Plantain is one of this very common wild herbs that lay in our backyard and we pass for granted, without knowing the amazing properties it has for our health:
Plantain:
Scientific Name: Plantago Major
Habitat: Common garden weed, usually found in lawns
When to pick it?: Choose the tender young leaves, discard any bad looking, leaves with discoloration and insect bites.
Taste: If picked young taste like salad, the texture is harder.
Main properties: via http://www.pfaf.org/
Hazardness: High doses may cause a fall in blood pressure and diarrhea. Possible allergic contact dermatitis. Avoid in patients with intestinal obstruction or abdominal discomfort. Do not self medicate yourself and use with discretion. Discard use if not identified properly.
When small I used to talk with my very old neighbor Alicia about plants. For me she was a Witch with very long white hair and I admired her knowledge about tradicional colombian plant medicine. She had very bad eyes and everyday used "Yanten" or Plantain as cataplasms to increase her sight.
Oral tradition is one of the best methods to learn about plants. One amazing thing about plants is that you can connect people with you knowledge of them, you can make someone immortal in your memory. For me ,Plantain is Alicia, for example.
Via Wikipedia:
"Plantago major ("broadleaf plantain" or "greater plantain") is a species of Plantago, family Plantaginaceae. The plant is native to most of Europe and northern and central Asia,but has widely naturalised elsewhere in the world.
Plantago major is one of the most abundant and widely distributed medicinal crops in the world. Apoultice of the leaves can be applied to wounds, stings, and sores in order to facilitate healing and prevent infection. The active chemical constituents are aucubin (an anti-microbial agent), allantoin(which stimulates cellular growth and tissue regeneration), and mucilage (which reduces pain and discomfort). Plantain has astringent properties, and a tea made from the leaves can be ingested to treat diarrhea and soothe raw internal membranes.
Scientific Name: Plantago Major
Habitat: Common garden weed, usually found in lawns
When to pick it?: Choose the tender young leaves, discard any bad looking, leaves with discoloration and insect bites.
Taste: If picked young taste like salad, the texture is harder.
Main properties: via http://www.pfaf.org/
"Common plantain is a safe and effective treatment for bleeding, it quickly staunches blood flow and encourages the repair of damaged tissue. The leaves are astringent, demulcent, deobstruent, depurative, diuretic, expectorant, haemostatic and refrigerant.
Internally, they are used in the treatment of a wide range of complaints including diarrhoea, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhage, haemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, asthma and hay fever. They are used externally in treating skin inflammations, malignant ulcers, cuts, stings etc. The heated leaves are used as a wet dressing for wounds, swellings etc. The root is a remedy for the bite of rattlesnakes, it is used in equal portions with Marrubium vulgare. The seeds are used in the treatment of parasitic worms.
Plantain seeds contain up to 30% mucilage which swells up in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes. Sometimes the seed husks are used without the seeds. A distilled water made from the plant makes an excellent eye lotion."
Hazardness: High doses may cause a fall in blood pressure and diarrhea. Possible allergic contact dermatitis. Avoid in patients with intestinal obstruction or abdominal discomfort. Do not self medicate yourself and use with discretion. Discard use if not identified properly.
When small I used to talk with my very old neighbor Alicia about plants. For me she was a Witch with very long white hair and I admired her knowledge about tradicional colombian plant medicine. She had very bad eyes and everyday used "Yanten" or Plantain as cataplasms to increase her sight.
Oral tradition is one of the best methods to learn about plants. One amazing thing about plants is that you can connect people with you knowledge of them, you can make someone immortal in your memory. For me ,Plantain is Alicia, for example.
Via Wikipedia:
"Plantago major ("broadleaf plantain" or "greater plantain") is a species of Plantago, family Plantaginaceae. The plant is native to most of Europe and northern and central Asia,but has widely naturalised elsewhere in the world.
Plantago major is one of the most abundant and widely distributed medicinal crops in the world. Apoultice of the leaves can be applied to wounds, stings, and sores in order to facilitate healing and prevent infection. The active chemical constituents are aucubin (an anti-microbial agent), allantoin(which stimulates cellular growth and tissue regeneration), and mucilage (which reduces pain and discomfort). Plantain has astringent properties, and a tea made from the leaves can be ingested to treat diarrhea and soothe raw internal membranes.
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| Undeveloped plantain flower
Broadleaf plantain is also a highly nutritious wild edible, that is high in calcium and vitamins A, C, and K. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, and the older, stringier leaves can be boiled in stews and eaten.
Plantago major grows in lawns and fields, along roadsides, and in other areas with that have been disturbed by humans.
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| Upper view of plantain
How to use plantain in a practical sense?
Plantain Insect Sting and Bite Remedy
Pinterest board about foraging plantain
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