Chickweed: Benefits and Uses

Chickweed is an annual with long, sprawling branches that trail on the ground, has pale green, ovate leaves, and small, white, star-shaped flowers. Usually despised as an obnoxious weed by the keen gardener, this lovely and valuable little plant is found in gardens and wastelands throughout the temperate regions of the world.

Make the most of its cleansing and alterative properties in the kitchen by adding torn leaves to salads, cooking leaves and stems as a vegetable, or juicing leaves and stems with other vegetables as a tonic.

The whole plant can be used both internally and externally — as a compress, fomentation, ointment, tincture, or tea.

Internally, chickweed is used for rheumatism as well as chest infections. Infuse the leaves and stems and drink one cup three times daily or take 40 drops of tincture in two tablespoons of water three times daily to ease the pain of rheumatism.

In homeopathy chickweed is used against joint inflammation as well as rheumatism.

Externally, this superb herb is used for pruritus and itchy skin as well as eczema, acne, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, psoriasis, inflammation, ulcers, vaginitis, urticaria, boils, abscesses, allergies and other skin problems.