© Carl Axel Magnus Lindman (1856–1928) · Public domain · Commons
Common chickweed
CautionVogelmiere · (Stellaria media)
Pink family (Caryophyllaceae)
Description
Common chickweed is an annual, prostrate herb with round stems 3 to 40 cm long bearing a characteristic single line of hairs that alternates from side to side at each node. Its opposite, oval leaves are hairless, and the small white flowers have five deeply cleft petals that make them appear to have ten. In mild weather the plant flowers nearly year-round. The parts used are mainly the fresh aerial parts (herb), eaten raw as a wild vegetable and applied externally for skin conditions.
🌿 Risk of confusion — read before wild-harvesting!
Beware of confusion with the poisonous scarlet pimpernel (Lysimachia/Anagallis arvensis), which has a solid, angular stem and lacks chickweed's characteristic single line of hairs.
Chickweed is a nutritious wild vegetable with a taste reminiscent of young raw corn; about 50 g of salad roughly covers an adult's daily vitamin C requirement.
Preparation & dosage
Add washed young fresh shoots raw to salads or briefly cook like spinach. Owing to the saponin content, do not eat very large amounts at once.
The classic folk use: a cooling, soothing salve for itching, soreness and various skin complaints.
Preparation & dosage
Bruise the fresh herb and work it into unsalted lard (or a plant-based fat); apply as a cooling salve to itchy, irritated or inflamed skin.
Fresh bruised leaves were traditionally used as a cooling, wound-soothing poultice.
Preparation & dosage
Crush the fresh herb and apply as a poultice to slow-healing wounds, minor ulcers or rheumatically painful areas; renew several times a day.
Used in folk medicine as a tea for respiratory complaints and as a soothing (demulcent) remedy; not scientifically proven.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 250 ml of boiling water over 1 to 2 g of dried (or a handful of fresh) herb, steep covered for about 10 minutes, then strain.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
Taken internally as a tea for rheumatism and joint pain; efficacy is not scientifically established.
Preparation & dosage
Prepare as the respiratory tea. Traditionally drunk for rheumatic complaints and joint pain, often alongside an external poultice.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
In the eclectic tradition a tincture was recommended for shifting, temporary rheumatic pains.
Preparation & dosage
Macerate the fresh herb in alcohol; take 2 to 4 ml of the finished tincture in a little water up to three times daily.
- Liquid amount
- 2–4 ml
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
Sources: [5]
Recorded as a skin-soothing bath for itching and skin irritation.
Preparation & dosage
Pour boiling water over a generous amount of fresh herb, steep, strain and add to the bath water; use as a full or partial bath for itchy or irritated skin.
The plant contains saponins; very large amounts may cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Do not use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Beware of confusion with the poisonous scarlet pimpernel (Lysimachia/Anagallis arvensis), which has a solid, angular stem and lacks chickweed's characteristic single line of hairs.
⏱ Max continuous use: 4 weeks
Internal medicinal use should be avoided in pregnancy; eating small amounts as a salad green is considered lower risk but is poorly studied.
Medicinal use should be avoided while breastfeeding; sufficient safety data are lacking.
Safe as a salad green in usual amounts; no established dosing exists for medicinal use in children.
Contraindications
- Known allergy to plants of the pink family (Caryophyllaceae).
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding (medicinal use).
Harvested part: Fresh aerial parts (herb)
- Time of day:
- In the morning once the dew has dried.
- Drying:
- Best used fresh; for drying, spread thinly and airily in the shade, as the juicy herb spoils easily.
- Storage:
- 6 months — Store dried herb protected from light and moisture in a sealed container.
- Vitamin C (Ascorbinsäure)VitaminAerial parts
Very high content; about 50 g of fresh herb roughly covers an adult's daily vitamin C requirement.
- TriterpensaponineSaponinAerial parts
Oleanolic-acid-type saponins; the reason large amounts should not be eaten.
- Flavonoide (u. a. Apigenin- und Kaempferol-Glykoside)FlavonoidAerial parts
Plant polyphenols credited with antioxidant properties.
- Schleimstoffe (Mucilago)MucilageAerial parts
Contribute to the soothing (demulcent) effect in skin and respiratory uses.
- CumarinePhenolic acidAerial parts
Phenolic constituents listed in German-language literature on chickweed.
- Eisen (Fe)MineralAerial parts
Mineral-rich; iron content is markedly higher than in lettuce, which is why the plant was folk-used for iron deficiency.
- Calcium, Kalium und MagnesiumMineralAerial parts
Compared to lettuce, roughly double the calcium and about three times the potassium and magnesium.
- Phytosterole (β-Sitosterol, Daucosterol)OtherAerial parts
Plant sterols identified in chemical analyses of the plant.
- [4]MonographStellaria media – Plants For A Future (PFAF) database(accessed: 2026-06-08)
- [5]MonographStellaria (Chickweed) – King's American Dispensatory (Felter & Lloyd), Henriette's Herbal(accessed: 2026-06-08)
- [1]WikipediaVogelmiere – Wikipedia (deutsch)(accessed: 2026-06-08)
- [2]WikipediaStellaria media – Wikipedia (English)(accessed: 2026-06-08)
- [6]CommonsStellaria media – Bilder ur Nordens Flora (C. A. M. Lindman), Wikimedia Commons(accessed: 2026-06-08)
- [3]WikidataStellaria media (Q158711) – Wikidata(accessed: 2026-06-08)
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In your garden, this plant acts as: