Chickweed
Stellaria media
family:Caryophyllaceae
the plant: An annual wild herb that grows in dense, tangled, vivid-green mats. Its delicate stems have a tiny shifting line of hair and pairs of small oval leaves. The flowers are tiny, starry & white with five petals, each so deeply notched it looks like there are ten.
Chickweed is one of the first wild herbs to blossom after winter - at Emerald Valley it is going off now - and stays lush and green through spring while there is water. Native to Eurasia, it is found throughout North America in woodlands, lawns, meadows, and cracks in thesidewalk.
parts used: Flowering herb
medicinal actions: Vulnerary, demulcent, antirheumatic, antitussive, expectorant, alterative
preparation: Fresh! Bruised as a poultice, infused in water as tea, or blended with your choice delicious liquid as a beverage
contraindications: None
indications: Chickweed is a moist, soothing & cooling medicinal as well as a nutritious, delicious edible green. Used as a poultice or in a salve, it is excellent in healing surface wounds, sores, ulcers, cuts or boils. Chickweed softens the skin and cools and calms itching, dryness, psoriasis, and irritation. A poultice can also bring relief to eye inflammations.
Taken internally, chickweed's cool, demulcent quality may help ease coughs & sore throats, expectorate mucous from the lungs, act as a mild laxative, and ease ulcers and irritations of the stomach. Taken internally, it also has a reputation to provide relief in rheumatism.
note: This information is not a replacement for a trained herbalist. Please consult your medical professional before treating yourself or others with this or any other herbal remedy.