If you are looking for a new type of leafy vegetable to toss in your salads, chickweed may be precisely what you have been seeking. With a dense profile of nutrients and a limited number of side effects, this unusual plant can provide quite a few impressive health benefits. However, before adding any new vegetable or herb to your diet, it’s best to understand where it comes from and what it can do!
What is Chickweed?
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is an annual plant found throughout Europe and is scientifically known as Stellaria Media. [1] Over time, it also became naturalized in North America and can be found in recipes and cultural specialties around the world. For those who worry about the safety of chickweed, it is completely safe to consume in moderation. While it is not the most popular leafy addition to a salad, this plant has a pleasant taste and has a slightly different growing season. It is known as a cool-season plant, so depending on where you are and what time of year it is, you may be more likely to find chickweed on the menu. Not only is this an edible plant, but it is also praised for its use in traditional medicine.
While it is not the most popular leafy addition to a salad, this plant has a pleasant taste and has a slightly different growing season. It is known as a cool-season plant, so depending on where you are and what time of year it is, you may be more likely to find chickweed on the menu in cold climates. Not only is this an edible plant, but it is also praised for its use in traditional medicine.
Chickweed is also the common name of various other plant species found in Europe and North America, so it is important to be able to identify this plant. It is quite slender and doesn’t grow particularly tall, with leaves that are oval and opposite. The lower on the plant, the longer the stalks and larger the leaves. The flowers of the plant are small and white. Many people find this herb growing in random places, due to its hardiness, and assume that it is just a weed, while it is actually a potentially beneficial herb! [2]
Chickweed Benefits
The most important chickweed health benefits include its ability to heal the skin, relieve gastrointestinal distress, aid in weight loss efforts, eliminate inflammation, soothe respiratory problems, and speed up healing, among others.
Skin Care
Chickweed is used as a cooling herbal remedy. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
There are various topical applications of this herb that can improve the appearance and health of your skin. Packed with minerals and antioxidants, chickweed can prevent oxidative stress and soothe inflammation from things like eczema, acne, rosacea, psoriasis. It can even improve the appearance of scars and wrinkles! [3]
Prevents Inflammation
Whether consumed or applied externally, chickweed has powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that help it ease discomfort and pain. This is particularly good for people who suffer from chronic inflammatory conditions, such as osteoarthritis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), among others. [4]
Weight Loss
Many people drink chickweed tea because it has certain diuretic and laxative qualities, which can help people lose water weight. On top of that, however, some studies have found that this herb also suppresses the appetite, further helping to limit calories and aid weight loss efforts. [5]
Alleviates Respiratory Problems
Some of the antioxidants in chickweed, namely the saponins, can act as expectorants in the respiratory system, helping you expel phlegm and mucus. This will relieve inflammation in those tracts, helping you breathe normally, while also eliminating many of the underlying infections of that system. [6]
Speeds up Healing
Applying poultices or compresses of this herb to wounds stimulates circulation and blood flow while protecting against infections, which speeds the healing process.
Aids Digestion
The fiber, minerals, and antioxidants found in this plant will improve your digestion, while also balancing the bacterial environment in your gut and supporting the immune system – more than 50% of which operates within the gastrointestinal system. [7]
Chickweed Uses
Chickweed can be used in many ways, both in culinary and medicinal applications, such as in the form of an oil, compress, tea, poultice or salad vegetable.
Infused Oil
If you infuse oil with chickweed leaves and allow them to soak overnight, you can then use this oil for topical applications on the body, or you can add it to your bath, which can relieve skin conditions and inflammation.
Tea
Some people choose to brew a delicious, earthy tea from this herb’s leaves, particularly because this appears to have notable weight loss properties, thanks to the laxative and diuretic abilities of this herb. [8]
Compress
If you make a decoction of chickweed leaves, you can soak a compress in the mixture and apply it directly to wounds, inflamed areas, or parts of the skin that require treatment.
Poultice
You can crush the leaves of the chickweed plant into a light paste and topically apply it to acute injuries and wounds to speed the healing process.
Salad Vegetable
Perhaps the most popular use of this plant, you can add a handful of these leaves to your salad for a unique flavorful bite and a number of excellent internal health benefits.
Chickweed Side Effects
Despite many potential benefits, there are some possible side effects of chickweed that should be considered, including allergic reactions and possible complications in pregnancy.
Contact Dermatitis – Some people are allergic to chickweed, particularly if they are related to other plants in the daisy family. This can result in itching, rashes or redness on the skin, and if consumed, could result in gastrointestinal distress and nausea. Initially, use only a small amount of chickweed and see how your body reacts.
Pregnancy – There are quite a few potent active ingredients in chickweed that have not been adequately studied in terms of pregnancy. So pregnant and breastfeeding women are recommended to not use this natural remedy.
