Chickweed herb - Latin Name: (Stellaria media)

Herbal Anecdote: Feed your songbirds chickweed as a tonic to keep them healthy. During Elizabethan times, it was an important food for falcons. More than 30 species of birds are known to regularly consume it. The genus name Stellaria is derived from star, which refers to the shape of the flower. The presence of Chickweed indicates fertile soil, and the plant helps the soil retain nitrogen. It makes an excellent ground cover as it grows outward, not upward. This is a wild green that keeps very well. 

Traditional Uses: Chickweed is soothing and helps to dissolve mucus, warts and cysts in the body. It is an herb traditionally given to strengthen the frail. Chickweed's natural lecithin content, which helps the body metabolize fats, may be why this herb has long been used as a remedy for obesity.