Week #1 ~ blackyard herbal ~Plantain

I was asked to create some recipes for plantain because a friend on JAP has lots of it in her back yard. Here is what I have. Will also make some pretty picture recipes to add here later today with this information. It is the first in a weekly series I will continue each week all summer long.

Plantain
Botanical: Plantago major (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Plantaginaceae

Synonyms---broad-leaved plantain, ripple grass, waybread, slan-lus, waybroad, snakeweed, cuckoo's bread, englishman's foot, white man's foot, buckhorn plantain, dog's ribs, hock cockle, lance-leaved plantain, rub grass, dooryard plantain, round-leaved plantain, (Anglo-Saxon) weybroed, Che Qian Zi (China), Breitwegerich (German), Tanchagem-maior (Portuguese), Llantén común (Spanish), Llantén major (Spanish)

Parts Used---Root, leaves, flower-spikes.
Of course as with all herbal medicines, you are your own best doctor - listen to your body and pay attention to it's interaction with the herb, and you will undoubtedly figure out your own best uses and dosages. Plantain is not associated with any common side effects and is thought to be safe for children, however, some allergy sufferers may have a reaction to plantain pollen, so if you feel this may be a problem for you, you may want to only use the plantain leaves for your herbal preparations.

Uses

It was considered to be almost a panacea - a cure-all, and that is has historically been recommended as a treatment for just about everything including dog bites, ulcers, ringworm, jaundice, epilepsy, liver obstructions, and hemorrhoids!

Plantain is very high in beta carotene (A) and calcium. It also provides ascorbic acid (C), and vitamin K. Among the more notable chemicals found in plantain are allantion, apigenin, aucubin, baicalein, linoleic acid, oleanolic acid, sorbitol, and tannin.

Plantain is a mild anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-hemorrhagic, and expectorant actions. Acubin has been reported in the Journal Of Toxicology as a powerful anti-toxin. Allantoin has been proved to promote wound healing, speed up cell regeneration, and have skin-softening effects.

Historical uses of plantain as a wound healer, and as a treatment for lung conditions such as bronchitis or asthma. Medicinally, plantain is astringent, demulcent, emollient, cooling, expectorant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitoxin, and diuretic. Plantain is approved by the German Commission E (a sort of German "FDA" that studies and regulates herbs and herbal uses) for internal use to ease coughs and mucous membrane irritation associated with upper respiratory tract infections as well as topical use for skin inflammations. Two Bulgarian clinical trials have said plantain is effective in the treatment of chronic bronchitis. 

 

Information gathered from books, personal knowledge and internet.