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| Departments » Herbal Medicine » Materia Medica » Stellaria media |
Note - the monographs are provided for informational purposes only, and are not to be used for self-medication.
Stellaria media (Chickweed)
| Botanic Name | Stellaria media |
| Common Name | Chickweed, Starweed, Star Chickweed, Passerina |
| Family | Caryophyllaceae |
| Habitat | Damp, shady gardens, lawns, fields, waste laces. A native of temperate regions everywhere, chickweed is widely distributed in southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania(RD) |
| Description | An annual herb, chickweed grows 30-35 cm high; its sprawling, tangled stems reach up to 60 cm in length. From each stem node grow pairs of oval leaves that vary in size. White flowers (throughout the year), 7 mm across, with usually five, two-parted petals that are shorter than the sepals, are followed by oval seed-bearing capsules(RD). A line of hairs runs up one side of the stem changing to the other side when it reaches the leaf node(Bushell). |
| Similar Plants | Cerastium
glomeratum (Mouse ear chickweed)
Angalis arvensis (Scarlet pimpernel or Red Chickweed) Euphorbia pelpus (Radium Weed) |
| Parts Used | Herb |
| History | The custom
of giving Chickweed to birds is a very old one. (Grieve)
Used as a salad food (Grieve). Chickweed water is an old wives’ remedy for obesity (Grieve). Most ancient writers ignored this plant as a medicine as it was seen as a food stuff for poor folk (Stuart) |
| Constituents | Mucilage (Mills)
Anti-inflammatory saponins (Mills) |
| Actions | Anti-rheumatic
(Hoffmann)
Vulnerary (Hoffmann) Emollient (Hoffmann) Soothing and Astringent (Mills) Carminative (Lust) Demulcent (Lust) Expectorant (Lust) Laxative (Lust) Refrigerant (Brockhampton) |
| Applications | Internal
& external inflammation (RD)
As an external application to soothe, inflamed, erupted, and especially itchy skin conditions (Mills) Cuts, wounds, itching and irritation (Hoffmann) Eczema and psoriasis (Hoffmann) Rheumatism (Hoffmann) Ointment for treating eye problems (Brockhampton) Scurvy (Brockhampton) Kidney disorders (Brockhampton) Constipation (Lust) Coughs and hoarseness (Grieve) |
| Dosage | Infusion: 2
tsp in cup of boiling water tds
Ointment 1-5 ml tds (1:1 25%) (BHP) 2-10ml tds (1:5 45%) (BHP) |
| Combinations | With Althaea officinalis for ointment. |
| C/I Cautions | Can be
safely consumed when used appropriately (McGuffin)
There is one report of an alleged case of nitrate toxicity associated with Chickweed which resulted in a mild form of paralysis. The possibility that this event was due to environmental factors, such as harvesting from fields where synthetic fertilizers had been used, should be examined. (McGuffin) |
| BHP S/I | Topical applications in pruritic skin conditions |