REFERENCE
See the General References forBAILEY2;BIANCHINI AND CORBETTA;BLUMENTHAL1;FEMA;FERNALD;
KROCHMAL AND KROCHMAL;MCGUFFIN1&2;STAHL;UPHOF;WEISS;WREN.
- L. K. Rieske et al.,Environ. Entomol., 32 ,
359 (2003).
CHICKWEED
Source: Stellaria media(L.) Villars (Family
Caryophyllaceae).
Common/vernacular names:Chickweed, sta-
rweed, star chickweed, and hakobe (Japan).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Prostrate to decumbent annual herb to 40 cm;
leaves ovate, sessile, glabrous; flower white,
star-shaped, petals two lobed, to 3 mm long,
sepals to 5 mm; mainly a weed of cultivated
ground around human dwellings; throughout
Europe, North America; cosmopolitan else-
where; part used is the herb.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
Carboxylic acids, oxalic acid, coumarins,
hydroxycoumarins; glycosides; flavonoids,
including rutin, hexosylapigenins, pentosyla-
pigenins,^1 apigeninC-glycosylflavones (e.g.,
7,2^00 -di-O-b-glucopyranosyl vitexin),^2 luteo-
lin, vicenin-2, and the isoflavone genistein;^3
saponins, steroids, triterpene glycosides,1,4
hydroxybenzoic acids (e.g., p-hydroxyben-
zoic acid, vanillic acid), hydroxycinnamic
acids (caffeic, chlorogenic, ferulic,^3 and
trans-ferulic acid); galactolipids;^5 vitamin
C, dehydroascorbic acid, thiamine, riboflavin,
niacin, carotenoids; linolenic acids4,6(DUKE
2); aminoadipic acid, and saccharopine;^7
octadecatetraenoic acid in leaf lipids concen-
trated in monogalactoxyl diglyceride fraction;
g-linolenic acid in polar fraction.^8
Stellaria dichotomavar.lanceolatacon-
tains wogonin (flavone derivative),a-spinas-
terol, stimast-7-enol, palmitate and furan
3-carboxylic acid, andC-glycosyl-flavonoids.^9
PHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL
ACTIVITIES
Extracts of the aerial parts have shownin vitro
antioxidant activity (xanthane oxidase-
inhibiting).^10
USES
Food. Aerial part used in salads in Italy;^11
forage plant of chickens living among the Iro-
quois Indians (MOERMAN); formerly a source of
vitamin C; traditionally a pot herb, emergency
food;seedsonceacommercialbirdseedsource.
Dietary Supplements/Health Foods. Leaves
in capsules, teas; widely used emollient in
salves and ointments (WREN); used in Japan
in a herbal toothpaste (‘‘Hakobe-salt’’).^12
Traditional Medicine. Chippewa Indians
used a strained decoction of the leaves used
to wash sore eyes; used by Iroquois in a
compound poultice to treat rheumatism (MOER-
MAN); also antirheumatic,^11 galactogogue,
gastroenteric diseases, toothache, swellings,
antipuritic,^12 demulcent, emollient, and vul-
nerary activity reported; externally applied
in poultices for boils, eczema, inflammation,
psoriasis, sores, ulcers; ointment also used to
allay itching.WEISSreports negative results as
antirheumatic.
Chickweed 187
