Chickweed Herbal Monograph
Chickweed Monograph
By Amanda Rose Klenner, Clinical Herbalist
Originally published in Natural Herbal Living Magazine - March 2015
Stellaria media, S. holostea, Stellaria spp.
Plant family: Caryophyllaceae
Common name: Chickweed, stitchwort (S. holostea), star weed, starwort, tongue grass, adders mouth
TCM Name: (Stellaria root) yin chai hu
Ayruvedic Name: Not Known
Parts used: leaves, flowers, and roots (TCM)
Native To: Europe
Geographic Distribution: Grows throughout most of the northern hemisphere
Actions
Alterative, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-ulcer (stomach), astringent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, galactagogue, lymphatic, nutritive, refrigerant, vulinary
Taste
Mild, green, mineral rich, slightly salty, slightly sweet, slightly bitter
Energy
Moist, cool, diffusive
Chickweed in Flagstaff AZ
Botanical Description
Chickweed is covered in soft hairs on the stem, leaves and flower buds. The soft hairs on chickweed are a great place to start with plant ID. The leaves are opposite with pinnate ventation. The flower has five white petals, which have very deep clefts so it looks like there are 10 petals. The flower has ten stamens with dark anthers that surround three white styles growing from the center. The flower opens in the mornings and closes in the evening. The roots are close to the ground surface and easy to pull up except for the one tap root, which is thin but has little rootlets growing from it.
Key Constituents:
triterpenoid saponins, phytosterols, coumarins, mucilage, vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, sodium, zinc, rutin, and bioflavonoids.
Sustainability Issues:
None
Harvesting and Cultivating Guidelines
Chickweed is an easy to grow annual that loves nutrient rich, moist soil in partial to full shade. I often find it bordering shaded gardens, in the forest under tree cover, and in well fertilized (with animal manure) lawns. In World War II Americans were encouraged to use chickweed in their victory gardens as an easy to grow green that self sews seeds, is nutrient rich, and grows in colder weather. You will often find it popping up as one of the first greens of spring and as one of the last greens in fall. When weather is hot, chickweed lays dormant, and comes back when the weather cools again.
If you chose to plant chickweed in your garden or yard, be ready for it to spread vigorously. It is a self-seeding annual, and it disperses its tiny seeds at least twice a year. Because chickweed is rich in nitrogen, it makes a wonderful soft ground cover, and when it is cut down and allowed to mulch, adds vital nutrients to the soil it is grown in. It is a wonderful natural fertilizer and a boon to any winter garden.
Sew the seeds where you would like them to sprout and spread. Tap down lightly and water well. I tend to let nature take its course allowing the spring and fall rains to water these tasty green weeds. This is a wonderful food for chickens, rabbits, gerbils and other vegetarian animals around the home, but beware, if you allow the chickens and rabbits free range of the chickweed patch, you might not have any left for your self!
Uses
Chickweed is the poster child of how nutrient rich herbs can give us a dramatically positive health outcome with relatively little work on the preparer’s part. This wild weedy green is best when eaten, tinctured, or otherwise prepared fresh, making it a wonderful tonic remedy for the body to regain vitality after the deficiencies of winter. I have often found that many chronic conditions, for one reason or another are positively affected by nourishing the body with nutritive and tonifying herbs. Eating chickweed in salads, soups, stews, or as a cooked green is as easy as it is delicious. Herbal vinegars also do a good job of extracting the nutritive qualities of chickweed so you can enjoy it throughout the year.
Chickweed is one of the first greens to appear in the garden and wild every year, ready to help us revitalize for the hard work coming through the summer. It recedes during the summer when it gets too hot, and reappears with vigor once the temperature cools down again in the fall. I have seen it growing in the forests of Michigan to the suburbs of Phoenix Arizona and many places in between.
Chickweed works on the waters of the body, clearing lymphatic congestion, dispersing trapped fats from cells in both fatty lipomas and when stored in cells (Wood 2008). Preliminary studies on Stellera chamaejasme have shown encouraging results for being cytotoxic to leukemia cells (Tsolmon 2010).
It is a common folk remedy for weight loss. Some say this works because of the additional fiber in the diet (Caldecott 2012), others say it is because of the sappoins or soapy molecules found in the herb (Wood 2009), which disperses fatty deposits, and still others say it may inhibit digestive enzymes and slow the absorption of fats and carbohydrates in the body (Rani 2012). Not enough studies have been done to say why chickweed works this way, but herbalists have been using it successfully for generations to disperse fatty deposits (Caldecott 2012).
Chickweed has a theme to its healing properties; it lubricates dry and irritated parts of the body both in the joints and topically on the skin. It helps to moisten, cool, and soothe irritation and inflammation throughout the body.
Because of its lubricating qualities, people who eat it regularly often report a reduction in arthritis and rheumatic pain when consistently eating chickweed (Hoffman 2003).
In the book “Physio-Medical Therapeutics, Materia Medica and Pharmacology” by T.J. Lyle (1897) he says:
“This agent (chickweed) is stimulating to the mucous and serous membranes, improving digestion, increasing the appetite, maintaining a good arterial circulation. It is of value in debilitated conditions, anemia, consumption, rheumatism.”
It is also a popular remedy for dry itchy skin, eczema, and psoriasis. A salve, succus, or poultice made with chickweed is a commonly used remedy among herbalists along with other anti-inflammatory and soothing herbs like plantago, calendula, chamomile, and aloe (Natural Herbal Living Magazine 2015). For those suffering from chronic skin irritations like eczema and psoriasis, chickweed internally as a food or tea can also be helpful, but these people should also take a look at their diet and lifestyle to get down to the cause of their complaint. These preparations can also be helpful for other inflamed surfaces like burns, rashes, contact dermatitis, and wounds (Wood 2008). Cheryl Tilgner (2009) mentions its use topically and internally to help reduce the size and irritation from hemorrhoids. A suppository made of chickweed infused oil and cocoa butter has been effective for many people, especially when combined with yarrow.
Susun Weed (1987) says chickweed is her go-to herbal ally as a poultice for pink eye. Here again, we see it soothes, disinfects, and cleanses the eye, which has a mucous membrane.
Although herbalists don’t choose chickweed as an antiviral herb, some studies have shown that Stellaria media has certain proteins that can halt viral replication (Shan 2013). Another study has been done showing Stellaria holostea has the ability to kill several types of bacteria (Kumarasamy 2012). Although herbalists don’t generally work with chickweed in this way, I am always excited for new prospects for antimicrobial herbs.
Yin Chai Hu – Stellaria dichotom root in Traditional Chinese Medicine is used to clear heat, fever, thirst and weakness due to undernourishment. It is said to have an affinity to the blood and work as a styptic stopping bleeding in respiratory system, digestive system and excessive bleeding in the uterus (Yin Chai Hu).
Adult Dose
Freshly harvested – 1-3 cups a day fresh, cooked, pickled, or stewed
Dried or fresh as an infusion (fresh is best, dried is better than nothing) 1-3 cups a day
The roots of Yin Chai Hu are decocted 3-9 grams a day.
Topically in a salve or oil for up to 6 months. Can be used daily and persistently for skin problems. (Wood 2008)
Succus: 3-6 ml daily (Bone 2005)
Safety
As with any other herb, some people may have an allergy to chickweed but most do not. Contact dermatitis has been reported in some cases. Chickweed is generally regarded as safe in food doses for pregnant and lactating women. Large doses may cause digestive upset with diarrhea, especially if large quantities of seeds are eaten. (Bone 2005)
References:
Bone, K, Mills, S. (2005). The Essential Guide to Herbal Safety1e. Elsevier. St. Louis, MS.
Klenner, A, Holfelt, S, Nunez, M, Katz, N, Morgan, J, Little, C. 2015. Chickweed – Natural Herbal Living Magazine Issue 19. Natural Herbal Living. Westminster, CO.
Kumarasamy Y, Cox PJ, Jaspars M, Nahar L, Sarker SD. 2002. Screening seeds of Scottish plants for antibacterial activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Nov;83(1-2):73-7.
Lyle, TJ. 1897. Physio-Medical Therapeutics, Materia Medica and Pharmacology. The National Association of Medical Herbalists of Great Brittain, LTD. London, UK.
Rani N, Vasudeva N, Sharma SK. 2012. Quality assessment and anti-obesity activity of Stellaria media (Linn.) Vill. BMC Complement Alternative Medicine. Sep 3;12:145.
Shan Y , Zheng Y, Guan F, Zhou J, Zhao H, Xia B, Feng X. 2013. Purification and characterization of a novel anti-HSV-2 protein with antiproliferative and peroxidase activities from Stellaria media. Academy of Biochemistry Biophysics Science (Shanghai). Aug;45(8):649-55.
Tilgner, Cheryl (2009). Herbal Medicine From The Heart of the Earth. Wise Acres LLC. Pleasant Hill, OR.
Tsolmon S, Han J, Isoda H. 2010. Inhibition of cell growth by Stellera chamaejasme extract is associated with induction of autophagy and differentiation in chronic leukemia K562 cells. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. Aug;110(2):262-8
Weed, Susun. 1986. Wise Woman Herbal For The Childbearing Year. Ash Tree Publishing Woodstock, NY
Winston, David. 2003. Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Healing Arts Press. Rochester, VT.
Wood, Corrianna. 2009. Chickweed: My favorite salad green. Retrieved 3/15/2015 at http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/February09/grandmother.htm
Wood, Matthew. 2008. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books. Berkley, CA.
Yin Chai Hu. Retrieved on 3/19/2015 from http://www.tcmwiki.com/wiki/yin-chai-hu
