Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a delicate, inconspicuous herb that you find growing about the shady parts of the garden amongst the other weeds. It is the colour of grass with small, white, star-shaped flowers and slender green stems. The whole plant can be used fresh in a salad together with other greens from the garden such as dandelion, sow thistle and sheep sorrel.

Chickweed is a cooling, demulcent herb that is very useful as an ingredient in creams for treating skin conditions where it relieves itching. We call it ‘herbal-cortisone’ because of its anti-inflammatory activity and apply it to boils and ulcers in the form of an infusion or the fresh juice. It can also be drunk as a tea in order to soothe coughs and irritation in the throat, or used when cool as a wash for bathing inflamed eyes, just like fennel or chamomile.

Inflammation is an acute response to infection, injury, chemicals or radiation and produces heat, redness, pain and swelling. It is a natural process in which the body’s temperature rises to help kill pathogens while white blood cells are recruited to carry out immune responses and clean up the site of injury. This natural process demonstrates a state of healthy vitality and should be supported with minimal interference.

Many digestive complaints benefit from chickweed’s soothing anti-inflammatory activity. Acidity, ulcers and dysbiosis are all in the sphere of its activity as well as the after-effects of food poisoning. In fact, research shows that constituents have a whole suite of useful properties for treating the gut and general metabolism, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-obesity and antidiabetic activity.¹

William Boericke adds to the picture of this herb’s properties by saying that it is indicated when there is a sluggishness of all functions in the body due to congestion and stasis. This sluggish state can lead to rheumatic conditions with sharp, shifting pains, gouty finger joints and synovitis. In such cases there may be an engorged, sensitive liver and clay-coloured stool. Everything feels worse in the morning.²

The English surgeon Sir Arbuthnot Lane pointed out the consequences of constipation more than a century ago. He said that a diet low in the kind of fibre and nutrients present in wholefoods leads to putrefaction and the recycling of wastes in the bowel, which he called autointoxication. Instead of being excreted, these wastes get re-absorbed and channelled out into the tissues of the body where they initiate disease, while a chronic state of inflammation sets in. Herbs such as chickweed, psyllium and slippery elm soothe this condition, while encouraging excretion.

Furthermore, chickweed is indicated for the regulation of the thyroid gland so it is useful to help in weight-loss programs, its anti-obesity activity already noted. In fact chickweed strengthens the glandular and lymphatic system in general, according to the herbalist Isabel Shipard, making it a good weight-loss tonic just like kelp.³ In addition, chickweed has been used to support fasting in Korea, and research has shown that it can influence the secretion of glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an important hormone in energy homeostasis. This peptide encourages satiety and suppresses appetite by slowing gastric emptying.⁴

Chickweed also makes a good ingredient in a poultice. The herb is ground up in a mortar and pestle then applied to unbroken skin, or wrapped in clean cloth such as muslin before application. Marigold can be added if there is risk of infection. Chickweed and slippery elm can be combined for treating ulcers, and with comfrey for fractures. Bran can be added for treating inflamed sore joints or nerves.⁵

Disclaimer:

This article is intended for the purpose of general education only, and is not a substitute for a diagnosis, treatment advice, or a prescription given in a consultation with a qualified physician.

References:

1.         Oladeji OS, Oyebamiji AK. Stellaria media (L.) Vill.- A plant with immense therapeutic potentials: phytochemistry and pharmacology. Heliyon 2020;6:e04150.

2.         Boericke W. Pocket Manual Of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, c. 1927. Delhi: Indian Books & Periodical Publishers; 2007.

3.         Shipard I. How Can I Use Herbs In My Daily Life? Nambour: David Stewart; 2003.

4.         Cho H, Kim K, Jang D-J, Kim HY. Effect of six Korean plants on glucagon like peptide-1 release. Food Sci Biotechnol 2019;28:1571–6.

5.         Bartram T. Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. New York: Marlowe & Company; 1998.