Plantain is in season and I have little doubt that you have some growing in your yard right now. (That is, unless you use chemicals and if you do please do not use it for any of the uses described below.)
Plantain is very common and grows worldwide but few people know about it's many uses!
1. Plantain is a plant that is completely edible. The young leaves are tender and can be used in a salad. It can also be cooked as you would any greens. Very nutritious!
2. In herbal medicine, plantain is known as a "drawing herb" meaning it has a power to pull out toxins, infections and foriegn substances from the body. This makes a plantain poultice an excellent remedy for insect bites and stings, splinters, boils, cuts and scrapes, burns and even toothaches.
To make a plantain poultice simply pick some leaves then crush them up (or chew them) then apply to the affected wound, tooth, cut or sting. You can hold it in place with a bandaid for 15-20 minutes.
3. To keep this useful plant around all year you can make a plantain tincture. Grab a glass jar and fill with clean, organically grown plantain leaves nearly to the top. It helps to crush, tear or bruise the leaves before you fill the jar. Now fill your jar with brandy or 100 proof vodka. Give it a shake or two (make sure all the leaves are submerged) and then store it in a dark, cool place for six weeks. You know have plantain medicine that will last for several years!
Use can use the plantain tincture (extract) both internally and externally. 5 - 10 drops under the tongue or in a small glass of water is said to help draw out infections, mucous and other toxins out of the body. A local herbalist recently told me she believes it draws out bad emotions also thereby relieving you of past or present hauntings. Hmmmmm.
4. Another way to preserve plantain is to make an herbal oil for external use. Please click here for instructions on salve making.
I hope you found this information useful and next time you get a bite or sting I hope you'll think of plantain. I'm heading out to pick some plantain to make a tincture right now!
Enjoy the following videos for more info on plantain weed...
Video below uploaded by cutlerylover
If you have a lawn, you have an edible and medicinal palnt growing in your backyard as we speak! And if you like a green grass yard with no weeds you hate this plant, but your missing out, because its very useful and interesting!
Learn from Green Deane about Plantagos (Plantains) a wild food spring and summer green near you.
My husband and I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip. My husband took tall work boots and heavy socks to give his feet protection and support while building. At the end of the first day when we fell into our sleeping bags exhausted, he could not sleep due to the horrendous itching from chigger bites. He woke me up asking if we had anything that would take the itch away. I got into our bag of natural remedies and tried one tincture (can't remember what it was ~ this happened several years ago) but after giving it some time to work it was obvious it wasn't going to take the itch away. I then got out the tincture of Plantain and it literally worked a miracle. I didn't hear another word from my husband ~ he drifted off to sleep and the next morning we talked about how great it worked and were thrilled! We were so happy with the results we told our group nurse (traditionally trained in main stream medicine) and she wouldn't believe us. She said that it must not have been chiggers because nothing would take the itch away so quickly. She would not believe us. Here is what it says on the internet about chigger bites:
What are the symptoms of chigger bites?
A chigger bite itself is not noticeable. After the chigger has begun to inject digestive enzymes into the skin (usually after about 1-3 hours), symptoms typically begin.
Pronounced itching is the most common symptom. The area of the bite may be reddened, flat, or raised; sometimes it resembles a pustule or blister. The itch is due to the presence of the stylostome and usually is most intense within 1-2 days after the bite. The itching persists for several days, and complete resolution of the skin lesions can take up to two weeks.
This last paragraph above is what the nurse was taught, that "chigger bites cause itching that lasts several days and complete healing takes up to two weeks."
The good news is, Plantain takes care of chigger bites almost immediately. It's a truly amazing natural remedy!!
Where can I purchase plantain seeds or small plants by: kathryn ann stewart
Hello, If anyone knows where to order this plant, please let me know. I have inherited a garden gone to seed and wish to plant indigenous ground cover. For two years I battled poison ivy, sumac and oak which grew as a third canopy over a garden surrounded by hemlock trees. I hope to return to the garden to the forest with wildflowers and herbs. My facebook wall is open for comment Kathryn Ann Stewart ( I might not have changed my location from Washington District of Columbia or Alexandria Virginia or Austin Texas My budget is limited, last year's garden was a disaster, my selections were hugely expensive but they did not flourish. Some say my garden last year was a form of delusional grandeur! Imagine, trying to grow orchids, roses, and geraniums or cactus in West Virgina. Nature won, but I beat the poison plans. I am also on Facebook kathryn ann stewart or Kathryn Coluzzi
Buy Plantain Seeds by: HFHR
Plantain seeds should be fairly easy to find online. Mountain Rose Herbs usually has them available. You can check by clicking the graphic below.
Question about use? by: Anonymous
Can people use it that are on immunosuppressant drugs as a result of an organ transplant, i.e. kidney?
Plantain for Lichen Planus by: Flo Burk
I have been suffering with lichen planus for months. I found some plantain tincture a friend gave me for spider bites. For the heck of it I put some on my lichen planus. It took most of the itch away. It looks like it may be helping the rash a little but it is to early to tell for sure. I have been treated with steroids that just aren't doing away with it. The plantain is much more affordable and healthier for me.
Other ways... by: Pmcswife
Is it possible to dry it to use later in the year for tea? Or to freeze it like spinach? My yard is overrun with it and I hate to let it go to waste. I have already made a quart of tincture and two and a half pints of salve!
Preserving Plantain by: Rick
Has anyone of using plantain in a sauerkraut type recipe? I'm looking at primitive ways to store foods for winter.
Surprise by: Anonymous
This stuff grows all over my backside yard. Never new it was good for anything. THANK YOU
Safe edible leaves for reptiles by: Anonymous
Leaves of plantain are a safe food for pet reptiles such as iguanas, turtles/tortoises, and bearded dragons. However, they should be fed as a treat or occasional meal and not a daily staple food because they do not adequately allow the reptile's body to absorb calcium.
Source for plantain seeds by: Anonymous
For those who are not blessed by *abundant* plantain growing wild or who want to cultivate several varities, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds offers two types of seed: English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)--it has a long, narrow leaf; varigated plantain--broad leaf/green & white; and a frilly, deep plum decorative plantain called Purple Perversion. The all have the same medicinal qualities.
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