Native Americans called plantain the English man’s foot or the white man’s foot because of the way it showed up wherever white men appeared on the land. This was because the seeds were in their boots (from walking through them in Europe) and spread wherever they walked.
Among its many uses, the shape of the plantain indicates that it is useful for respiratory conditions and is great to add to a remedy for seasonal allergies, along with elderflower and eyebright. It contains mucus, which makes plantain very soothing for the respiratory tract. The pharmaceutical Metamucil, a bulk laxative, is made from the seed of the Egyptian plantain, also known as psyllium.
Plantain has a place in history for its medicinal properties. The Saxons (a confederation of Old Germanic tribes) mention it as one of the nine sacred herbs in their oldest source Lacmunga de Weybroed.
Go outside and find some plantain to do this quick exercise. It doesn’t matter whether it is a broad-leaved or narrow-leaved variety, either will do. Now put the leaf in your mouth and chew it. What do you notice? The first thing you’ll probably notice is that your mouth wrinkles and dries out as you chew. Does it make your mouth feel warm, like a chili pepper or a slice of ginger would? No, the leaf makes your mouth feel cool, doesn’t it? How does that leaf taste? Did you notice anything when you first put it in your mouth? A mineral taste? We call that taste salt. You may also notice its two other tastes, bitter and sweet, at different stages as you chew. So energetically, plantain is salty, sweet, bitter, cooling and drying. These aspects are good to think about when trying to think about what plantain is useful for.
As a nutritious wild edible, plantain contains high levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and cobalt and vitamins A, C and K. Its tender green leaves can be added to salads in the spring.
Plantain contains components such as allantoin, the flavonoid apigenin, the glycoside aucubine, mucilagine, oxalic and silicic acid and tannins.
Medicinally, plantain is alternative, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anthelmintic, antivenomous, astringent, decongestant, demulcent, deobstructive, purgative, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, hemostatic, renal tonic, ophthalmic, mucilaginous, cooling, restorative and delicate. Is it not amazing how much a simple garden weed can do? Often the ‘weeds’ in our garden are the best medicine!
Let’s take a closer look at what this beautiful weed can do…
One of my favorite things to use plantain for is treating bee stings. Its antivenomous and anti-inflammatory actions work together with its cooling action to soothe the sting and draw the poison from the body. Since bee stings usually occur in the garden, I find it easiest to make a spit compress and apply it directly to the sting site. This works well for any type of insect sting. Once I can get back in, I’ll also take some plantain extract to help internally, changing the burp pad every 20 – 30 minutes if it starts to feel warm. This also works for other bites, such as tick bites and brown recluse bites. I successfully treated a brown recluse bite using plantain and activated charcoal compresses, along with some plantain and echinacea taken internally. Combined with Ragweed, Plantain helps stop the histamine reactions that can result from insect stings and seasonal allergies.
My second favorite use for plantain is to apply it to cuts. As a hemostatic agent, plantain immediately stops bleeding, even if it is heavy, such as a nosebleed or a knife cut. Again, a spit pad is my favorite application. Believe it or not, there are many healing substances in our saliva that are antibacterial and promote healing, making a simple chewed compress not only the quickest and easiest option, but also a healing option. The tender actions of Plantain will also help the cut to heal and I will often follow up a cut with some ointment made from Plantain. I often also add chickweed and calendula or St. John’s wort to the ointment. Plantain is also said to be useful to help with internal bleeding. A plantain tea or extract would be the best use to help treat stomach ulcers.
For hot, dry coughs, plantain is slightly moisturizing (secondary to its drying effect that we talked about earlier when we tasted a plantain leaf) and a tea or extract of plantain will make the cough more frequent, but it will also be productive and help stimulate the expulsion of mucus from the lungs. For this we use the deobstructive and expectorant effect of Plantain. Michigan herbalist Jim McDonald has used this action for people who work with particulate matter, such as clay work, carpenters, road builders, and so on. He also recommends that people with a dry tickle in their throat chew a plantain leaf and wedge it between their lip and gums so that the juices wash away and soothe the irritation each time they swallow.
For sinuses, Plantain works wonders because its delicate actions, combined with its slimy, astringent and restorative actions will help soothe, heal and restore balance to the sinuses. A neti pot filled with a saltwater plantain infusion will often bring immediate relief to sinus sufferers. For those with dripping sinuses, combining plantain with mullein leaf or sage can help dry them. For those with lots of thick slime, elderflower or mullein combined with plantain will be helpful.
When it comes to the digestive system, plantain can improve probiotic activity in the gut, heal intestinal tissue, and help heal leaky gut and other digestive issues. I often combine it with many other herbs such as Calendula, Mint, Chamomile and Ginger, based on a formula by herbalist Ryn Midura for healing the intestines. If you know someone who suffers from leaky gut, IBS or another gut problem, this tea can be a big step towards a healthy gut, although it must be used in conjunction with dietary changes to fully recover. cured.
As an ophthalmic remedy, Plantain washes soothe irritated membranes during conjunctivitis and allergies, relieving itching, irritation and burning and promoting healing.
Plantain doesn’t stop there! It also works wonders on the kidneys and bladder, as a diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic and kidney tonic, it helps reduce swelling, cool heat and cure bladder and kidney infections. Marshmallow or Slippery Elm can be combined well with plantain for bladder problems.
I have found that plantain is most effective when used both internally and externally. For example, if a bee stings me, I chew a few leaves and apply them directly to the sting. I will also make tea to drink with plantain leaves or take a tincture if I can’t make the tea.
Plantain is easy to grow and can be found all over the world. If you are harvesting from a garden, make sure the area has not been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. If left unmowed, the plantain can grow quite large, often my own P. rugeli leaves grow as big as my hand!
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