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Plantain

Plantago major

Broadleaf plantain, Ribwort

Plantago lanceolata

Buckthorn plantain

Plantago purshii (Plantago patagonica)

Wooly plantain

 
Plantaginaceae – Plantain family

Description

Broadleaf plantain is a small, low-growing perennial.  The leaves are distinct in that they originate from the stalkless center of the plant.  They are ovoid, dark green, hairless, pleated, and have wavy margins with or without serrations.  The flowers are inconspicuous and small; they are clustered in elongated spikes, typically rising upward from the center of the plant.  The seedpods contain numerous, small, reddish-brown seeds.  Like Dandelion, Broadleaf plantain and others are notorious for maneuvering their flower spikes so they are just missed by lawn-mower blades. 

Buckthorn plantain also has pleated, wavy leaves but they are more lance-shaped.  The flowers are clustered towards the tips of the flower stalks.  Generally, it is a larger, upright plant.  Woolly plantain is a small 3-10 inch annual.  All above ground parts of the plant are hairy.  The linear leaves stand upright, are several inches long, and originate from the base of the plant.  The whitish, small flowers, cluster in spikes much like Broadleaf plantain.

Distribution

Broadleaf and Buckthorn plantain are European natives that have naturalized here extensively.  Look for them where the soil has been disturbed and is moist.  Places like lawns, gardens, and roadsides usually host these plants in abundance.  Wooly plantain is a fairly ubiquitous native that is found throughout the country, but it prefers drier and sandy soils.  Look for the plant on rocky slopes and basins.  It too will be found in abundance throughout disturbed soils and rangelands.

Chemistry

Mucilage composed of polysaccharides; tannins; iridoid glycosides: aucubin and catalpol; silicic acid; protocatechuic acid; flavonoids: apigenin and luteolin

Medicinal Uses

The fresh plant chewed or crushed and then placed on insect bites or stings is one of the better “bush medicines” for these conditions.  Like Chickweed, it is also soothing to heat rashes and burns, and will help in wound healing.  Internally Plantain is mild; it is not a major medicine but it is multifaceted.  The tea or fresh juice diminishes mucus membrane heat.  Use it for intestinal inflammation with compounding diarrhea.  Plantain is a soothing diuretic that lessens urinary tract irritation and burning upon urination.  In addition, the plant reduces bronchial irritation particularly when the lungs feel hot and dry.  Well-hydrated Plantain growing along streamsides contains more mucilage whereas desert growing Plantago purshii is higher in tannin content; uses will vary slightly in accordance with different constituent make-ups.

Indications

Skin inflammations from bites, stings, and rashes (external)

Tissue injury (external)

Intestinal inflammation with diarrhea

Painful urination

Bronchial irritation

Collection

Gather the herbage of all three plants.  Use fresh or dry.

Preparations and Dosage

Fresh plant poultice/oil/salve: as needed

Cold infusion/standard infusion: 4-8 ounces 2-3 times daily

Fresh juice: 1-2 ounces 3 times daily, topically as needed

Cautions

None known.

Copyright © 2006 by Charles W. Kane

This and additional profiles are found in Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest