Plantain

With an early morning bee sting, I felt it was a good time to share with you some information about one of my favorite plants to forage that is, quite literally, everywhere. Ah, plantain. We mow over you in our yards, spray you in the cracks of sidewalks, call you a weed, but all you really want is to help us when we make a bee mad, among other times.

So here’s some info to help you out the next time you’re outside minding your own business but some buzzing thing sees you as a threat. Ow!

PLANTAIN - no, not the plantain that tastes so delicious in chip-form or fried. This is “plantain weed” or broadleaf plantain. The leaves of this variety grow 2-4 inches wide. There is also a ribwort plantain with narrower leaves I know you’ve seen around, but for now I’m just focusing on broadleaf.

Get this, this WHOLE PLANT contains tons of antioxidants: that’s leaves, roots, stems, flowers and seeds. If you’re extra interested, flavanoids, polysacchandes, and caffeic acid are just a few of the many phyto-chemicals in plantain. This is important to note because recent studies have “established a relationship between consumption of phyto chemicals…with health benefits such as the prevention of diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, etc…” (1)

For plantain, we’re looking at wound healing, reducing inflammation, treating diahrea, managing diabetes and killing jerms.

1. Can boost your immunity: plantain compounds have immune-strengthening properties to help fight infection. The extract of the leaf even helps boost your white blood cell count! Why is this good news? It’s the white blood cells that serve as your bodies protection from infectious diseases and foreign invaders. So when you’re beginning to feel sick, grab some young leaves - fresh if you can or dehydrated if not in season - chop ‘em up, put in a cup, pour hot water in, steep 10 min, strain, add honey, and bam! medicine.

2. Due to the anti microbial properties in the leaves, drinking the tea can improve your digestive health! And be used as a skin cleansing tonic!

3. Benefits Gastrointential Health due to anti-inflammatory properties: tea can help soothe intestinal pain and soothe symptoms of diahrea. Drink the tea daily, too, if you suffer from heartburn, indigestion or irritable bowel sydrome.

4. Liver health: Studies involving rats found that plantain extracts may protect the liver from injury caused by painkillers.
   Best way to do this: consume 1 or 2 glasses of plantain leaf tea everyday. You can make juice by putting the fresh leaves through a juicer or add a few leaves to your smoothie!

5. Skin health: eczema, sunburn, acne, poison ivy, allergic sun reactions, spider bites, bee stings and other bug bites…plantain is your plant!

   For eczema, soak leaves in water until soft then smash into a pulp. Apply to your itchy red skin to help soothe pain, stop itching and relieve inflammation.

   For sunburn, make a cup of plantain tea, then when cool pour it into a spray bottle. Spray liberally onto irritated skin to cool and relive the pain.

   For acne, wash face with plantain tea to kill off germs and grime. You, too, can apply a little plantain tincture directly to the pimple to reduce redness and speed up healing.

   For bites and stings, make a poultice. What you’ll do is grab a few leaves and chomp on them with your teeth, the goal is to open the leaf for the juice to come out. When mixed with saliva this will create a poultice or you can cut or mash up with a drop of water. Then apply this mess of leaves to your bite and cover wtih a bandaid for a few hours. Reapply as needed!

6. Wounds heal faster: leaves regenerate skin tissue, reduce inflammation and have antibacterial properties. Combining plantain mixture and aloe vera enhanced the healing process during a study done with rats.
   Wash the wound with plantain tea between changing the dressing. Plantian salve works great, too. Add to small cuts or apply leaves or crushed leaves. Keep on wound for 10-15 minutes, 3-4x per day.

7. Dental health: it’s anti-bacterial properties help reduce the number of cavities. Just swish some plantain tea!

8. Helps with sore throat - just add some oregano oil to the plantain tea and gargle as an amazing sore throat fighter.

9. Can help reduce cholesteral: Some studies suggest that extracts from plantain plant may have cholesteral lowering effects.

10. May help treat kidney stones: Plantain extracts help to lower the levels of uric acid, so taking plantain seed extracts can help reduce instances of gout and to flush out kidney stones! Drink 1-2 glasses of tea per day which can prevent the stones from ever even forming. (Dang, I wish I knew that a couple years ago!)

11. Good fro treating respiratory tract infections as well as the common cold, sinusitus, tonsillitie and bronchitis. Using plantain can help soothe coughing, boost immunity and reduce inflammatory responses.

12. More research is required, of course, but it may actually lower anticancer properties. A 2017 study found this and a test tube study found that extracts from various species of plantago plants have the potential to be used in cancer treatment.

    Add disclaimers and re-iterate the tea & poultice recipe
    Make salve and share link

    The Adev Farm website is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitude for professional medical advice. The information provided does not intent to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, it is the reader’s responsibility to ensure proper plant identification & usage.

    Please be aware that some plants are poisonous or can have adverse health affects. We are not health professionals, medical doctors or nutritionists. It is essential to consult with qualified professionals for verification of nutritional information, health benefits, and any potential risks associated with edible and medicinal plants mentioned in this website.