Easy Herbs: Chickweed (Stellaria media)

This is a redo of my first ever post. I made a few mistakes as a raw newbie, so I hope it's OK to correct them with this post.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a sprawling ground cover that comes out at the end of winter, just when our bodies need one of its main effects.

Chickweed is an excellent way to move those stagnant fluids in our bodies, those toxins that build up over winter with all the good eating, the cold and lack of movement. It is known in herbalism as a lymphatic tonic as it helps get the lymph moving and draining as it should.

The main folk use for Chickweed’s cooling, soothing nature is for rashes and inflammations. Almost any kind of inflammation can benefit from Chickweed, but it comes into its own when used as a cream or poultice for rashes. It is a very effective way to get diaper rash under control. Eczema responds well to it too.

Anytime you see ‘red’, ‘inflamed’ or ‘irritated’ tissues, especially in Spring, they could benefit from Chickweed. Plantain, too can be thought of for these issues too.

Being a soft plant, it is best used fresh to take advantage of all it’s water soluble goodness as it’s not very potent when it’s dry. When fresh, use Chickweed as a vegetable in winter and spring meals.

There's more easy explanations of the healing properties of common herbs here on our blog