Local studies of Chickweed indicate it clears congestion, controls obesity, reduces inflammation, reduces water retention, soothes skin irritations, acts as tonic for the liver, and reduces the negative effects of alcohol abuse, reports CHUKWUMA MUANYA.

COMMONLY called Adder's Mouth, Passerina, Satin Flower, Starweed, Star Chickweed, Starwort, Stitchwort or Tongue-grass, Stellaria media is of the plant family Caryophyllaceae. The French calls it Mouron des oiseaux, while to the Portuguese it is Morugem. Locally the Yorubas call it Awede, while to the Igbos it is Ahihia Okuko.

Recent studies by Nigerian herbalists show that Chickweed is gaining patronage as a poultice or ointment for skin irritation and inflammation as well as for skin ulcers. Boils, carbuncles, and abscesses are reported to respond well to a poultice.

Studies at the Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL) shows that Chickweed has a reputation for treating rheumatism, asthma, congestion, and bronchitis. It has also been used in weight loss and is an ingredient in some herbal weight loss preparations.

A study published by researchers at the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) indicates that Chickweed acts as a natural emulsifier (or "fat dissolver") and can lower cholesterol levels and it makes a very nutritious wild food.

Senior Research Officer at NNMDA, Jimoh J. Bisola, told The Guardian that for serious constipation, the fresh leaves can be crushed and applied directly or made into an ointment with oil or Vaseline for bruises, irritations, and other skin problems.

To a naturopath at Ugo Health Care Services, Festac Town, Lagos, Dr. Chinyere Ogbonna, Chickweed is generally used as food.

Ogbonna explained: "I often nibble on it when I am out in the yard. It has a mild, refreshing flavour. The leaves and stems can be added to salads, cooked as greens, or added to anything you might add greens to (which, to me, is just about everything). Just do not cook it for more than a few minutes. Chickweed is particularly high in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and mucilage, and also provides rutin, para amino benzoic acid (PABA), gamma linolenic acid (GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid derivative), niacin, riboflavin (B2), thiamin (B1), beta carotene (A), magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, selenium, and silicon.

"The seeds are also edible. The plant can be dried for storage. Chickweed is a fairly safe food, however, as almost everything is somehow toxic if you use enough of it, over-consumption of this plant may give you diarrhoea."

According to Ogbonna, the benefits ascribed to Chickweed may simply be the result of its high nutritional value, especially the presence of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). She argued that the medicinal effects of this fatty acid read much like the values ascribed to Chickweed.

GLA, according to Ogbonna is recommended for a variety of skin problems, for hormone imbalances as in Pre-Menopausal Symptoms (PMS), and for arthritis. "It clears congestion, controls obesity, reduces inflammation, reduces water retention, acts as tonic for the liver, and reduces the negative effects of alcohol abuse," she said.

On how to prepare Chickweed, Ogbonna explained: "Chickweed can be used fresh or dried. To make an Infusion: Steep one tablespoon herb in half cup water. Take half to one cup a day. To prepare a decoction: Boil three heaping tablespoons of the herb in one quart water until a pint of liquid remains. For constipation, take a cupful warm every three hours, or more often, until the bowels move. The Juice can be taken one teaspoon to one tablespoon, three times a day."

However, naturopaths caution that it should not be used if there is any kidney disease present; and not exceed dosage, as an excessive dose can have an adverse effect on the kidneys; and, in rare cases, may cause heart failure.

Indeed, botanists describe Chickweed as an annual herb with diffuse leafy stems, recorded in montane situations in Guinea, West Cameroon and Fernando Po.

According to Dr. Dotun Adekunle of the Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Lagos, Chickweed is a native to Europe and Asia, but it is now found in virtually all parts of the world.

He said: "It is a sprawling perennial, growing to about six inches high and producing hairy stems, oval leaves, and star-like white flowers. It is harvested throughout the growing season as a food and a medicine."

Adekunle said that Chickweed can also be found in all parts of southern Nigeria, even in some parts of the North.

According to a taxonomist and professor of Botany at the University of Lagos, Dele Olowokudejo, Chickweed can be identified with a weak-stemmed, much-branched, low plant with small white flowers with deeply cleft petals, in terminal clusters or solitary in leaf axils.

He continued: "Stems with a single line of hairs down the side. The flowers are one quarter inch wide, with five petals, so deeply divided as to appear to be 10; five sepals, green, longer than the petals. The leaves are half to one inch long; relatively smooth, opposite, ovate, lower with petioles, upper without. It has a height of about three to eight inches, with trailing stem to 16 inches long."

Phytochemical analysis shows that Chickweed contains these key components: Coumarins, carbolic acids, flavonoids (including rutin), fatty acids, saponins, mucilage, minerals, silica, triterpenoid saponins, and vitamins A, B, C.

Further studies by pharmacognosists at the CMUL shows that decoctions of the fresh herb are used as a cleansing tonic, to relieve tiredness and debility, and for urinary tract infections.

Senior Laboratory Assistant at the Pharmacognosy Laboratory CMUL, Mr. Isaac Adeleke, said that tinctures of Chickweed are added to remedies for rheumatism.

Adeleke said: "Poultices made from the fresh plant are applied to boils and abscesses and to painful rheumatic joints. Compresses are soaked in hot decoctions or in diluted tinctures and applied to painful joints.

"Creams are used for eczema and other skin irritations, including burns and scalds and to draw out insect stingers or splinters. Infused oil is made by the hot infusion method and applied as an alternative to creams for skin rashes, or added to a bath-water for eczema.

"Juice from the fresh plant is used either internally or externally to heal skin problems. Decoctions from the root are used for fevers related to weakness in chronic illness."

To a naturopath at ElizKaf Herbal Home, Ijaiye-Ogba, Lagos, Dr. Godwin Ihesie, Chickweed has long been used to heal wounds and in poultices for drawing boils.

Ihesie said: "In China, the root is used as a cooling herb for fevers and to stop nosebleeds and heavy menstrual bleeding. The expressed liquid is used for soothing sores, and scaly or itchy patches of skin. It is said that two or three pounds of the fresh herb in a hot bath will tone and invigorate the skin.

"Because of its diuretic properties, Chickweed is also good for certain kidney disorders; but caution is advised and should be done only under the guidance of a professional."

To a nutritionist at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Dr. Rosemary Anyanwu, Chickweed has edible uses.

Anyanwu said: "Young leaves are edible, raw or cooked as a potherb. They may be available all year round if the harmattan is not too severe. Very nutritious, they can be added to salads whilst the cooked leaves can scarcely be distinguished from spring spinach.

"The leaves contain saponins, so some caution is advised. Although toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass through without causing harm. They are also broken down by thorough cooking. Saponins are found in many plants, including several that are often used for food, such as certain beans. It is advisable not to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. The seeds can be grounded into a powder and used in making bread or to thicken soups. It would be very fiddly to harvest any quantity of these seeds since they are produced in small quantities throughout most of the year and are very small.

"The seed contains 17.8 per cent protein and 5.9 per cent fat. Composition of leaves (dry weight) in milligrams per 100g weight of food: Vitamin A: 30, Thiamine: 0.02, Riboflavin: 0.14, Niacin: 0.51, Vitamin C: 375."

According to a homeopath and member Nigeria Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine (NCPNM), Dr. Osmond Onyeka, "Chickweed has a very long history of herbal use, being particularly beneficial in the external treatment of any kind of itching skin condition. It has been known to soothe severe itchiness even where all other remedies have failed. In excess doses, Chickweed can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. It should not be used medicinally by pregnant women."

Onyeka continued: "The whole plant has agents that are laxative, that cause tissue to contract, relieve and remove gas from the digestive system, are locally soothing and softening, induce urination, induce the removal (coughing up) of mucous secretions from the lungs, relieve fever and thirst and lower body temperature, and are used for healing wounds, fresh cuts, and so on, usually used as a poultice.

"Taken internally, it is useful in the treatment of chest complaints and in small quantities it also aids digestion. It can be applied as a poultice and will relieve any kind of roseola and is effective wherever there are fragile superficial veins. An infusion of the fresh or dried herb can be added to the bath water and its emollient property will help to reduce inflammation - in rheumatic joints for example, and encourage tissue repair.

"A decoction of the whole plant is taken internally as a post-partum blood purifier, to assist the flow of menstrual fluid, and to promote secretion of milk and as a circulatory tonic. It is also believed to relieve constipation and be beneficial in the treatment of kidney complaints. The decoction is also used externally to treat rheumatic pains, wounds and ulcers," Onyeka added.