Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major) ~ LuminEarth’s Guide To Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

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BROADLEAF PLANTAIN (Plantago major) Other Names: Common Plantain, Broadleaf Plantain, Great Plantain, Greater Plantain, Ripple Grass, Plantago Asiatica, Waybread, Waybroad, Snakeweed, Cuckoo’s Bread, Englishman’s Foot, White Man’s Foot, Che Qian Zi , Breitwegerich, Tanchagem-maior, Llantén común, Llantén major, Arnoglossa, Bazir Dam Bil, Buyuk Sinirliot, Ch’E Ch’Ien, Daum Sejumbok, Ekur Anjing, Gechi Qulaghi, Grote Weegbree, Lisan Al Hamal, Llanten, Llanten Mayor, Meloh Kiloh, Otot Ototan, Plantain, Sangka Buwah, Sangkubah, Sangkuwah, Sei Ohr Re, Sembung Otot, Suri Pandak, Tarkuz, Wegerlich

Broadleaf plantain mixed in with white dutch clover and grass. The large, oval shaped leaves are broadleaf plantain.

Appearance:   Broadleaf Plantain grows from a short, tough rootstock or rhizome, which has a large number of long, straight, yellowish roots, is a basal, rosette of large, broadly oval, dark green, leaves. The 4 to 10 inch long smooth, thick, strong and fibrous leaves have 3 to 7 or more ribbed veins, abruptly contracting into a long, petiole (leaf stalk) which is reddish at the base. The leaf margin is of Broadleaf Plantain is entire, or unevenly toothed. The flower stalks, are erect, long, slender, densely-flowered spikes. Each tiny flower is brownish and bell-shaped with four stamens and purple anthers. Broadleaf Plantain flowers bloom most of the summer. The fruit is a two-celled capsule and containing four to sixteen seeds.

Harvesting: Gather young edible Broadleaf Plantain leaves in spring. Gather Plantain after flower spike forms, dry for later herb use.

Edible:  The young leaves of the Broadleaf Plantain plant are edible as a raw salad or cooked as spinach.

Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago Major)

Plantago Major… It grows everywhere! This is the broad leaf variety. There is also a lance leaf variety which is skinnier.

Used for cuts, bites, and stings and skin healing in general.

For brown recluse bites we make a strong tea from the leaves and drink a half cup every 30 minutes until the reaction is better.

As a poultice, you can pick a leaf, chew it into a pulp, and apply it to the affected area. I use it in my salve.

-Jenny Dietzel N.H.D., Natural Health Consultant, Twin Springs Wellness

Medicinal: Broadleaf Plantain contains Acubin which is reported to be a powerful anti-toxin. The leaves and the seed are medicinal used as an antibacterial, antidote, astringent, anti-inflammatory, 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 Broadleaf Plantain roots is used in the treatment of a wide range of complaints including diarrhoea, dysentery, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhage , hemorrhoids, 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 Broadleaf Plantain 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 of Broadleaf Plantain 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.  Broadleaf Plantain 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.

Probably my favorite! I’ve been collecting and drying (naturally) the stalks and grinding them then adding to oat flour in pancake mix. I eat the leaves, and we have often used it to instantly heal bee stings and for poison ivy.

When we use it as a “salve” or poultice, we just chew up the leaves and place them on the sting/skin. We don’t heat them or add anything to them. Just pick, chew and plop.

-Marie-Lynn

Recipe for “Medicinal” herb tea: For colds and flu use 1 tbls. dry or fresh whole Broadleaf Plantain (seed, root, and leaves) to 1 cup boiling water, steep 10 min. strain, sweeten. Drink through the day.

Plantain Salve should be in every household! It works for bites and rashes. It is great to use on animals with those hot spots because it is safe if they lick it off.

- Deborahe Prock, N.D., www.naturalmedicine.com

Recipe for healing salve: In large non-metallic pan place 1lb. of entire Broadleaf Plantain plant chopped, and 1 cup lard, cover, cook down on low heat till all is mushy and green. Strain while hot, cool and use for burns, insect bites, rashes, and all sores. Note: used as night cream for wrinkles.

Herbal Occult Info and Folk Medicinal Properties

Folk Name: White-Man’s Foot
Parts Used: leaf, shoot/stem, seed
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Gender: Feminine

Goddesses/Gods: Hecate (with its road correspondence and feminine nature), there is little known about this herb but it is a sacred herb and can be used to honor all Goddesses and Gods.

Medicinal Uses: A leaf poultice is used to speed a wounds healing. The leaves treat urinary infections, burns, bee stings, hemorrhoids, and conjunctivitis. They are mucilaginous and expectorant. The Seeds are high in fiber; their mucilage may lower cholesterol and is used in cosmetics. In the wild, if you are injured chew on the leaves of the plantain to make a spit-poultice, then place this on the wound using a small amount of dirt to bind it if necessary. this will pull all the germs and help promote healing, and this can also work for removing splinters.

Folklore: In Latin America it is a folk remedy for cancer. In China, it’s made into a detoxifying tea for treating tubercular ulcers and diarrhea. The herb was one of the nine sacred herbs of the Angelo-Saxons and was used for poisonous bites and related injuries.

Magickal Uses: The plantain is used in protection spells for the home and the car as well as for travelers, especially those traveling on a road (which is where this plant likes to grow). The plantain can give power to magickal workings in general. The herb is also used in healing sachets, specifically for headaches and fatigue.

-Tytus Lionheart, Wiccan Folk Magician
Author of The Lion Heart Coursework

Sources:

Alternative Nature Online Herbal, (n.d.), extracted October 23, 2009 from

http://www.altnature.com/gallery/plantain.htm

Moonrose, Cindy. Nashville, TN. Eatable Weed Walk (live) October 21, 2009

The Books We Use:

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guide)
• Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them by William Hutson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by “Wildman” Steve Brill
• Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies: Natural Health, Beauty & Home Care Secrets by Jude C. Williams, M.H.
• Ortho’s  All About Herbs by Maggie Oster
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas
• Sunset Herbs:  An Illustrated Guide by The Editors of Sunset Magazine
• The Forager’s Harvest:  A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
• The Natural Physicians’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know by Mark Stengler, ND
• The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
• The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.
• Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee

Related Links

• Health Improvement:  Use Sound Therapy to Improve Your Health
• Herbal Remedy Cures eBook
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• Standardized Herbs: Nature’s Sunshine Utilizes over 600 Tests to Guarantee the Quality of Herbs, Supplements, Essential Oils and Other Natural Health Care Products!
• Self Sufficient Life Website
• Super Antioxidant Juice MonaVie for a daily dose of Acai – the highest rated antioxidant currently known on the planet!
• Ultimate Guide to Vitamins and Minerals Book Info

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Disclaimer: The statements in this article are for educational purposes only and have not been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The remedies discussed herein are not meant to treat or cure any type of disease. The user understands that the above information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist.