Practical
Plants

Stellaria media

Chickweed

an annual member of the Stellaria genus in the family Caryophyllaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.12 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Self

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves contain saponins[18][17]. Although toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass through without causing harm. They are also broken down by thorough cooking. Saponins are found in many plants, including several that are often used for food, such as certain beans. It is advisable not to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb[7][18][20][2][15][16][6]. They can be available all year round if the winter is not too severe[19]. Very nutritious, they can be added to salads whilst the cooked leaves can scarcely be distinguished from spring spinach[4, K]. The leaves contain saponins so some caution is advised, see the note on toxicity at the top of the page. A nutritional analysis is available[9]. Seed - ground into a powder and used in making bread or to thicken soups[5][6]. It would be very fiddly to harvest any quantity of this seed since it is produced in small quantities throughout most of the year and is very small[K]. The seed contains 17.8% protein and 5.9% fat[9].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Chickweed has a very long history of herbal use, being particularly beneficial in the external treatment of any kind of itching skin condition[11]. It has been known to soothe severe itchiness even where all other remedies have failed[13]. In excess doses chickweed can cause diarrhoea and vomiting[13]. It should not be used medicinally by pregnant women[13]. The whole plant is astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, refrigerant, vulnerary[14][18][20][8][16][3][10]. Taken internally it is useful in the treatment of chest complaints and in small quantities it also aids digestion[13]. It can be applied as a poultice and will relieve any kind of roseola and is effective wherever there are fragile superficial veins[18]. An infusion of the fresh or dried herb can be added to the bath water and its emollient property will help to reduce inflammation - in rheumatic joints for example - and encourage tissue repair[13]. Chickweed is best harvested between May and July, it can be used fresh or be dried and stored for later use[14][11]. A decoction of the whole plant is taken internally as a post-partum depurative, emmenagogue, galactogogue and circulatory tonic[9]. It is also believed to relieve constipation and be beneficial in the treatment of kidney complaints[12]. The decoction is also used externally to treat rheumatic pains, wounds and ulcers[14][9][10]. The expressed juice of the plant has been used as an eyewash[12].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Galactogogue
Product or use
Kidney
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Refrigerant
Product or use
Vulnerary

Environment

Range
A cosmopolitan plant, found in most regions of the world, including Britain.
Habitat
Growing almost anywhere, it is a common garden weed[18][4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - this species should not need any encouragement, you are much more likely to be trying to get rid of it than trying to introduce it (eating it is one way of doing that!)[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A very easily grown plant, it prefers a moist soil and a position in full sun or partial shade[15][11]. It can be very lush and vigorous when grown in a fertile soil[1], but in infertile soils it will flower and set seed whilst still very small. A very common garden weed, chickweed grows, flowers and sets seed all year round. The flowers open around 9 o'clock in the morning and remain open for about 12 hours[14]. They do not open in dull weather[14]. The leaves fold up of a night time, enfolding and protecting the tender buds of new shoots[14]. A food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly species.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2

    ↩

  3. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

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  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  5. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

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  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  8. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

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  9. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2

  11. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30725-8

    ↩1↩2

  13. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  14. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  15. Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  16. Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-584-10141-4

    ↩1↩2

  17. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

    ↩

  18. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  19. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩

  20. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2

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