Common Plantain – Your New Best “Friend”

Last week I posted on my FaceBook page about using common plantain (as opposed to the plantain that looks like a banana) to relieve the itching from insect bites. While doing so, I thought that I was being redundant and saying what everyone already knew. I was amazed at the response. Some people knew exactly what I was talking about but several people were totally clueless and even private messaged me for more information. So I thought that I would blog today about this wonderful and useful plant..

Common plantain, or Plantago major, grows about every where in the United States and Europe. It was called “White Man's Foot” by the Native Americans, because the Puritans brought the plant from Europe to America. It is a very versatile plant as it is both edible and used for medicine but is thought of as a weed especially here in the states.

If you gather the leaves when they are young, they are edible in both salads and soups. Once the leaves have matured though, they become tough and bitter. I have tried eating plantain raw, and to me it tastes very...well...green. (I am sure you understand what I mean by that.) In a salad or soups, it does tastes pretty good. One hundred grams of plantain, contains about the same amount of Vitamin A as a carrot. Seeds from the plantain plant can be ground into flour.

Used as a medicine, plantain can be used for insect bites, and applied to wounds to promote healing. The reason that this works is because the plantain plant contains many bioactive compounds. It can used as an astringent. And the root of the plant has traditionally been used to treat fevers and respiratory infections. Due to its astringent properties, a tea of plantain leaves can be drank to treat diarrhea or dysentery. It can be chewed or pounded into a paste and applied to a wound to stop minor bleeding. It is very soothing and cooling as it heals.

The stems from the plantain can also be used to make rope. In the coming weeks I will try to add just exactly how to prepare plantain for medical purposes. Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)