Plantain- Plantago spp.
This bitter herb sprout and proliferate like rabbits!
What Makes Plantain Stand Out
Last year I planted plantain seeds. This year I saw plantains at places that I did not expected: between the cracks of the sidewalk, my second garden (at the other side of my parents’ house), the backyard, my MiracleGro fertilizer in my parents’ garage, a pile of clay unearthed for my third. My goodness, the plantain can pop out any place, anywhere! Steam this herb, at a dash of salt and pepper and cook with other vegetables. Plantain is a great addition to vegetables and salad recipes.
Because of it powerful astringent qualities, Plantain can be used in place of comfrey in treating bruises and broken bones. A comfrey substitute, how d’you like that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Monograph
Botanical Name: Plantago major
Common Name: Englishman’s foot, ribwort, greater plantain, waybread, ripple grass, broad-leaved plantain, ribbed grass, snakeweed, white man’s foot, cuckoo’s bread, common plantain, lance-leaf plantain
Family Name: Plantaginaceae
Plant Parts Used: Fresh mature leaves, flowering spikes, root, seeds
Constitution: Cool and wet
Taste: Bitter
Key Actions: Cooling alterative, depurant, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, aperient, emollient, expectorant, mildly astringent, refrigerant, deobstruent, anti-septic, vulnerary, anti-venomous, styptic, anti-syphilitic, anthelmintic (vermicide)
Plant Preparations: Infusion, fluid extract, powder, tincture, ointment
Cautionary Pearls: This herb is very bitter. Also, this herb very invasive so plant it in an area that you do not mind seeing it grow out of your control.
Self-Help Uses: Allergic rhinitis with mucus, diarrhea, poisonous bites & stings, boils, carbuncles, tumors, inflammation, scrofula, eczema, thrush, blood poisoning, malignant & bleeding ulcers, bleeding of minor wounds, diarrhea, piles, cuts & scratches, erysipelas, leucorrhea, lumbago, urinary tract infection, hepatitis, bedwetting, syphilis, dropsy, toothache, worms, running sores, ringworm, mastitis, poison ivy, bruises.
References (Books/Author/Page)-
- Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine/Andrew Chevallier/Pg. 250-251
- The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal/David Hoffman/Pg. 125
- The Way of Herbs/Michael Tierra/Pg. 179-180
- School of Natural Healing/Dr. John R. Christopher/Pg. 52-56
Pertinent Information
Plantain quickly staunches blood flow and encourages the repair of damaged tissue. This makes plantain useful to stop bleeding and promote the healing of wounds and injuries.
As a gentle expectorant, it soothes inflamed and sore membranes making it ideal for coughs and bronchitis. Furthermore, its internal use serves as a decongestant and diuretic. Also, Plantain is excellent remedy in kidney and bladder troubles.
Externally, the ointment or lotion form of plantain is used to treat hemorrhoids, fistulae and ulcers. The poultice of leaves is applied to antidote bites and stings of venomous insects and animals as well as to treat boils, eruptive skin disorders, and deep-seated infections.
The herb has excellent drawing properties to draw the poison out. The poison of fresh stings is extracted rapidly, often within an hour’s times. In serious cases, an extract of tea or tincture is taken internally, in addition to the poultice, every half hour until symptoms subside.
Related Species & History
Related Species: The broad-leaved plantain is called Plantago major (Common Plantain) and the narrow leaved-variety is called Plantago lanceolate (Ribwort Plantain). P. major is the preferred plantain herb over P. lanceolate. Plantain asiatica (Che qian cao) is used in Chinese medicine as a diuretic and to counteract mucus.
History: In feudal Russia, the serfs noticed that travelers sewed plantain seeds and recited prayers in order to bring good to the herbs growth. Because traveling was a dangerous endeavor in those days, Russian serfs regarded readily available food from the nature God’s gift to travelers. Plantain is known for its
tenacity and ability to thrive in disturbed soil, allowing the rapid proliferation of the herb rapidly in colonized lands. When European settlers brought the plant to the Americas, the Indigenous people noticed that wherever the Europeans went that plantain would sprout there. Hence, the indigenous people nicknamed plantain “white man’s foot”.
Reference
Herb Rally. Plantain (Plantago spp) Monograph. https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/plantain