Plantain The Useful Weed

Plantain – the most useful “weed” in your backyard!

Plantain leaves are anti-inflammatory, demulcent, astringent, and vulnerary (wound healing). Plantain is a common weed in lawns, fields, and gardens and should not be confused with the banana-like plantain fruit of the tropics. Plantain is used topically on insect stings, spider bites, cuts, bruises, rashes, and burns.

*Please always do your homework on any new herb and always consult your health care providers for possible drug/herb contraindications and precautions before ingesting,or applying to the skin.

Also!! Be sure of your identification before ingesting any plant or mushroom. If you eat the wrong thing it can kill you or make you deathly ill.

Caution!! Plantain Precautions

Plantain is good for injuries because of its coagulating properties, but those with blood disorders or prone to blood clots should not use Plantain internally. If harvesting it yourself, make sure to get from an area that has not been sprayed with any chemicals or pesticides and make sure that you have correctly identified the plant before consuming.

Plantain Salve Recipe

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh plantain leaves gathered from an area that has not been sprayed with chemicals, chopped

• 1 1/2 cups olive oil or melted coconut oil

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon grated beeswax, tightly packed

• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon tea tree essential oil, optional

A note on preservatives

To preserve the freshness of the salve and inhibit microbial growth, most people use grapefruit seed extract. I don’t.

According to renowned herbalist Susun Weed, “Infused oils in an olive oil base resist rancidity at cool room temperature for several years.”

However, because plantain leaves contain some water, it’s important to follow a few guidelines to prevent mold:

• Only use very dry leaves

• Make sure your jar is also very dry

• If you are infusing for several weeks, make sure to fill the jar all the way to the top with oil. This will inhibit mold.