Chickweed - WEMPlapedia, the wild edible and medicinal plant encyclopedia

Chickweed

Stellaria media

Caryophyllaceae

Edible Uses

<p>You can eat as a salad, its taste reminds to tender corn. Consuming raw or steamed is recommended.</p>

Medicinal Uses

Flowering tops

<p>A tea cure reduces cholesterol, stimulates the gall bladder and kidney. Kőoldó effect. The fresh juice, used externally, soothes tired eyes, and cherish the wounded, dry skin.</p>

Main Characteristics

Chickweed is an annual, undemanding plant that can « live even on flat ice ». The plant's weak stems mostly trail along the ground, it's easy to uproot accidentally. The stems are 5 – 40 cm tall, and branch very frequently, and has fine hairs on only one side of the stem in a single band. There is a string located inside the stems, that can easily be identified by brakng the stem. The leaves are opposite and ovate with a point at the tip. It has tiny white flowers with five deeply notched petals that look like ten.

Habitats

Along the road side

Hayfield

Lawn

Mesic deciduous forest

Shrub forest

Weed associations

Harvesting aid

Shoot

April, August, July, June, March, May, November, October, September

The tender young shoots are worth to gather. Both the stems, the leaves, and the flowers and edible, and can be gathered all together.

Bark

April, August, July, June, March, May, November, October, September

Seeds are tiny and they are produced in small quantities, so it is labourious but possible to gather.

Confusion with other plants

Chickweed can easily be confused with species of the Cerastium spp. However, in case of the mouse-ear chickweed, the petals are much less notched, they do not look like ten. They are not toxic, but tough and their taste is insignificant.