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Herbs: Plantain herb - cut

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Common Names: Plantain, longleaf plantain, ripple grass, ribwort, wagbread, white man’s foot
Latin Name: Plantago major

Excerpts from Practical Herbalism

Plantain was used by the ancients to heal the bites of "mad dogs, snakes, and venomous creatures." Interestingly, Native Americans quickly learned to use Plantain in the same way, and the colonial assembly of South Carolina granted a handsome reward and freedom to an African slave who taught them how to use the plant to remedy the bite of rattlesnakes.

Maud Grieve quotes Salmon's Herbal (1710), and gives the following list of other uses for Plantago: "The liquid juice clarified and drunk for several days helps distillation of rheum upon the throat, glands, lungs, etc. Doses, 3 to 8 spoonsful. An especial remedy against ulceration of the lungs and a vehement cough arising from same. It is said to be good against epilepsy, dropsy, jaundice and opens obstructions of the liver, spleen, and veins. It cools inflammations of the eyes and takes away the pin and web (so called) in them. Dropped into the ears, it eases their pains and restores hearing much decayed. Doses, 3 to 6 spoonsful more or less, either alone or with some fit vehicle morning and night. The powdered root mixed with equal parts of powder of Pellitory of Spain and put into a hollow tooth is said to ease the pain thereof. Powdered seeds stop vomiting, epilepsy, lethargy, convulsions, dropsy, jaundice, strangury, obstruction of the liver, etc. The liniment made with the juice and oil of Roses eases headache caused by heat, and is good for lunatics. It gives great ease, being applied in all hot gouts, whether in hands or feet, especially in the beginning, to cool the heat and repress the humors. The distilled water with a little alum and honey dissolved in it is of good use for cleansing and healing a sore ulcerated mouth or throat."

In more recent times, Plantain has been acclaimed for its ability to relieve bee stings, insect and spider bites, and rashes from an unfortunate encounter with Poison Ivy or Stinging Nettles. Dr. Christopher referred to Plantain, along with Jewelweed, and Hound's Tongue as 'Nature's erasers.' "Stand anywhere within sight of Poison Ivy, and look about," he said. "You will always see at least one of these plants, placed by the hand of God to come to your aid, if you should need it." Contemporary research has confirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of Plantain, and has discovered elements that protect the body against tumors and help resist damage to the liver from chemotherapy drugs. The fiber and mucilage from the seeds of the Plantago species have gained prominence as the primary fiber supplement of choice for millions of people around the world.

Indicated Usages - Internal:

Cholesterol	Constipation
Diabetes	Diarrhea
Hemorrhoids	Indigestion
Irritable bowel	Kidney/bladder inflammation
Liver problems	Mouth ulcers, canker sores
Uterine tonic

Indicated Usages - External:

Bites, stings	Cuts, bleeding wounds
Eczema, psoriasis	Leukorrhea, yeast
Rashes, contact dermatitis	Toothache
Ulcers, old sores	Varicose veins

Notes:

Plantain is a first rate "First Aid" plant that is usually close-at-hand, wherever you may be. A few fresh leaves, crushed or chewed, can be used to quickly stop the bleeding of an open wound, stop the pain and inflammation or bites and stings, and relieve the itching from poison ivy. A cup of strong Plantain tea will quell the worst indigestion, and a small wad of chewed leaf placed next to the gum will quiet a painful toothache until it can be attended to.

A simple ointment, made with an olive oil extract of fresh Plantain and a little beeswax is a very good general purpose remedy for many skin ailments, and is especially helpful with diaper rash.

From Our Reading and/or Experience...

We use Plantain often in tea and tincture combinations for a wide variety of internal and external physical needs. Of course, it can be used in many other types of remedies. For instance, it can easily be made into powder, and used in capsules.
Plantain is a contact healer. As such, it is essential for emergency situations to stop itching and/or bleeding, reduce inflammation, kill infection, etc. Basically, along with Cayenne, and Comfrey, Plantain is a must in case of physical injuries.
It can be used to benefit anyone: men, women (including before, during or after pregnancy, and nursing), children and animals.
It can be used as often as you would like, and in any way you choose.
It is very critical to store Plantain in a dark, dry, and cool place. Refrigeration or freezing is highly recommended, but not necessary. Following these suggestions will delay the loss of its highly valued nutritional and medicinal properties.

Related Remedies

Customer Reviews

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Relieves Yellow Jacket Sting
by interch on Oct 13, 2009

When we were splitting firewood, the yellow jackets were everywhere. (I was later told they like the sap from birch and spruce, the two woods we were splitting) My son (8) went to slap what he thought was a mosquito and ended up stung on the cheek by one of the yellow jackets. Since it is late fall up here and we couldn't find any plantain right away I just put on some of the plantain tincture I had made from plantain on our property this summer. Then I soaked a small gauze in the tincture and stuck it to his face with a bandaid. He went right back to work saying it felt fine. He took the bandaid off a couple hours later and I haven't seen or heard about it since! Yes, herbs DO WORK!

Reduces Swelling
by interch on Aug 24, 2009

The Plantain previously ordered works wonders. Within 20 minutes of applying it, the swelling is greatly reduced. Instead of welts and pustules for 3 to 4 weeks, there was a small mark for 5 days. Thank you.

Heals Wound
by interch on Jul 30, 2009

I had bought some Plantain in my last order after reading the testimonials on its first aid benefits. Of course, in a household of 5 children it didn't take long to have an "opportunity" to use it.

Last week my 9 year old son had an accident involving a shovel and his face (!) that left him with a chipped tooth and a nice hole through his lip/chin area. We first used essential oils, which helped, but the bleeding and oozing didn't want to stop. My son was hoping desperately to avoid stitches and I wasn't so sure we were going to be able to, but then I remembered the Plantain and had him chew it and then put it between his lip and gum. We did this throughout the day and the next morning. The bleeding stopped immediately as well as the pain and I could tell the healing was beginning. By the third morning it looked as though someone had scraped him with a fingernail (very minor), all the bruising was gone and I absolutely couldn't believe it was the same injury!

I'm so thankful to have yet another "tool in the toolbox" for our family's health. I can tell it is going to be a huge part of our lifestyle from now on! Thanks so much!

Plantain Tincture
by Editor on Jul 28, 2009

I watched the section on the DVD about making tincture with apple cider vinegar and plantain and I decided to do it. Shortly after starting the tincture I got poison ivy rash on one of my toes. The toe became itchy, red, and hot quickly. So I thought I'd just put a few drops of the plantain tincture on the pad of a band-aid and put it on my toe overnight. The tincture had only been "working" for about 3 days so I really didn't expect much. The next morning I took the band-aid off and I was surprised to see the redness and hotness had gone away, leaving only a little round sore where the rash was. Within a week it was completely
healed.

Now you must understand that when I have gotten "poison" in the past I spent weeks in misery because not only does it itch intensely but my body reacts to the "poison" with swelling, redness, and pain.

I am so amazed at the drawing power of this herb!!

Rheumatoid Arthritis Won't Ruin the Weekend!
by content on Jan 17, 2009

This morning my Husband woke up with an RA flair up. Early this morning I was in the woods to get some burdock root (because my dried BHS supply is gone). I boiled the root with some plantain leaves in olive oil. Once reduced, I strained out the roots and and poured some into a little spray bottle, the rest I mixed with bees wax. He's been using this for about 3 hours now, and his pain is diminished by 1/2 and he says is getting better as the morning wears on.

Thank you BHS for the opportunity to find and share remedies, your quick and courteous service and wonderful products.

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From our Mailbox

Thank you! Thank you! I placed my order on Wednesday and it was here Saturday. I had been out of my favorite tea, Rise and Shine, for a little while and really missed it. I just love this tea. I have yet to kick the coffee habit, but after a cup or two of coffee in the morning I make a pot of Rise and Shine right in my coffee pot. I drink it through out the day and make another smaller pot in the evening, using the same tea leaves for my husband and I to enjoy after dinner. I even make an altered version of the tea for my children. I leave out the Ginkgo and Bilberry and add Cinnamon and sweeten with raw honey. They call it cinnamon tea. I call it Rise and Shine for kids. Even my two year old asks for tea in her sippy cup. And whenever they've been exposed to an illness, I just add a spoonful of Echinacea to the pot. In warmer weather I make the pot the same but allow it to cool to make iced tea. Thank you for sharing this wonderful tea.

~Christina

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