Plantain Leaf and Powder Profile
Also known as- Plantago major (and minor), Broadleaf Plantain, White Man's Footprint, Common Plantain
Introduction
The common plantain grows throughout the US * very probably in your garden. In most places, it is seen as a noxious, invasive weed. It is, however, a useful little plant. The leaves are edible, often used raw in salads and cooked as greens. Older leaves have a stronger, sometimes objectionable flavor, and can be tough and stringy, but can be used to make tea. Plantain is very high in vitamins A and C and in calcium.
Medicinally, plantain leaves have been used to relieve the pain of bee stings and insect bites, stop the itching of poison ivy and other allergic rashes, and promote healing in sores and bruises. Plantain tea can be used as a mouthwash to help heal and prevent sores in the mouth, and as an expectorant.
Most recently, plantain is being marketed as a stop smoking aid, adding one more use to the list of ways that this versatile herb is useful.
Constituents
allantion, apigenin, aucubin, baicalein, linoleic acid, oleanolic acid, sorbitol, and tannin, beta carotene, vitamin C, calcium
Parts Used
The whole leaf and some stem is acceptable.
Typical Preparations
Eaten raw and fresh in salads, as a tea, in tincture form and as an external compress.
Summary
Plantain has been used as a veritable pharmacopeia in some Native American cultures * and with some very good reasons. Many of its active constituents show antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well as being anti-inflammatory and antitoxic. The leaves, shredded or chewed, are a traditional treatment for insect and animal bites * the antibacterial action helps prevent infection and the anti-inflammatory relieves pain, burning and itching. There is some investigation ongoing to study its affects on lowering blood sugar.
Precautions
None known
