What is mouse ear chickweed used for?

Chickweed extract has been used internally as a demulcent, but is more typically used externally for the treatment of rashes and sores. The young shoots are edible and have been used as salad greens. In homeopathy, the plant is used to relieve rheumatic pains and psoriasis.

Is all chickweed edible?

Chickweed has a side-shifting single line of hair down the stem. Unlike many wild edibles, the chickweed’s stems, leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible. It does hold nitrates and people with allergies to daisies might want to pass it by. Only the Mouse-Ear chickweed should be cooked because of texture issues.

Is chickweed sticky?

The leaves as well as stem are hairy, giving the plant a grayer appearance. The abundance of hairs, some with glandular secretions, gives the plant a sticky feel. Both sticky and common chickweed are annual weeds.

How do I know if I have mouse ear chickweed?

Although similar in form to common chickweed, Stellaria media, mouseear chickweed can be distinguished by its hairy leaves and stems (common chickweed stems have one line of hairs on either side and leaves are hairless or have hairs only on the edge of the leaf near the base).

What is chickweed herb good for?

Chickweed is a plant. The leaf is used to make medicine. People take chickweed for constipation, stomach and bowel problems, blood disorders, asthma and other lung diseases, obesity, a vitamin C deficiency disease called scurvy, a skin condition called psoriasis, rabies, itching, and muscle and joint pain.

How can you tell if chickweed is edible?

Chickweed is easy to identify for even the novice wildcrafter. It’s tender, stringy, and rarely grows more than a few inches up off the ground. Leaves are small, teardrop- to egg-shaped with a pointed tip, and grow opposite each other along the stem.

Is chickweed poisonous?

Poisoning: The potential for poisoning is low. Eating huge amounts can cause an accumulation of nitrates. Eating excess chickweed can cause diarrhea and vomiting. The non-profit research organization Plants for a Future (PFAF) says that common chickweed contains saponins.

Is chickweed an annual or perennial?

Mouseear chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum) is a low-growing perennial plant. It can be considered a weed in turfgrass and in ornamental plant beds, where it can grow into a mounding form.

Is chickweed an invasive plant?

Invasive Species: Stellaria media, Common Chickweed. Common chickweed is an invasive annual, low-growing herb native to Europe. Common chickweed occurs in shady, moist locations and can commonly threaten habitats on rocky seeps.

How do you get rid of sticky Mouseear chickweed?

Because Mouseear chickweed is a perennial weed, a broadleaf herbicide such as Ortho Weed-B-Gon or Gordon’s Lawn Weed Killer will yield the best results. Horticultural vinegar such as Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed & Grass Killer provides a natural solution.

Is Mouseear chickweed invasive?

Mouse-eared chickweed, native to Europe, is one of the most widespread invasive plants in the world, distributed throughout the temperate and subarctic zones. It is found throughout North America.

What vitamins are in chickweed?

Chickweed contains many plant compounds — including phytosterols, tocopherols, triterpene saponins, flavonoids, and vitamin C — that may be responsible for its benefits ( 1 , 2 ).