Herbal: Plantago

Image credit: Jesse Taylor, via Wikipedia

Latin name: Plantago major and P. lanceolata
Synonyms: plantain, snakeweed, waybread, white man's foot
Action: astringent, antipruritic, cooling, diuretic, vulnerary, pulmonary, renal, stomachic
Parts: leaves, roots, seedheads
Harvest: summer
Uses:
- external: sprains, broken bones; swelling; burns, raw skin, rashes; to stop bleeding; to promote wound healing; insect bites or stings, snake bites
- internal: kidney and bladder problems; lung infections and inflammation; stomach cramps, gut irritation; cold stagnation
Notes: edible as a green vegetable

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Commonly known as plantain, these modest green weeds should not be confused with the relative of the banana which is a popular food in tropical regions.  I address the species together, for although one may have a small advantage over the other in specific applications, for most uses they are basically interchangeable, and I use them as such.

And so many uses they have.  It's hard to think of a more broadly useful plant, as even though other herbs might be more potent or more specific for an individual application, plantain covers a wider range of uses than any other I can think of, from healing broken bones all the way to making a decent side dish or salad.  It's a humble plant, growing everywhere white settlers have gone, cropping up on roadsides and lawns in a wide range of climates.  It's green all year here in the Pacific Northwest, which can be helpful on winter hikes.

That broad range requires a wide net for collecting information, as each source credits it with a different set of uses.  The European Union compiled a review article on P. lanceolata in various countries: "Based on literature and on the results of a survey in physicians according to Madaus (1976), Plantago lanceolata is administered in medical practise for the strengthening of mucosa and skin. It is given with very high success in diseases of the respiratory tract with severe mucous production and is also administered in diseases of the urinary bladder and gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, its use as haemostypic and local application in wounds and ulcers has been described. [...] In Turkey, fresh Plantago lanceolata leaves are applied to abscess to promote suppuration (Sezik et al. 2001). In Guatemala, the herbal substance is administered in conjunctivitis/eye irritation and for the treatment of wounds, ulcers, bruises and sores (Cáceres et al. 1987). In North-West Greece, infusions of Plantago lanceolata leaves are used for curing stomach spasms (sedative action) (Tammaro and Xepapadakis 1986)."  Much of the article is focused on respiratory infections, cough, and irritation.

Herbal Reality says, "Ribwort and greater plantain have a tradition of interchangeable uses in a variety of conditions including toothache, earache, oral ulcers, gum disease, tonsillitis and internally for lung infections and inflammation. Traditionally used within the digestive tract for internal bleeding, ulceration and haemorrhoids and within the urinary tract for urinary retention, blood in the urine and bladder or kidney pain. Both species were valued for prevention of festering wounds, splinters and boils when used as drawing agents."

Some of that is vulnerary action, some astringent, and some both, particularly for mouth problems.  Tonsillitis is probably vulnerary, astringent, and cooling.  It's pretty hard to break the uses down into actions here, as plantain seems to come at issues from multiple directions, which is part of what makes it so helpful.

Foraging Texas has another list: "Leaves - demulcent; antimicrobial; anti-inflammatory; wound healer; soothes skin, gastrointestinal tract, and urinary tract inflammations (poultice, infused oil).  [...] Medicinally, plantain poultices are the "go to" plant for skin issues such as scrapes, minor rashes, insect stings & bites, and minor burns. Plantain tea is very good at soothing sore throats, acid reflux, and ulcers as well as helping coughs be more effective at expelling "lung cheese"."

As for older writings, A Modern Herbal has a great deal to say, with multiple entries for various plantain species.  For P. major, it says "Refrigerant [cooling], diuretic, deobstruent and somewhat astringent. Has been used in inflammation of the skin, malignant ulcers, intermittent fever, etc., and as a vulnerary, and externally as a stimulant application to sores. Applied to a bleeding surface, the leaves are of some value in arresting haemorrhage, but they are useless in internal haemorrhage, although they were formerly used for bleeding of the lungs and stomach, consumption and dysentery. The fresh leaves are applied whole or bruised in the form of a poultice. Rubbed on parts of the body stung by insects, nettles, etc., or as an application to burns and scalds, the leaves will afford relief and will stay the bleeding of minor wounds."  It adds several stories about its antivenom properties, and though I wouldn't want to verify its effectiveness against rabies myself, there are a lot of accounts of it being a treatment for snakebite.

I add my own experience here, with a note about cold stagnation.  I am not trained in Chinese traditional medicine, though I've seen an herbalist at times; I do find the TCM model descriptive of some conditions, and for cold, heat, and dampness particularly.  Recently, after neatly a month of pouring rain at the darkest point of the year, I was struggling hard with brain fog, fatigue, lethargy, bloating, and uncharacteristic depression; add in the fact that it was difficult to drink much water, and many TCM practitioners would recognize a condition of cold dampness (or stagnation).  Over a couple of weeks, I tried all the usual remedies: vitamins, exercise, more light, a balanced diet, with no success.  But I was decanting my oil infusions, and I decided it would be a shame to waste the leftover dry plantain, as (unlike some other herbs) it is edible by itself.  I set it on some paper towels, and nibbled bits of it, trying to decide whether to use it in soup or pasta.  Within hours, my metabolism had shifted, taking away the depression, brain fog, and fatigue; my bloating and sticky joints were much better by the next day.  It was utterly unexpected, and led me to carefully pack the oil-soaked plantain in some fresh oil and put it in the fridge, for the next time I feel under the weather.

It is difficult to distill so many different descriptions, and with an herb used for so many generations, some contradictions are to be expected.  In modern times, we are less likely to rely on herbs for controlling internal bleeding, so whether it works as well internally as it does externally can be an academic question.  The temptation is (as A Modern Herbal notes was common) to include it with nearly every remedy, as it seems like a general balsam; at worst, it wouldn't hurt.  There is something to be said for an herb which is so useful yet gentle and benevolent.

My list of uses, at least for my herbal, are:

• Astringent: to stop external bleeding; mouth sores, sore or bleeding gums; to promote suppuration of abscesses; to dry blisters; for dampness or stagnation
• Antipruritic and cooling: sore throat, rashes, irritation of the skin or eyes, swelling, insect bites or stings, nettle stings, minor burns
• Diuretic: fluid retention, difficult urination
• Vulnerary: wounds, ulcers, abscesses, bruises, scrapes, burns, broken bones, sprains, venomous bites
• Pulmonary: lung infections and irritation, congestion, cough
• Renal: UTI and bladder infection, kidney problems
• Stomachic: stomach cramps, acid reflux, digestive irritation

There are no known hazards with plantain, other than misidentification.  There are a few very toxic plants that could conceivably be mistaken for it, including lily-of-the-valley (which likes wet areas and has actual flowers, rather than spikes) and foxglove (which is furry, and lacks the parallel veins of plantain).  As long as you know that what you have is a Plantago species, there is nothing to fear from using it often.