Chickweed is the name for several types of an annual plant that chickens love to eat. Gardeners sometimes consider chickweed a weed, because it can outcompete many other plants. But chickweed is also a garden vegetable and herbal supplement. Herbalists most often call chickweed Stellaria media.
Identification
Chickweed is a member of the carnation family and closely resembles other plants in this family. You can distinguish chickweed from related species by looking at the stems. Plants in the carnation family have fine hairs on the stems, but chickweed has these hairs on only one side of the stem.
Growth
Chickweed grows well in temperate climates throughout America and Europe. It germinates in fall or winter, produces thick foliage and has small white flowers. Chickweed is common in open fields and private gardens and can be difficult to control because of the large numbers of seeds that it produces.
Food
Chickweed is edible and has a mild flavor. You can eat it raw or slightly cooked, and you can also dry and store chickweed. Chickweed's most common use in food is as a leaf vegetable in salads, although you can also eat the stems. Chickweed is also an ingredient in a dish served during Nanakusa no sekku, a Japanese spring festival.
Nutrition
Chickweed is an especially good source of vitamin C, and it has high concentrations of vitamin A, vitamin B1 and vitamin B2. Chickweed also contains significant amounts of calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. Additional nutrients in chickweed include para amino benzoic acid and gamma linolenic acid.
Herbal Medicine
Chickweed has been well known in herbal medicine for at least four centuries. It's most obvious medicinal properties are as a diuretic, expectorant and mild laxative. Herbalists commonly prescribe chickweed for skin diseases, and they may also recommend it for arthritis, bronchitis and menstrual discomfort.
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