Broadleaf Plantain | by F. D. Richards
Plantain is a plant to keep your eyes open for. If you find this plant, you will want to pick it, dry it, and store it for future use.
This plant can be used against bee stings, some snake bites, bronchitis and arthritis. All the parts of plantain are edible. Plantain is very high in beta carotene (A), B1, riboflavin, calcium, and fiber. The plant is also a good source of vitamin C and fiber.
Here is how you can use it:
– Crush the leaves to release their juices and apply the liquid directly to insect bites, bee stings , poison ivy and snake bites.
-Plantain has been used on cuts, blisters, sunburns acne and rashes.
– Did you know that plantain draws toxins out of the body?
– Plantain leaves and seeds aid in digestion. This plant has been used on people whose gut linings have been damaged by antibiotic drugs and people with celiac disease.
– Plantain has been said to be an aid in constipation.
– Plantain leaves are loaded with calcium and magnesium, plantain is used in the treatment of arthritis. Apply it to swollen joints, sore muscles, sprains, and sore feet.
– Plantain can loosen mucus and relieve cough. Use this plant to treat colds and sore throats. It has been known to treat bronchitis and tuberculosis.
General medicinal properties of plantain:
- Plantain kills bacteria or prevents bacterial growth
- Plantain stops bleeding
- Plantain reduces inflammation
- Plantain relieves coughing
- Plantain loosens mucus
- Plantain stops bleeding externally
- Plantain relieves constipation
- Plantain draws an infection from a wound
- Plantain also kills parasitic worms
Instructions on making plantain tea, tinctures and salves can be found here.
Proverbs 31 Woman blog shows how you can save these plants at the end of the season:
“Place the leaves (on a wire rack atop a baking tray) in your oven at it’s lowest setting. Roots may be dehydrated at 135 degrees F. To make plantain leaf tea, crumble the leaves into one half of a tea ball, filling the half to about capacity. Close the tea ball and steep for 10 to 15 minutes.”
Not sure if you have the right plant?
Denise Allen mentions that “there is a fantastic app called Plant Checker. They will tell you if it’s a weed or a plant and what kind. It does cost .99 cents but it’s well worth the pennies ” she states.
Greater Plantain | by SimonLH64