When I was a little girl, my father’s mother, Catherine, and I were very close. Mom was awfully busy trying to raise six kids and run a farm by herself, so I spent a lot of time with grandma (I’m the baby of the family). She had ever-bearing strawberries that she would pick as soon as they showed a blush of red so the birds didn’t get them. There were always hollyhocks and poppies, the yellow transparent apple tree, lilacs, roses and a small vegetable garden. Grandma and I would dance and sing on the front lawn, and every Saturday night we had a “date” watching HeeHaw.
I remember grandma pointing to a broad leaf plant in the yard and calling it “medicine leaf”. She told me the Indians use to use it for medicine, but we never used it ourselves.
Fast forward about 30 years. I’ve rediscovered “medicine leaf”, and it’s become a staple of my first aid kit. It turns out grandma’s “weed” was actually common plantain (Plantago major).
From Alternative Nature Online Healer:
Plantain Medicinal Properties and Herbal Use
Plantain is edible and medicinal, the young leaves are edible raw in salad or cooked as a pot herb, they are very rich in vitamin B1 and riboflavin. The herb has a long history of use as an alternative medicine dating back to ancient times. Being used as a panacea (medicinal for everything) in some cultures, one American Indian name for the plant translates to “life medicine.” And recent research indicates that this name may not be far from true! The chemical analysis of Plantgo Major reveals the remarkable glycoside Aucubin. Acubin has been reported in the Journal Of Toxicology as a powerful anti-toxin. There are many more highly effective constituents in this plant including Ascorbic-acid, Apigenin, Baicalein, Benzoic-acid, Chlorogenic-acid, Citric-acid, Ferulic-acid, Oleanolic-acid, Salicylic-acid, and Ursolic-acid. The leaves and the seed are medicinal used as an antibacterial, antidote, astringent, antiinflammatory, antiseptic, antitussive, cardiac, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, haemostatic, laxative, ophthalmic, poultice, refrigerant, and vermifuge.
Medical evidence exists to confirm uses as an alternative medicine for asthma, emphysema, bladder problems, bronchitis, fever, hypertension, rheumatism and blood sugar control. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of a wide range of complaints including diarrhoea, dysentery, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhage, haemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, coughs, asthma and hay fever. It also causes a natural aversion to tobacco and is currently being used in stop smoking preparations. Extracts of the plant have antibacterial activity, it is a safe and effective treatment for bleeding, it quickly stops blood flow and encourages the repair of damaged tissue. The heated leaves are used as a wet dressing for wounds, skin inflammations, malignant ulcers, cuts, stings and swellings and said to promote healing without scars. Poultice of hot leaves is bound onto cuts and wounds to draw out thorns, splinters and inflammation. The root is said to be used as an anti-venom for rattlesnakes bites. Plantain seeds contain up to 30% mucilage which swells in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes. The seeds are used in the treatment of parasitic worms. A distilled water made from the plant makes an excellent eye lotion.
I infused some olive oil with plantain leaves last summer, but hadn’t used the oil. I was planning on salve, I wasn’t sure how to use it, I’m new at this – all the usual excuses apply. About a month ago, I noticed I was getting an itchy rash on my arms where I had gotten a little too much sun while gardening. I got a little pinker than I probably should have, too. Enter the plantain oil. At the very least, I figured it would “do no harm”, so I spread it on the rash and sunburn. Within a matter of days, the rash was gone, and the burn turned to tan – it didn’t peel. Success!
I had this strange little patch of dry skin near my eyes for the longest time – on went the plantain oil to that, too. That one took a little longer (about two weeks), but it’s cleared up now, too.
Next target -wasp string. I was at my Great Uncle’s house scrubbing egg off a plate with a metal scouring pad, when “the pad” stabbed me. I set the scrubber down and out crawls a large black wasp. (Bill told me after the fact that, “Oh yes, he had seen some of those around.” I guess it didn’t like being used to scrub plates. My finger started swelling and burning. I started running cold water on the sting, and hollered for my son to run outside and grab some plantain. He comes back in a matter of minutes with a nice, healthy leaf, and into my mouth it goes. Chew, chew, chew - spit it out – onto the bite. The worst of the pain started subsiding within minutes. I wrapped the green blob onto my finger with a band-aid and left it there for the rest of the afternoon and evening. (Plantain tastes very green, in case you’re wondering.)
Here’s what the sting looked like at the end of the day:
Then you roll -
Then you slice -
. Allow the decanted oil to settle for a few days, then bottle the finished oil in dark jars. You may get sediment or water in the bottom as the oil settles – try to keep this out of your finished product by pouring off the oil carefully. Seal the bottles, label, and store in a cooler, dry, dark place. (I keep mine in a laundry room cabinet, which might not be ideal, but it seems to keep just fine.) I have purchased some storage bottles, but I also save my extract bottles from the kitchen and clean and reuse them for oil storage.Update: If you’d like to see how to make a salve out of the infused oils, please check out this post.
Why unbelievable! My grandma used to talk about the "medicine leaf" too! (My great-grandmother was 1/2 Native American). Wonderful post. Now that I'm older I should sit and talk to my grandma about it (without thinking its cookie talk).
God Bless
Yeah – talk to grandma while you still can! There are so many questions I wished I had asked my mom and grandmas while they were still here. I guess I'll have to remember to ask when we finally see each other again.
I love this stuff, and it's SO EASY.
You have got to be kidding me Laurie!!! You are not going to believe this! I was SEARCHING forever online trying to figure out what this weed was in my backyard that my chickens have been enjoying! This is it!!!!! Oh my wow, I'm so excited you don't even know! My backyard is literally FILLED with plantain! Ah… I am so making this and excited that my chickens are getting some sort of benefit from eating it, ha! I'm SO GLAD you submitted this to Simple Lives Thursday. Thanks Laurie!!
Diana – too funny! You're very welcome. Plantain is wonderful stuff. You can also turn this oil into a salve by heating gently and adding some beeswax. My batch was finally ready to decant, so I made salve along with the oil. It works just as well on mosquito bites.
Awesome post Laurie – I've long known I could use this somehow but I never knew how. I especially love the part where you chewed your own poultice!
Thank you for this post! I am fairly new to herbal remedies and am currently planning and plotting a medicinal herb garden for next spring. I am DEFINITELY adding plantain to the seed list and cannot wait to make some oil and salve. We live in the country and bee/wasp stings are a way of life…now my boys can get a little comfort when stung!
Thanks again!
JoAnn
We LOVE plantain. Our bunnies do too
You can also heal your gums with it, clean your teeth with it, or use it to stop a toothache. Roll some up chew it lightly, then stick it between your cheek and gums. Sleep with it there and then remove in the morning and brush with plain water.
Oooooo…chickiepea, thanks for sharing the tips! I like quick and easy. Have you ever done anything with the seeds? I harvested a bunch this fall (with the plan to plant some in an orderly fashion next spring). I know they make psyllium fiber from the seeds, but I'm not sure about the methodology or exactly what type of plantain.
We have comfrey leaf and do all of the above with comfrey although I have long wanted to plant some plantain to add to it. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for commenting, Janelle. I received some comfrey from a friend of mine (EarthHeart – http://cstauffer.blogspot.com/2011/03/note-my-herbal-world-has-moved-to.html – when she lived nearby). It was quite small when I got it, so I've been givign the patch time to get established, but I'm looking forward to experimenting with it this season,
Thanks for your comments on my post Laurie, I think our Grandmas would have made great friends
I learned many natural ways from her as well.
You're welcome. I've often wondered if you get to meet up with new people in heaven. My mom and a close friend's mom both passed away recently, and I wonder if they've gotten a chance to meet and compare notes.
Hi, I'm visiting from the Barn Hop. This is a great post, very informative! I dabble a little bit in herbal medicine and tried eating plantain before (as you say, it's very green tasting!) I am going to make up some of this oil and definitely try the poultice next time I get stung. I'm a beekeeper and also allergic to wasps, so I'll be eager to see how it works!
Journey11 – thanks for stopping by. I hope the plantain poultice is helpful for you. I'm not allergic, but it worked amazingly quickly for me so hopefully it will provide you some relief, too.
Wow – I had no idea and I have that "weed" in my yard. Good to know it's so useful!
Manuela – many of our "weeds" are very useful. Yet another reason not to spray herbicides and pesticides.
Wow! Never know how useful weeds are! I'll have to see if we have any in our backyard!
Thanks for linking up at Healthy 2day Wednesdays last week! Hope to see you add a post this week!
Also, thanks for all your kind comments and likes on fb!
How would one obtain this plant? This is my 1st time to hear of it!
It grows wild in many places, but you can also purchase seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/seeds/seeds.php
Lovely post on my favorite medicinal herb. I love that it grows everywhere. They say that it grows wherever mosquitoes live and wherever nettles grow… funny how God provides the perfect remedy right where it is needed, eh?
I have been wondering how to best preserve it though since our fresh season is so short. I've just put it in freezer bags and tossed it in the freezer… the whole leaves are nice for larger burns. Now I will have easy access to a ready remedy when I preserve it in oil!
I just made salve from this year's oil. So nice to have it available for easy application, and I agree about it growign right where it's needed.
We keep some, dried — but never get around to using that — there's almost always some in the yard when we need it. It was called "soldier weed" in our family and they said it used to be applied to punctures such as arrow wounds (!!) Dunno about that but seems to help with things like blackberry scratches.
risa bear – that's interesting! Thankfully, we haven't had the opportunity to try is on arrow wounds, but I could understand how it would work.
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Such a vivid post on this versatile plant. Grandparents are great. You can’t replace them. But you can write down their wisdom for later generations to learn from. Thanks for doing that.
Wondering if you can freeze the leaves for future use
I haven’t done it -I usually use the salve when fresh is not available – but his herb lady says that you can freeze it effectively- http://www.aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs.com/plantain.html