This is one of my favorite little medicinal plants. Once I realized what it had to offer, I thought back to all those times I used to pull this "weed" out of my flower beds wondering, what in the world is this and how can I keep it from growing back! Since that time, chickweed has become my go to plant for just about any skin issue. Plant description and where to find it
The light green leaves are small, oval shaped with pointed tips. The
leaves are smooth but yet at times can be slightly hairy.
Slender stems stretch along the ground forming a dense mat
anywhere from 1 to 10 inches tall. It has tiny white flowers. Each flower has 5 petals that are lobed. Lobed is like having a cut in the individual petal which gives it the appearance of having 2 petals and not just one. Hence, with chickweed, 5 petals looking like it has 10.
Chickweed grows in a wide variety of habitats and soil textures. It's one of the most common plants found in yards. (No wonder it was always growing in my veggie and flower beds.) You can also find it in fields, pastures and along the roadside. This plant loves cooler weather so start looking for it as early as April and into the early summer months, then to reappear again in the late fall and in some areas throughout the winter months. Parts used: leaves, stems and flowers
Medicinal properties: diuretic, lymphatic, nutritive, anti-viral, anti-bacterial
High in nutrients. Delicious when mixed with other greens in a salad or made into an herbal infusion
High in saponins; regulates blood sugar, reduces internal inflammation.
As a lymphatic cleanse, chickweed tea or an herbal infusion is commonly taken in the spring to aide in stimulating and clearing toxins from the body.
As a diuretic, the medicinal properties release excess water from your body through an increased urine flow. (Makes you pee more) This process flushes out bacteria from the kidneys and urinary tract system, helping to relieve painful urination and inflammation associated with urinary tract infections. Although not commonly used to "treat" UTI's, but rather, to soothe the symptoms.
Chickweed has a cooling effect on red, itchy, inflamed skin associated with poison ivy, poison oak, bee stings, bug bites, minor burns, eczema, psoriasis, diaper rash, minor cuts, scratches, boils, rashes and just about anything else that has to do with issues with the skin.
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| chickweed loves cool weather |
There is a root cause to the symptoms. It could be from food allergies, a chemical allergy from laundry detergents, soaps, shampoos and lotions. Emotional and or mental stress can also be the cause.
Another area to look into would be diet. On a daily basis, the body needs a good amount of water to stay hydrated; healthy fats, vitamins and nutrients from fruits, vegetables, nuts and or seeds in order to "feed" the skin from the inside out. So be sure to address the root cause/s in conjunction with any treatment you are using. 👌
Chickweed can also help in drawing out splinters. You can try this by simmering some fresh chickweed in water for 1- 2 hours. Stain the liquid, be sure to keep the plant as well. Soak a cloth in the liquid then squeeze out gently. Be sure to leave a good amount of the liquid left in your cloth. You can wrap the cloth around the area of the splinter just as is or you can take some of the plant you saved and lay that across the area first and then wrap your soaked cloth around the area. Replace this every 1-2 hours until you can see that the splinter has come to the surface enough to where you can safely pull it out.
* In acute ophthalmia, the bruised leaves will likewise be found a valuable application. ~King’s American Dispensatory
* An ointment, made by bruising the recent leaves in fresh lard, may be used as a cooling application to erysipelatous and other forms of ulceration, as well as in many forms of cutaneous disease (J King). ~ King’s American Dispensatory
* A tincture of Stellaria media has been extolled in some quarters as a remedy for rheumatic pains of a fugitive and shifting character.
~ King’s American Dispensatory
A couple summers ago, I was using a loofah sponge. If you're familiar with one you know how the edges can be somewhat scratchy. I managed to scratch my arm with the edge of the sponge. A couple days later I noticed that the scratch was becoming infected. I used other forms of ointments, however, it kept getting worse and worse. I finally went out and gathered some fresh chickweed and simmered it in water for about 2 hours. I then took some of the plant out of the water and laid it across the infected area on my arm. Then I took an ace bandage and soaked that in the chickweed liquid then wrapped that around the chickweed I had placed on my arm. I replaced the plant and re-soaked the bandage every 2 hours throughout the day. I did this for just one day. 2 days later, I could hardly tell where that infected scratch was on my arm. 😀
My granddaughter, when she gets into poison ivy or gets a bug bite, her skin swells up and is very painful to the touch and itches like crazy. I'll apply chickweed infused oil on her skin every couple of hours. For her, it's usually the next day and the bug bites or the poison ivy is pretty much all cleared up. Now, I'm not saying that it will work this fast for everyone. But I do know from experience how it works for me and my family.** For additional information check out Dr. John R. Christopher's research on chickweed.
