Plantain is kind of one of my favourite medicinal plants, yet it is commonly seen these days as an invasive weed. So readily available, it has been called "white man's footsteps" by the people native to this land because anywhere the white man stepped it appeared.
plantain leaf
I have a huge area of Plantago Major growing right outside my front door and I welcome it. It grows readily on disturbed land so the area where our snow plow scrapes the earth during winter is lush with growth in the spring. You can find plantain growing up out of cracks in pavement it so eagerly wants to be found and to share its gifts with us. It will grow from spring through fall here in NS and I can pick the leaves from the same plant many times through the growing season.
easiest way to id plantian: the long flowering stalks that set seed
The ways in which I use plantain are many.
Edible when young as a leafy green and highly medicinal when matured. In the summer I pick the young leaves and eat them fresh. I also harvest as much as I can in the fall and freeze, dry, and tincture this gift of the land.
Internally, plantain leaf can be used to boost immune system due to high levels of vitamins a and c, and is anti-inflammatory due to compounds such as apigenin. Plantain soothes lung tissues by acting as an antispasmodic, and reduces the amount of mucus produced by the body, so is helpful in treating common coughs and colds, as well as more serious conditions such as asthma. It is antibacterial due to the chemical aucubin and contains allantoin which, as I've mentioned before in this post on comfrey stimulates cell production.
dried plantain leaves
Mucilage is the anti-inflammatory substance in plantain leaves that soothes internally and externally. Here is a quick remedy for bug bites and stings that I employ all summer long:
- Find some plantain, brush off the dirt, and pop it in your mouth. Chew it up into a moist wad and then use it as a poultice on any bite or sting. The itch will disappear.
Any salve can be infused with the benefits of plantain by making an infused oil and using it in the recipe.
frozen plantain leaves
When I drink a plantain smoothie or a big cup of plantain tea I know I'm nourishing my body with high doses of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron.
I add frozen plantain leaves to smoothies all winter long!
I also prepare a green smoothie for my chickens as a treat or if they come down with a cold. Blended plantain, garlic, and oregano is a powerful immune boosting germ killing puree. I pour it over their feed and they eat it right up!
dried plantain stalk
Another useful part of the plant are the seeds. When dried, these seeds can be ground into a powder and used as a bulking laxative. Ever heard of Metamucil? Yup, that's made from the outside hull of the plantain seed, from the variety plantago psyllium.
homemade plantain tincture
Plantain tincture is a strong medicine. I use this in combination with other lung strengthing herbs in my herbal cough syrup recipe. A family member has just been diagnosed with diverticulitis and has asked me to prepare some medicines for them so that they can avoid a double round of antibiotics. I will be offering plantain tincture as one of the remedies, to maximize the antibacterial, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative benefits.
I hope you enjoyed the information about this amazing medicinal plant Plantain, Plantago Major. Please resteem if you feel this information would be helpful to others!
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We have plants that resemble this...
We're cooking it alone and add a little salt to it
And it is useful for the children and the elderly
it is Very tasty...
Thanks for sharing this with us my friend @amymya
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You are very welcome @yagoub!
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I had tons of this in my yard and I have to admit, I thought of it as only a weed. I did not know that it could have a good use...
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Oh yes it's got so many great uses :) I didn't know for a long time either!
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It's so cool how many things grow around us that can replace the whole medicine cabinet hahaha.... I had no idea about this little guy, thanks for all the info you packed into this post
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It's so true! Everything we need is out there! Civilization has been very misguided over the years. While there are real needs for strong synthetic medicines and medical care, they are needed in specific cases, not as a go to. The knowledge of all of these medicinal plants was common before western medicine became the norm, and can be common again if we spread it!
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and it's such a great feeling when you plant something, feed it, put in the work to take care of it and in return it takes care of you.... we def need a little disconnect and take another look natures way :)
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Totally. This plant you don't have to care for too much, it really wants to grow, but I do try to collect and spread extra handfuls of the seed around when I can :) Same with nettles and purselane, love those babies!
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We have it growing abundantly on the pathways and in the orchard as well, along narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata). We make our tincture from a mixture of both and use drops of it for coughs, mixed with some honey - especially helpful substitute to store bought cough syrups that are 99% sugar!
Another use it to dress wounds, esp bruised knees and palms. We crush a few leaves with hands and put them on the wound and tie with a cotton cloth for like half an hour (it won't stay on a toddler for much longer anyways!)
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Hahaha, yes! The spit poultices never last long on my kids :) Thank you for sharing how you use it at your home, I'm happy to hear that you do!!
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Amazing blog!! Plantain is one of the plants I have yet to delve into....yet it growes like wild all around me!! Thank you, I am literally going to harvest and preserve all the ways you listed and make tincture! Plantain in smoothies!!
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I had some in a smoothie just today! Ash has the snot/ cough lingering in his chest so I'm trying to get it in to us a bunch. Glad you like the blog :D
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Awww i hope Ash feels better soon <3
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Hello! I'm glad someone wrote about plantain. It's such a magnificent plant. I made a herbal medicinal cream this summer for cuts, bruises, burns, etc. The cream was amazing. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you for sharing as well! Yes it is amazing on wounds, gotta love that allantoin! Such a great multi purpose plant <3
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I did not know that plantain is where medimucial comes from!! Sweet knowledge drop Sis!!
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Yeah isn't that weird? When I learned that years ago I was like wtf, haha. Random. You can make it at home for free! I'm glad you found something interesting in my post :) <3<3
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Very nice overview. I've tried it a few times in wild salads - I'm a fan. Great detailed explanation of uses and benefits.
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I'm glad you enjoyed the post :) It is a tasty treat!
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