# Plantain… Real Medicine



## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

This week I got quite a few scratches, cuts and fireant stings. I've been clearing a fence line. The up side is I got to watch an amazing plant do its job.

Last year I made a simple tincture that I use almost weekly. Since it's for external use I made it with rubbing alcohol. The plant I used is Plantago lanceolata, Lanceleaf or English plantain. I use a Q-tip to apply it to cuts and stings every couple of hours. By the second application of tincture I begin seeing healing take place. It truly is an amazing plant.

In north America it grows pretty much everywhere south of the arctic circle. A very hardy plant, every time I go to a town I see it in the cracks of sidewalks, at the edge of parking lots. I once saw it on a round up commercial, it loves suburban lawns. In fact I rarely see a lawn it's not growing in. Even better, more than one species that can be used, I've used 3 personally.

Common plantain (P. major) loves shady moist places, near water hose connections around houses and building. Leaves, small as a quarter or as big a post card.

English plantain (P. lanceolata) loves full sun on road sides, it's the easiest of these three to identify. The leaves 2 - 12 inches long.

Virginia plantain (P. virginica) a very small plant that loves pastures in winter. Note on virginia plantain - several species of cudweed look similar except the under side of their smooth leaves are whitish. Virginia plantain leaves have a velvety, fuzzy feel. In the photo of virginia plantain the 2 plants to the left with seed heads are plantain, the plant to the right is cudweed.

Pliny the Elder wrote that he used the plant for the most severe form of shingles, it pulls out the infection and heat from the blisters. Pliny was a Roman who lived over 2000 years ago. So the healing properties of plantain aren't some new fad. It has a very long history. It was mentioned by writers in the middle ages also. Native Americans referred to common and english plantain as "white mans footsteps". The plants were that important to the settlers, they planted it everywhere they went! It was commonly used in hospitals and homeopathic medicine into the 1900s.

It's a very safe plant, can be used as a pot herb for cooking. In facts its seeds are used to make Metamucil. It's a very fibrous plant, which helps with identification.

The first time I used the plant was for a brown recluse bite. My barn is full of these spiders. As careful as I am I get a bite every 3 or 4 years, usually not serious. This particular bite was serious. Within an hour I had a quarter sized welt on my forearm that itched insanely. The first plant I found was the native virginia plantain. I chewed a leaf to break the cell structure, applied it to the bite and held it on with a bandaid. When it dried out, every 3 or 4 hours, I chewed another leaf and applied it. By the 3rd day I could no longer see where the spider bit me. It was completely healed.

_"Matthew Wood - The herbal drawing agent. Plantain is first and foremost the herbal drawing agent. Although conventional medicine does not imagine such a faculty, there are several plants which are known to herbalists for their ability to pull splinters, dirt, pus, and infection out of wounds. Plantain is probably the chief representative of this group."_

Plantain is great for bee stings, spider bites and other insect venom. Last fall I was baling hay. I had to crawl under the baler for a quick repair. I crawled right into a fireant bed. I got over 40 stings on my neck, arm and hands. As soon as I got home I started applying tincture.

Anyone who's had contact with fireants knows the stings leave pustules (a quick google search will bring up images). I had used OTC meds in the past for fireants. It usually takes 7 to 9 days for the pustules to go away. With plantain all the pustules and trace of the stings were gone in 72hrs.

Plantain has another important property, its vulnerary. It actually promotes healing in a way modern meds don't. I've used leaves on serious cuts and roadrash type wounds. It always surprises me how quickly this plant heals. Think wet and juicy on the skin, its great for skin ulcers, boils, insect bites, poison ivy, blisters, inflamed cuts and abrasions, even serious ones. It's remarkable!

I ran a forum search. Plantain had been mentioned a few times. I thought a plant this common and important for a host of issues should have its own thread. I've found one or more species growing in January. At least in the south it's available year round!

For folks who want to learn just one safe medicinal plant&#8230; This is the plant I recommend.

Pics&#8230; english plantain&#8230; common plantain&#8230; virginia plantain. A couple shots of tincture, it turns very dark when done.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Thank you Cotton, I have used Plantain for many years and it indeed is a wonder Herb. One other thing Plantain can be used for is Insect Repellent, chew and swallow 1-2 seed stalks per day and Blood sucking pests will not bite.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

I’ve never heard that about plantain… Of course many plants deserve their own book, who knows all the things one plant can do? Different cultures, continents, knowledge that doesn’t get spread.

I’ve several plants I use against insects. My favorite is dog fennel - Eupatorium capillifolium. I’ll add your knowledge to my notes.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

We also use it as a pasture species, recovers rapidly from drought and the livestock loves it.


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## tleeh1 (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks, Cotton. I've added this to my prep folder. Can you give us a quick ratio of plants to alcohol (or whatever you used) == I have a rough idea from the pics, but want to make sure.


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

I went around the yard this summer and dug up a bunch of plantain and planted it in a bed, haven't tried it yet though, unfortunately the stupid chickens like it it seems they like anything that's useful they ate my comfrey to.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I looked up the book that Cotton referenced in his above post: "The Book of Herbal Wisdom", and decided to buy it. I just received the book yesterday and boy am I impressed, I've had some heavy hitters, this book ranks in the top five. Highly recommended.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

tleeh1 said:


> Thanks, Cotton. I've added this to my prep folder. Can you give us a quick ratio of plants to alcohol (or whatever you used) == I have a rough idea from the pics, but want to make sure.


The tincture in the photo is a basic folk tincture. Loosely fill the jar with chopped plant material allowing room to cover with 1 inch of alcohol. Since this tincture was for _"external use only"_ I used rubbing alcohol.

There are several routes to go when making a tincture, folk/simplers or more technical. Both of these links are excellent descriptions for making folk or simplers tincture.

http://mountainroseblog.com/guide-tinctures-extracts/
http://www.henriettes-herb.com/articles/tincture.html

Mountain rose herbs is an excellent company for dry herbs and herbal supplies. I've purchased tincture bottles and other supplies like a Mezzaluna chopper (a curved knife for chopping herbs) from them. Aside from supplies they are an excellent source for information. They post demonstration videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/mountainroseherbs, very good information. Some great herbalists are in these videos, like 7song and Rosemary Gladstar.

Henriettes Herbals is another great internet resource. Henriette Kress is a wonderful lady and renowned herbalist. She has translated herb, pharmacopoeias and many other great works into English. Many of these books are hundreds of years old. They are all available for reading. Of course she has a blog and couple of good books that are on my list to purchase.

That aside&#8230; I recommend getting a few good herb books (if the grid goes down). Most contain a section of basic, sometimes more complex, techniques for making tinctures, salves etc. I've already posted 2 in the book/product review section. I plan 5 more, a preppers library if you will, of 7 great books imho.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I've used it myself several times this year for various cuts. Draws swelling out and eases the pain. I don't chew mine up, I just chop it in the food processor. I haven't made a tincture with it yet. Good stuff!


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## debbluu (Dec 16, 2012)

We use the leaves for insect bites. Just pick,crush and rub on. I've made a plantain and yarrow salve. 


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