The latin name for this beautiful plant is Stellaria media: stella means star in latin, and in this instance refers to the tiny white flowers that the plant produces. The flowers open when the sun shines, but close at night, or when the sky is overcast.
I love this little plant, which is a common weed in much of Europe and North America. Although it thrives in wasteland, farmland and gardens, one of the places I notice it most often is at the base of roadside trees in urban areas.
I strongly recommend chickweed as a salad base (when picked from an unpolluted source!) as it is delicious and highly nutritious: it is rich in Vitamin C, Beta carotene (Vitamin A precursor), Vitamins B (B1, B2, B3), Bioflavonoids (rutin), Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acid, Calcium, Copper, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Phosphorus and Selenium. It also contains triterpene saponins,
phytosteroles, and mucilage.
You can also take chickweed internally as a herbal infusion or tincture: these can help treat rheumatism, constipation, or urinary infections, and can cleanse your blood by expelling toxins. Of course, I recommend you see a professional herbalist before starting any course of treatment.
Traditionally, chickweed has been used to treat a variety of skin complaints such eczema, psoriasis, erysipelas, ulcers, nappy rash, contact dermatitis and minor skin wounds. I have chosen to use chickweed in Inlight products, such as Ecz-easy, is for its demulcent (soothing) quality, due to the presence of mucilage, and also its ability to reduce itchiness and speed up the healing process, due to its high saponin content.
Ecz-easy, like all Inlight products, is the result of traditional wisdom combined with the latest production techniques to create the perfect diet for your skin. Chickweed (so called as it is a favourite food of chickens) is an essential part of what makes Ecz-easy so effective, so I for one think that this wonderful plant deserves a more worthy name!
Dr Mariano Spiezia
Inlight Organic Skincare
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