Plantain
Plantain leaf is a great little herb that we use often in our family. It grows in our yard and probably in yours too and it is a handy little weapon for all kinds of things. The most important thing we use it for is in Liana’s healing salve. To make that she picks plantain leaves carefully in our yard and then infuses them in olive oil for 4-6 weeks. Then she uses that olive oil as the base of her salve and great things happen. We have stories of rashes clearing up and diaper rash disappearing. It has healed up a bruise that should have been nasty for days and instead hardly was there after 12 hours.
This is the plantain plant as you will see it growing in yards all over the USA.
Plantain is also good for many other uses. It will help with an insect sting or cut or abrasion. The leaf does need to be mashed up in order to release the healing properties. If you are out in the yard with your young child who gets suddenly stung by a yellow jacket this is a very appropriate time to grab one of these leaves and chew it up and apply it to the sting. We have done that and it works quite well. If there is not such a hurry you can take the leaf or leaves and mash them with a mortar and pestle and make a kind of a paste with it and apply it that way.
This herb can also be used internally although I never have done this. Plantain is an alterative which means it is a plant “ that clean and correct impure conditions of the blood and the eliminative tissues and organs."1 It is also used in the treatment of blood poisoning. It can be used as a diuretic for kidney and bladder problems. For any of these uses a competent herbalist should be consulted as herbs are considered medication and can have negative side effects.
Jennifer
For more specifics on plantain see the referenced article below from Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy.
1 http://www.herballegacy.com/Ahlborn_Medicinal.html
This was shared in Wildcrafting Wednesday at The Woodwife’s Journal.
