Background. In folk medicine, common chickweed (Stellaria media) has traditionally
been applied for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia; however, there is no firm
experimental proof to support the rationale of this practice. Therefore, we aimed
to assess the efficacy and safety of Stellaria media tea in hypercholesterolemic rats.
Materials and Methods. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups. The (i)
control group received standard laboratory chow, the (ii) hypercholesterolemic group
received cholesterol-enriched diet, and the (iii) chickweed-treated hypercholesterolemic
group received cholesterol-enriched diet and 100 mg/kg body weight Stellaria media
tea lyophilizate for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected to determine serum lipid
profile as well as liver and kidney function, and echocardiography was performed to
assess cardiac morphology and function. Results. Cholesterol-enriched diet significantly
increased serum total cholesterol, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol levels, but did not affect
triacylglycerol concentrations. The addition of chickweed to the diet did not cause
any significant change in serum lipid profile or body weight increase. Liver and kidney
functions were unaltered and cardiac morphology and function were not changed due
to Stellaria media tea lyophilizate. Conclusion. Although chickweed does not seem
to be toxic, our results do not support the rationale of its use in the treatment
of hypercholesterolemia.
