Foraging for Chickweed
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a beautiful, star-shaped flower that you’ll often find growing during late winter through spring. It crops up in gardens, along roadsides, in pastures, and even in the woods.
Many home gardeners are looking for ways to kill this plant because it can be invasive. However, common chickweed is a delicious and highly nutritious wild edible. It’s also a healthy treat for chickens, which could be how it got its name.
Like other common weeds like shepherd’s purse and plantain, this plant has many valuable medicinal benefits. This is why it’s worthwhile to know how to identify chickweed, and how you can use this humble little plant to soothe itchy skin, boost your metabolism, and clear up kidney problems.
How to Find and Identify Chickweed
Chances are, you have chickweed growing somewhere within walking distance of your house. Keep in mind that the various species look slightly different, so you’ll want to double check which grows in your region to make sure you’re identifying it correctly.
Where Does Chickweed Grow?
Chickweed is one of those plants that grow in a wide variety of areas. You’ll find it growing in a dappled garden plot, in partially shaded woods, near streams and at the base of trees. If the area is at least somewhat moist and partially shaded, you’ll likely find it growing there in late winter to early spring. In warmer climates, you might find it growing as early as November or December. In colder climates, it will start popping up in February or March.
On our homestead, we have chickweed growing in abundance in the woods. In the spring, this beautiful wildflower creates a carpet of white that takes our breath away on our late afternoon walks. We often find it growing in a tangled mass with cleavers, another popular springtime herbal remedy.
Identifying Chickweed
The chickweed flower contains small, white petals that sit on top tiny leaves shaped like a star. The leaves on the stem are smooth on top, and teardrop, narrow and pointy, or egg shaped. The round stem and unopened buds are covered in very fine hairs.
There are several different species. All are edible and medicinal, but the flavor will vary depending on the species. Here in the Southeast we have Stellaria media, along with star chickweed (Stellaria pubera), and mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum).
The chickweed plant grows relatively close to the ground in a tangled mass of leaves, flowers, and stems.
Is Chickweed Edible?
Common chickweed is a highly nutritious wild edible. All above-ground parts of the plant are edible: stems, buds, flowers, and leaves.
In her book “Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs,” Ms. Gladstar says chickweed “…is one of those mild-tasting plants that disguise their strength in sweetness.” In his book, “Southeast Foraging,” author and chef Chris Bennett describes the taste, “…like green pea shoots, with a hint of cornlike sweetness.” To me, both descriptions of chickweed’s unique, fresh flavor are perfectly on target.
According to Rosemary Gladstar, the plant contains Vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, coumarins, and saponins.
You can gather and eat chickweed when it first starts coming up in your region. However, you might want to avoid it once it starts to flower and going to seed. According to Bennett, once the plant reaches this stage of growth it becomes stringy and unpleasant to eat. However, I find it’s still palatable, especially the flowering tops. I’ll eat the flowers raw, much like shepherd’s purse, when we’re out on a hike.
How to Eat Chickweed
This wild edible is delicious fresh and raw, which is how I often eat it when we’re outdoors. Chickweed is also great in pesto, or added to smoothies. Although I haven’t tried it, Rosemary Gladstar states that it’s excellent blended with pineapple juice.
Many people like to add chickweed to a wild greens salad. Its faint sweetness can help balance out the bitterness found in other wild greens like dandelion.
Medicinal Uses of Chickweed
In his book, “The Earthwise Herbal: Volume One,” master herbalist Matthew Wood states, “The properties of chickweed are so numerous that they are hard to define, but we may start with the observation that this moist, cool, shade-loving little green denizen is lubricating, nourishing, cooling, and antifebrile.”
According to Wood, this wild medicinal can help with a number of health issues. A few of these include:
- Weight gain
- Inflamed throat and mouth
- Bronchitis, coughs, colds, and asthma
- Inflammation or weakness of the stomach and bowels
- Constipation
- Rheumatism and arthritis
I’ll go over the two most common medicinal uses below.
Skin Problems
According to Rosemary Gladstar, chickweed is an excellent herbal remedy for many types of skin conditions and skin irritations. As a salve, it can work wonders to relieve itchiness and heal eczema. Because it’s so gentle, it can even be used to treat diaper rash.
There are a few ways you can use chickweed on your skin.
One method is to make a poultice. Gather a handful of fresh tops and, using a mortar and pestle or a blender, mash them into a pulp. You may need to add a little water to aid in blending. Put the mashed poultice on the affected area for at least 30 minutes, and hold in place with a cloth and some gauze. Reapply as often as needed until the itchiness is gone.
Another way to use chickweed is to make a salve. A salve will preserve the healing properties of the plant for up to a year if stored correctly. However, you will need additional tools and supplies like a double boiler, beeswax, chickweed infused oil, and some salve tins or jars. You can find detailed instructions on how to make a salve at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Itchy Eyes
If you have red, itchy eyes from seasonal allergies,or you are suffering from conjunctivitis, try chickweed as a natural remedy.
To heal itchy eyes or the redness from conjunctivitis, make an decoction. Matthew Wood suggests steeping a heaping teaspoonful of fresh chickweed in just-boiled water for 30 minutes. Once the liquid is completely cooled, soak a rag in the tea and bathe the eyes gently.
Last Word
Chickweed is a wonderfully nutritious and beneficial wild edible that grows throughout much of the United States. It grows on farms, in gardens, by sidewalks, and in abandoned city lots. So no matter where you live, chances are you can find this plant relatively easy during the spring.
I love foraging for chickweed in the spring because the flavor is so refreshing. I also value it for its healing properties. Last year I made a tincture to help treat any kidney or liver issues that came up (thankfully none did). This year, I’ll be making an infused oil to use in a salve, along with other skin-friendly herbs like plantain and yarrow.
Have you ever tasted chickweed or used it medicinally?
