'Little stars'- stellaria species

                  Chickweed  Stellaria media                                                                              Greater Stitchwort  S. holostea 

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'LITTLE STARS'- STELLARIA SPECIES

Qualities of Chickweed

Chickweed is part of the pink family which contains the species of stitchworts, pinks and campions. Beautiful flowers which are often on brittle stems relying on the grass to hold them up and yet they appear in abundance year after year undaunted by whatever is thrown at them.
The chickweed therefore amongst its healing uses has a quality of gentleness. In our fast-paced often extrovert society it is gentleness that can caress and hold us steady, being gentle in an angry world takes great strength and relying on those around us as these plants rely on the grass enables us to experience our vulnerability and tenderness. I invite you as you explore our next plant to take off the cloak of protection and dare to feel gentleness and the support of your community. Shine with gentleness as though you too were a little star in the pink family.

Latin : Stellaria  Family: Caryophyllaceae
History and/or use:  Eat as a salad, helps skin irritations and swellings. 
Wildlife Value: Valuable seeds for birds.


​I am brittle-stemmed and slender,
But the grass is my defender.
On the banks where grass is long,
I can stand erect and strong.
All my mass of starry faces
Looking up from wayside places,
From the thick and tangled grass,
Gives you greeting as you pass.

​Cicely Mary Barker

The Stellaria genus are a selection of starry-faced flowers that brighten up our waysides.
Stellaria means ‘little star’ and the white mass of flowers produced by these plants cannot fail to cheer you up unless you're too pre-occupied with calling them weeds and digging them up!

If you have any medical conditions please check with a medical herbalist first before taking any plant and only harvest it if you are 100% sure what it is!

Chickweed can be harvested as a pleasant salad crop or added to oil to make a superb ointment. This ointment made with olive oil and beeswax is a must for all those suffering with any skin complaint such as eczema and psoriasis.  You can also use it for wounds as well as for swollen and inflamed tissues- a must for any home herbal kit!

Chickweed drunk as a tea can help relief bronchitis, pleurisy and rheumatism. The leaves will help cleanse the system and the plant is especially good for swellings, sprains and mumps.

Chickweed traditionally is a herb well known for its use as a poultice (a dressing for wounds) along with groundsel ( Senecio vulgaris- prized as a poultice since Saxon times!). Both herbs will help wash and soothe wounds when applied directly to them.

Chickweed is an annual, a bright green lush plant growing on cultivated rich soils. A single line of hair (good ID point) runs the full length of the stem where it acts as a gulley to collect dew for times of drought. The name chickweed comes from the fact it can be used as food for chickens, goslings and other caged birds.

The stitchworts which are related to chickweed are perennial and are more striking than chickweed as they grow more upright with larger flowers. As the name suggests they are an old remedy for stitches and other similar muscular pains.

The latin word ‘holostea’ which is applied to greater stitchwort actually means ‘whole bone’ and the plant is brittle stemmed it may be interpreted as a cure for brittle bones according to the doctrine of signatures ( a very old  belief system that a plant has signature – a way of displaying its medicinal use often through a physical characteristic). However there is no evidence to confirm this is true.

Greater stitchwort’s Welsh name tells us its used as a herb for shingles. The plant is especially used for this complaint when mixed with wood sage and navelwort.

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