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Chickweed salve is a soothing herbal salve for rashes, bug bites, eczema, and other skin issues right in your kitchen with this abundant springtime herb.
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a sprawling annual herb I love to collect each spring. It pops up in the shady, cool patches of my lawn and garden without fail, and its unique white, star-shaped flowers make it easy to recognize. Chickweed’s long, trailing, hairy stems and oval leaves are surprisingly mild and succulent. It’s definitely one of my favorite wild greens!
I also appreciate chickweed for its topical properties. The juicy, succulent leaves and stems provide potent skin care, reminding me a bit of aloe vera. They’re soothing for psoriasis, minor burns, rashes, and other skin issues and have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
For this recipe, I use the entire aerial portion of the plant, infusing these soothing properties into a salve that’s cooling and gentle even for irritated, sensitive skin. I’m always amazed at how effective a simple herbal salve can be, whether I’m treating an insect bite or something more severe like psoriasis.
If you prefer a ready-made salve rather than this DIY recipe, you’ll have to find an herbalist. Chickweed salve isn’t something you can find in the grocery store, but many cottage-scale herbalists sell it on Etsy and in other online marketplaces.
Chickweed is a widespread herb, but that doesn’t guarantee it grows near you. If you want to enjoy chickweed for culinary and medicinal use on your homestead, I suggest purchasing seed from my favorite small Vermont seed company, Earthbeat Seeds. It’s surprisingly easy to grow as long as you have good, moist, cool soil.
(Check with your physician or a clinical herbalist before experimenting with new herbal remedies. Even when used properly, herbal remedies aren’t without risk. You could experience unexpected side effects, allergic reactions, or issues with other medications and supplements. When harvesting chickweed and other herbs from the wild, always be 100% certain of your identification, checking with multiple reputable sources. The following information and recipes are based on my research and experience. I don’t have any qualifications to advise people on their own health and safety. Please double-check with your own research whenever you’re dealing with wild plants and herbal medicine.)
What is Chickweed?
Chickweed is a cool-weather-loving annual that grows in areas with moist, disturbed soil. It’s native to Eurasia but has naturalized throughout the world, including most of North America. I frequently seed it growing in gardens, waste areas, pastures, and lawns. Chickweed’s love of cool weather means it’s one of the first herbs I get large harvests of in the spring.
Chickweed is a fairly easy herb to identify, even for beginners. You’ll notice that it tends to sprawl and form good-sized mats where it excludes other species. When you look closer at its creeping stems, you’ll notice they have fine white hairs. The stems are juicy if you break one. The leaves are hairless oval, and form oppositely along the stems.
One of the key identifiers when examining chickweed is the flowers. When you glance at chickweed from a distance, you’ll notice its star-shaped, white flowers that appear to each have 10 petals. On closer inspection, you’ll find that each flower only has five petals. Each petal has a distinct notch in the center, almost looking like a v-shape.
Chickweed is relatively easy to grow from seed and is an excellent plant for making a quick poultice to soothe bug bites, irritated or chafed skin, minor burns, nettle stings, or other irritations. In addition to being medicinal, is edible in its entirety. I love using it for spring salads. It may be the mildest wild green, but it’s also good in pesto, stir fry, and other cooked dishes. As its name suggests, it is also an excellent food source for poultry. If you have free-range hens in the spring, you may have to fight them for it!
Benefits of Chickweed Salve
We know that chickweed has been a beloved herbal remedy for centuries. It has a long history in Chinese traditional medicine, with practitioners often using it to soothe and treat eczema. Our first written record of people using chickweed medicinally comes from the ancient Greek physician Dioscorides, who wrote about it as a tonic for inflammation.
Thankfully, chickweed is an herb that has stayed with us through the generations. Modern research has demonstrated that chickweed does have anti-inflammatory properties. Chickweed may also help protect irritated skin against certain infections. In a laboratory setting, chickweed has demonstrated anti-viral activity, specifically against the hepatitis B virus. Another small 2018 study found that a related species of chickweed (Stellaria citrifolia) effectively treats ringworm, a highly contagious fungal infection of the skin and scalp.
My family and I have a busy outdoor lifestyle, so it’s no surprise that we run into our fair share of itchy skin conditions, from eczema and poison oak to bee and nettle stings. Chickweed salve is one of my favorite remedies to grab when the skin needs a little attention. It’s exceptionally soothing, cooling, and mild.
Supplies and Equipment for Making Chickweed Salve
This salve is so simple! You just need three ingredients and a couple of basic supplies, some of which you may already have in your kitchen.
You’ll need a double boiler like one of these to heat the ingredients for this salve recipe. However, if you don’t have one, I use a DIY method. Create your own double boiler by setting a mason jar or other heat-proof container on a trivet, canning ring, or cotton towel in a small pot or slow cooker. This is slightly trickier but will work just as well to make your salve.
Aside from the chickweed, the other main ingredient we need is oil. Select a neutral oil that’s good for skin care. I use olive oil, as I almost always have it in the pantry for cooking anyway, but other nourishing oils like almond, coconut, grapeseed, or jojoba oil will all work, too.
Our other ingredient is beeswax. This helps to thicken and set the oil into an easy-to-apply salve. We only need one ounce of beeswax per batch. You can cut beeswax from a large block or whatever you have available. I prefer to purchase beeswax pellets, as they’re easy for me to handle.
If you don’t already own one, you may also want to consider a small kitchen scale. I find them indispensable for herbal work, and for this recipe, it’s best to weigh the beeswax. There are plenty of small, affordable options like these. One alternative is to purchase your beeswax in one-ounce bars.
Lastly, you’ll want some good, sealable containers to store your finished chickweed salve, preferably something small and glass or metal. I like to use 2-ounce metal tins with screw-on lids like these. They’re pretty enough for gifts but also sturdy enough for on-the-go. In the past, I’ve also used quarter-pint mason jars, though they’re a bit more bulky.
How to Make Chickweed Salve
Making chickweed salve at home is a surprisingly easy process. You only need about 30 minutes of active prep work to get started, and the rest of the salve-making is mostly about patience. To make chickweed salve, I’ll show you the rapid warm infusion method for creating herbal-infused oil, the base of this recipe. It’s called a rapid infusion because it takes about 24 to 48 while a cold infusion takes three to six weeks. If this is your first salve, I recommend reviewing my guide to herbal healing salves to learn the basics about different infusion processes.
In addition to being quicker, I prefer the rapid warm infusion method because it allows me to work with fresh herbs. When using a cold infusion, you need to dehydrate your herbs first, as fresh herbs could go rancid during the long, cool infusion period.
The only herb I use for this particular salve is chickweed. I generally make this salve in spring, as that’s when chickweed thrives in cool, moist weather. Occasionally, I’ll get a second flush in the fall, but if you want to gather fresh herbs, it’s best to be on the lookout in spring.
When I harvest chickweed I bring a clean mason jar and pair of scissors. I harvest the entire aerial portion or above-ground section of the plant for this salve, including the stems, leaves, and flowers. Using the scissors, I chop the chickweed into pieces, firmly packing it into the mason jar as I harvest.
Occasionally, if I’m harvesting chickweed for multiple recipes or making a particularly large batch, I’ll harvest in the field and process it on the porch. Chopping the chickweed up is important as it increases the material’s surface area, allowing the oil to infuse better. Don’t worry about uniformity, it’s okay if it’s messy; just cut it all up so there are no large pieces.
Continue harvesting and preparing chickweed until the mason jar is almost full. Once your jar is full, cover the chickweed in the neutral oil you chose for your herbal salve. Leave at least 1/2 inch of headspace so you can handle it easily without spilling. Now, we’re going to infuse the oil by gently heating it.
Prepare your double boiler or DIY setup by adding one inch of water to the bottom. Then, add your oil and herbs to the top, either by pouring them into a traditional double boiler or setting your mason jar onto a trivet, canning ring, or cloth.
(If heating the oil isn’t an option, there are other ways to make herbal infused oils, including a slow infusion method that uses dried herbal material.)
Place your double boiler over gentle heat, bring the water up to 110 to 120°F, and then turn off the burner. Do not let the water get too hot. We want to infuse the oil, not cook the herbs. Overheated oil and herbs can result in a less potent finished salve.
Repeat the process of heating the double boiler each time the temperature begins to drop and then turning it off again. You want to keep the water in the double boiler between 110 and 120°F for the next 24 to 48 hours. Never leave the heat on for a prolonged period; always turn it off when the temperature is within range. Remember, overcooking the herbs can ruin your salve!
At bedtime, reheat your double boiler one final time before turning off the burner for the night. Drape or wrap your setup in a towel or blanket to hold the heat in as long as possible, and reheat it when you get up in the morning.
During the infusion process, carefully monitor the water level in the double boiler. Add water as needed to keep it about 1 inch deep.
When you’re happy with your infusion, you can strain out the chickweed using a fine mesh strainer. Return your clean oil to your double boiler setup and bring the water to a simmer. Add your beeswax to the oil, stirring until it’s completely smooth.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can measure your beeswax pellets using tablespoons. One heaping tablespoon of beeswax pellets is roughly equivalent to one ounce of solid beeswax.
Once smooth, pour the warm salve into the jars or tins. Let the salve cool and set for at least 30 minutes before using. For best results, use the salve within a year. It tends to lose potency over time.
Ways to Use Chickweed
Looking for other ways to use chickweed?
Chickweed Salve
Equipment
- Double boiler (or DIY setup)
- Salve tins (or small resealable jars)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fresh chickweed leaves stems, and flowers
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of olive oil or neutral oil of your choice
- 1 ounce of beeswax
Instructions
- Collect and chop up chickweed to fill a mason jar, packing it in firmly.
- Fill the jar, covering all the chickweed with olive oil or the neutral oil of your choice.
- Fill your double boiler setup with 1 inch of water and pour chickweed and oil into the top. If using a DIY double boiler, set your mason jar of chickweed and oil into the saucepan on a trivet.
- Gently heat the water in the double boiler to 110 to 120°F degrees. Turn off the heat.
- Repeat step four to keep the water in this temperature range for the next 24 to 48 hours. Never leave the heat on for a prolonged period, and avoid letting the water get too low.
- Strain the chickweed out of your oil once you’re satisfied with your infusion.
- Add the clean oil back to your double boiler or mason jar over simmering water.
- Stir the beeswax into your warm oil until it’s smooth.
- Pour your finished salve into tins of jars.
- Allow the salve to cool for at least 30 minutes before using.
Homemade Herbal Salve Recipes
Looking for more herbal salve recipes?
- Vegan Herbal Salve
- 20+ Herbal Salves
- Jewelweed Salve
- Comfrey Salve
- Arnica Salve
- Plantain Salve
- Yarrow Salve
Disclaimer on Homemade Herbal Remedies
I have over 20 years of experience gathering wild plants and treating my family with herbal medicine. While I have a lot of experience and have done tons of research, I am entirely self-taught. I’m not a clinical herbalist, and this recipe is based on my own experience and research. I do not have any qualifications that would allow me to advise you on your health. I make this content as a reference for folks interested in medicinal plants not as medical advice.
Please consider my herbal articles a starting point for you, but always do your own research and check with multiple sources.
Even the mildest medicinal herbs can cause adverse reactions. People have had allergic reactions to gentle herbs like chamomile and peppermint you can find at most grocery stores. No matter how safe an herb may seem, you should always consult a clinical herbalist or doctor before trying a new medicinal plant. Herbs can interact with other medications and supplements, cause allergic reactions, or have unintended side effects.
I recommend every aspiring herbalist invest in an online course. My favorites are from the Herbal Academy of New England. Their introduction to herbal medicine course and family herbalist group of courses are great for new herbalists.
Additionally, I love their mushroom course, which covers both medicinal and edible mushrooms, and their Botany and Wildcrafting Course. They’re both beautiful, inspiring, and easy to understand courses.
