Chickweed: The
ubiquitous, small, green chickweed plant grows across the United States and
originated in Europe. The leaves, stems, and flowers are used in botanical
medicine.
Chickweed is reported to curb the appetite and aid in
weight loss. As a diuretic its medicinal properties aide the assimilation
of other herbs and help them process and dissolve of fat. My personal
experience is that Chickweed is a better appetite suppressant than the over the
counter products on the shelf today.
Some say that Chickweed is purely
an 'old wives' tale' remedy for obesity. But in fact, there's supporting
scientific evidence that Chickweed may indeed be beneficial to weight loss,
when included in a healthy lifestyle included proper diet and exercise.
Basically, as a mild diuretic containing saponins, Chickweed emulsifies the fat
cells and assists them out of the system. In Healing Wise by Susun Weed,
it says that Chickweed is an excellent metabolic balancer with a potentially
regulating effect on the thyroid.
Historical or traditional
use (may or may not be supported by scientific studies): Chickweed was
reportedly used at times for food. Chickweed enjoys a reputation in folk
medicine for treating a wide spectrum of conditions, ranging from asthma and
indigestion to skin diseases. Traditional Chinese herbalists used a tea made
from chickweed for nosebleeds.
The active constituents in
chickweed are largely unknown. It contains relatively high amounts of vitamins
and flavonoids, which may explain some of its activity. Although some older
information suggests a possible benefit for chickweed in rheumatic conditions,
this has not been validated in clinical studies.
Often considered a
nuisance to gardeners, this inconspicuous small plant grows world wide in
abundance. Generally, it's one of the first plants in spring. In summer it can
be found in cooler, damp shady areas.
It makes a wonderful addition to
fresh spring salads.
Although formerly used as a
tea, chickweed is mainly used today as a cream applied liberally several times
each day to rashes and inflammatory skin conditions (e.g., eczema) to ease
itching and inflammation. As a tincture, 1–5 ml per day can be
taken three times per day. Two teaspoonfuls of the dried herb may be used to
make a tea. This may be drunk three times daily.
No side effects with
chickweed have been reported. At the time of writing, there were no
well-known drug interactions with chickweed.
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