: https://herbmentor.learningherbs.com/plantwalks/chickweed-plant-walk/
De La Foret, R. (2020). Chickweed herb uses. Retrieved from: https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/chickweed-herb-uses.html
De La Foret, R. & Han, E. (2020). Wild remedies. NY: Hay House, Inc.
Weed, S. S. (1989). Healing wise. (pp. 121). Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Pub.
Pederson, M. (1998). Nutritional herbology: A reference guide to herbs. IN: Whitman Publications.
Murray, M.T. & Pizzorno, J. (2012). The encyclopedia of natural medicine (3rd ed). Pg 72. NY: Atria Paperback.
Neeru, V. & Sharma, S. (2012). Quality assessment and anti-obesity activity of Stellaria media (Linn.) Vill. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1472-6882-12-145
Stansbury, J. (2018). Herbal formularies for health professionals circulation and respiration (vol 2). VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Mase, G. (2015). Plant saponins. A Radicle (blog). Retrieved from: http://aradicle.blogspot.com/search?q=saponin
Shan, Y. et al. (2013). Purification and characterization of a novel anti-HSV-2 protein with antiproliferative and peroxidase activities from Stellaria media. Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/abbs/article/45/8/649/1216
Lihua, M. et al. (2012). Anti-hepatitis B virus activity of chickweed [Stellaria media (L.) Vill.] extracts in HepG2.2.15 cells. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/17/7/8633
Medeiros, D.M. & Wildman, R.E.C. (2015). Advanced human nutrition. MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.