Chickweed
(Stellaria media)
Also called: Starweed, Stitchwort, Adder's mouth.
It is called Stellaria media, a floral star of middle
magnitude.
Description: This herb grows in hedges and ditches, in waste
places, by the roadside, and in gardens.
The stems are jointed with a line of fine hairs down one side only.
The leaves grow opposite, are oval about ½ inch long and 1/4 inch broad,
the lower ones on stalks, the upper springing from the stem, they spread upwards
and escape being overshadowed by other broad-leaved plants.
The flowers grow singly in the axils of the upper leaves, the petals are white
with a silvery-grey tint and they look like stars.
Medicinal Uses: Chickweed soothes and heals anything in which
it comes in contact: therefore, an ointment made from this herb is used freely
on all kinds of wounds, inflamed skin, boils, burns and scalds.
For any skin sores, a chickweed herb bath will help, followed by an application
of the ointment.
Culpeper said: 'It is a fine, soft, pleasing herb ... The herb bruised
or the juice applied with cloths or sponges dipped therein is effectual for
all redness in the face, wheals, pushes, itch, scabs ... '
Fernie said: 'This small herb abounds in the earthy salts of potash, which
are admirable against scurvy when thus found in nature's labouratory, and a
continued deprivation from which always proves disastrous to mankind'.
An infusion of this herb purifies the blood, and this is helpful in curing
all skin diseases.
Part used: The herb.
Directions for use: A tea is made by steeping a heaped teaspoonful
of the dried herb for half-an-hour in a cup of boiling water.
A cupful should be sipped slowly three or four times daily plus one at bedtime.
For external use a handful of the herb should be boiled in 2 quarts of water
for ten minutes and this should then be used as a body wash.
For a bath, about 1 lb of the herb should be chopped up and from 6 to 8 pints
of boiling water poured on to it.
It should be steeped for thirty minutes and then added to warm (not hot) bath
water. This can be repeated every other day.
Chickweed ointment is obtainable from most Health Food Stores.
This herb grows all over the world and serves as food for small birds such as finches and linnets. Gerard translates an old herbal 'Little birds in cages are refreshed with chickweed when they loath their meat'.
Lord Bacon who watched carefully all the changes in nature said of this herb: 'When the flower expands boldly and fully, no rain will happen for four hours or upwards; if it continues in that open state, no rain will disturb the summer's day; but if it entirely shuts up or veils the white flower with its green mantle, let the traveller put on his great-coat, and the ploughman, with his beast of draught, expect rest from their labour'.
