Medicinal Benefits of the Plantain Herb ~ It's Not Just a Weed

While many of you maybe thinking about the banana's distant cousin, I am referring to that ever present 'weed' - Plantain. Everyone cuts down Plantain when mowing the lawn. It is an eyesore to most, in a otherwise well manicured lawn. Yet it is more useful than you know.

Plantain belongs to the Plantago geunus that contains over 200 varieties of plants that we call 'Plantain' or 'Fleaworts'. Keep in mind, this does not include the similarly named fruit called plantain.

Plantain is an amazing backyard marvel, a useful herb, Here I'll share with you five ways to prepare plantain for medicinal use, and over 20 ways to use it medicinally! This article stems from my research and personal experience.

Plantain is widely available, safe to use and it treats many ailments. Perhaps you'll think twice before chopping plantain herbs down this coming Spring.

First and foremost, never just randomly pluck something from a field or meadow and eat it or use it without making 100% sure it is exactly what you think it is. Not all plants you will find in the wilderness or your backyard for that matter, are safe for human consumption.

Make sure you properly identify plantain before using it for culinary or medicinal purposes. My personal motto is 'When in doubt, throw it out!'

Plantain is most commonly considered a weed, although it has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties as a herb. Plantain can be found in footpaths, meadows, laws, roadsides, and dumps (waste sites). Leaving the normal civilian to think of it as just another hindrance to achieving the perfect lawn.

Because of the commonality of Plantain showing up in footpaths, it was nicknamed 'White man's footprint' by the Native Americans. Plantain was also often referred to as an 'Indian Band-aid' as well.

From the table above I am sure many of you are wondering what a 'Succus' is, since tea and tinctures are much more common home remedies.

Simply put 'Succus' means juice. Yep, that simple! In this case you will want to mix the juice from fresh plantains with the same amount of honey. For example-

• 1 cup fresh plantain juice
• 1 cup honey
• Store in a cool dry place away from light in sterilized bottles

You should really use raw honey for this and stay away from any honey with additives.

For dosage-

• 1 teaspoon three times daily for stomach ailments
• Topically as a wound dressing for sores and ulcers

Tinctures are widely known in my area, although I feel they need an explanation as not all folks are well versed in Southern traditions and our home made medicinals. Tinctures are also known as suspensions, elixirs, solutions or infusions. Put simply, a tincture means to dissolve something in alcohol.

To be clear you really need a 100 proof alcohol for the most effective tincture solution. Moonshine is commonly used for this purpose.

• Fresh picked plantains
• Alcohol
• Mortar and pestle or blender

When making your tincture always use freshly picked plantain. If using a mortar and pestle crush leaves and then put them into a jar with just enough alcohol to cover, and give the jar a few good shakes to thoroughly mix. For the blender method place plantains in the blender and fill with just enough alcohol to cover the leaves. You will want to blend until it resembles baby food. Store in a cool dry place away from any light, I put mine in a low cabinet all the way in the back.

As a rule you can use your tincture within a few days, straining the contents to leave you with just the liquid and removing the pulp. I personally wait a little longer, a week perhaps so that all the health benefits have soaked into the alcohol.

Storing a tincture is best done in amber glass or a dark glass sterilized bottle.

A tinctures dose is measure in drops, remember it is alcohol based after all. 2-4 drops twice to 3 times daily. I suggest purchasing amber dropper bottles, this way you will have your tincture in an easy to manage bottle with a dropper. As well as eliminating light entering into the bottle.

Amber bottles were once used more frequent than you find today, they eliminated light effecting the shelf stability of the items stored within. Extending the shelf life of anything is always a plus in my opinion!

This is possibly the most simple way to use plantain, you can dry leaves ahead of time and store much like you would any loose leaf tea. Fresh plantain leaves can also be used to make tea, fresh would be a time saver, although both are beneficial.

• 1 teaspoon of dried plantain leaf (and/or) 1 fresh plantain leaf
• 1 mug of boiling water

In order to reap all the medicinal benefits of plantain tea, you need to steep the tea for 10 minutes. It seems like a long time for a tea but it is time well spent.

The addition of honey in plantain tea offers a more palatable flavour, as well as soothing the throat.

A poultice is another common home remedy. This is a very simply treatment and another effective way to use plantain.

Crush the leaves until they are a wet ball or gob. Then place them on the effected area, using gauze or cheesecloth to hold it in place.

One of the best things (in my opinion) about Plantain's fantastic medicinal properties is the drawing salve you can make from it. I know that 'black drawing salve' is widely known and used by many people, yet somehow I never have all the ingredients needed to make it when I need it.

Making salve from plantain is very easy and requires less ingredients than black drawing salve. Using only a few ingredients you can get major relief from some common ailments!

I think the common misconception about weeds it simply aesthetic. Over the years society has become more and more interested in seemingly unblemished lawns and plants that people find aesthetically pleasing. While a plantain is useful, its round rosette of large leaves and its tall centers with seed tops just are not as appealing as roses.

Next time you cut the grass, consider keeping a small plantain weed. They can be eaten in a salad or cooked like greens, in addition to being used for medicinal purposes. The seeds from the stalks can be sprinkled on foods to help aid digestion and add fiber to your diet! Plantains are a very useful plant to have around the house.