Chickweed

Fighting fat and inflammation naturally

Once again, I am returning to herbalist Steven Horne for a short article on chickweed. I introduced Steven in my October 2024 article entitled Willow: Nature’s Original Pain Reliever. His work is easy to understand and focuses on how everyday people can use herbs to improve health and well-being. You can find Steven Horne at https://stevenhorne.com/

Steven Horne's Newsletter
Natural News and Herbal Views – June 2023

Chickweed is one of those weedy plants that’s easy to overlook, yet is both edible and medicinal. It’s found in moist places typically near woods. When I’ve seen it in Utah it’s typically been growing around trees in more moist areas of the Western forests. This herb is not only edible as a food, it’s also a versatile remedy for a wide range of health problems.

Chickweed and Fatty Deposits

One of the primary uses I’ve made of chickweed is to help get rid of fatty deposits of all kinds, from fatty tumours (lipomas) to fatty liver disease. It is best used along with alterative herbs like burdock, gotu kola, dandelion, and black walnut for this purpose. These herbs will also break up watery cysts.

I’m not sure exactly why chickweed does this, but there is research suggesting it improves fat metabolism. It reduces triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels and has been shown to have an anti-obesity effect. While chickweed alone won’t make you lose weight, it can help your body burn up fatty deposits more quickly as part of an overall program.

Chickweed and the Skin

Chickweed has anti-inflammatory and vulnerary properties. It has been used as a poultice for any type of inflamed skin disease, including rashes, eczema, and burns. It also helps heal wounds and get rid of abscesses. It is also used as part of a salve or lotion to relieve itchy skin.

Years ago, a gifted chiropractor I used to go to told me that itching is caused because there are fat-soluble toxins trapped just under the skin which the body is trying to eliminate through the sebaceous glands. The urge to scratch is to open up the skin to eliminate these toxins.

I believe this to be essentially accurate, which is one reason why I’ve found clay baths very helpful for itchy skin. I wrote about clay baths in The Healing Power of Clay. The clay pulls the fats and toxins out of the skin. Chickweed, by helping to emulsify or break up the fats would also make it easier for the toxins to escape the skin.

Reducing Inflammation and Dryness

Taken internally, chickweed can aid any condition where there tends to be heat and dryness. It soothes, moistens, and nourishes tissues. This includes respiratory problems like a dry and irritated cough, bronchitis, asthma, and pleurisy. It also includes inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract including mouth sores, sore throat, colitis, and hemorrhoids. It can also be helpful for arthritis and mastitis.

The young leaves of chickweed are edible as a salad green and have a mild, pleasant flavor. Being a nutritive herb, they are a very safe remedy for people of all ages. In fact, the common name arises from its use as an animal feed, especially for chickens, who apparently like the plant.

Chickweed is widely available in capsule or tincture form. It is also found in salves and lotions, formulas for excessive appetite and weight loss, alterative formulas, and because it is a rich source of iron, in herbal iron or blood-building formulas.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is also known as chickweed, starwort, starweed, bindweed, winter-weed, satin flower, tongue-grass, chickwhirtles, cluckenweed, mischievous Jack, skirt buttons, cyrillo, white bird's eye, and common starwort. It has been widely introduced throughout the world, including parts of the far north and sub-Antarctic islands. In the tropics it occurs primarily at high elevations (Sobey 1981). It occurs in all fifty states and all Canadian provinces (USDA Plants), but it is generally absent from dry areas (DeFelice 2004) in a wide range of habitats and many cultivated crops. It grows best on moist, heavy, nitrogen rich soils at optimum constant temperatures of 12 -20°C. It is very sensitive to drought and is not an invasive problem in drier areas. Chickweed can germinate throughout the year but has two main flushes; one is early spring while the other is late fall. https://cals.cornell.edu/weed-science/weed-profiles/common-chickweed

Herbalist Matthew Wood tells us that “(chickweed) is native to moist, shady spots in yards and woods, often around the base of trees. It is mild in flavour and is used as a mild salad green to counter the bitterness of other spring greens.” When utilized as a medicine, it “can be applied to many conditions.” - The Earthwise Herbal, 2008, pg. 472.

Steven Horne suggests that it acts as a mild appetite suppressant and weight loss aid when taken one hour before mealtimes, and when applied topically, helps relieve itchy skin. - Modern Herbal Medicine, 2014, pg. 365.

Phyllis A. Balch, in her book Prescription for Nutritional Healing (2010, pg. 107), notes that chickweed relieves nasal congestion and can be used to combat colds and coughs. It can also be used for skin diseases and warts when applied topically.

So, what we have here is a highly versatile weed. Yes, it’s available in raw, powdered. tincture and capsule form, but have a look at the photos, and perhaps next spring, you can do some wildcrafting to find your own source of chickweed.

Stay naturally well,