Stellaria
media
Starwort
A Moon herb, according to
Culpeper,
because of its cooling properties, especially as a tea. In keeping with
its Moon aspect, starwort displays "the sleep of plants"--at night the
lower leaves fold up and enclose the tender upper parts of the plant
(so consider this for protection spells for the young). It is
said to taste like lettuce, another Moon plant, when it is added
to salads (however, it is considered more digestible when cooked, as
lettuce once was). Moon laxness is apparent in the way this
herb flops over the ground. This trait is often seen as a weakness, but
we must admit
that starwort is one of the most widespread and persistent plants in
the world, so it is probably not a good idea to mistake laxness for
weakness. Sometimes what appears to be passivity is anything but. It
has been used in poppet magic to represent fertility, probably because
of its prodigious production of seeds. In Scotland,
people drank starwort tea for insomnia, a typical use of a Moon plant,
and it is a member of the carnation family, which provides herbs used
for dream divination in various cultures. Top
There are some connections to bird magic here, as this plant was
traditional fed to caged birds when they felt off, according to Gerard,
and in Tuscany, people feed this plant to their chickens to improve
their egg-laying. Goldfinches, house finches, and various srots of
sparrows enjoy eating the tiny seeds, and various gamebirds eat the
leaves themselves. Top
This plant is edible fresh or sauteed in butter, but eating too
much can bring out a laxative effect. In North American botanical
medicine, a tincture of the whole herb was
ingested for gout and liver inflammation. A healing soup was made of it
for bronchitis. In homeopathy, starwort was used for
rheumatic pains. It was also made into poultices for treating skin
irritations like eczema. This plant contains a lot of minerals and has
good possibilities in alchemical work focusing on salts. Top
This plant likes to grow on disturbed soil and so is often considered a
weed, as
gardens are usually composed of disturbed soil, but it is easy to pull
or hoe up because its roots are weak. It does make a lot of seeds,
though; if you are concerned about it overproducing, grow it in a pot.
Starwort also likes moist places, like woodlands and along creeks, and
it prefers heavy, mineral-rich soils. The little flowers attracts small
bees, and this plant is a favorite of the caterpillars of several
moths. It grows most heavily during cool seasons but makes the most
seeds during hot, dry times. Starwort indicates high levels of either
nitrogen or potassium in the soil. Don't compost unless your pile is
very hot, as unripe seed capsules will ripen in the pile. Starwort is
also known as chickenwort, chick wittles, chickenmeat,
clucken wort, Hashishat Al Qazzaz, skirt buttons, craches, maruns,
winterweed, starweed, star chickweed, stitchwort (although this usually
refers to another species of Stellaria), adder's mouth, satin flower,
tongue grass, white bird's eye, and fliodh. Top
Press seeds into moist soil. They will germinate in
7-10 days at cool
room temperature. Or just barely cover with moist soil outside spacing
10 seeds per
foot in the cool periods of fall or spring. Space mature plants at
6-12"/15-30cm apart in rich, moist soil and full sun. Plants get
6-12"/15-30cm tall.
Harvest before flowering. Can be dried for tea. General
growing info Top
Stellaria
media
Starwort
Pkt. of seeds $3.00
Uses
in Witchcraft & Magic:
Dreamwork
Protection Spells
Fertility Charms
Bird Magic
Moon Herb
© 2008, 2018 Harold A. Roth; No reproduction without permission