Plain Plantain

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite wild plants/herbs, plantain.  It is one of the first plants to make an appearance in the spring (which I have mentioned before) but now it is everywhere and even easier to spot because one species, Plantago lanceolata, is blooming. 

There are two common species of this plant, also known as "ribwort" that you will or should be able to find growing in your yard, narrow leaf and broad leaf plantain.
This is the narrow leaf:

And this is the broad leaf species:

The broad leaf takes a while to bloom, but has similar flowers to the narrow leaf variety.

This is a plant that has been used in herbal medicine for a long time.  It is thought to have come to America by European settlers because the Native Americans referred to it as "white man's foot."
The name "ribwort" which is also commonly used in older herbals comes from the deeply "ribbed" or "veined" leaves on this plant.
What makes this plant so awesome is that it is a great first aid remedy.  Got stung by a bee?  Grab some plantain.  Poison ivy?  Plantain.  Any kind of skin irritation, sore or wound, plantain is what you want. 
It is most commonly used to heal topically, traditionally by making a poultice and then placing that on the affected area.  This is most easily done by grabbing a couple of leaves, chewing them and then placing the chewed up mass on the wound.  I've done this when I was stung by a bee, as well as the countless times I've cut myself.  Make a poultice, place it on the cut, cover with a bandaid.  No need for neosporin!
Dry, itchy skin?  No worries, try plantain.  Not only can you use it as a poultice, but you could also make an oil/salve/balm from this wonder plant and use that instead.  Over 20 anti-inflammatory constituents have been found in plantain!  You can even dry plantain for winter use, powder the herb and then dust the powder over the affected area.
To quote Susun Weed (one of my favorite herbalists)

"Plantain—the “bandage” plant—soothes and cools. The fresh leaves counter infection, stop pain, slow bleeding, reduce swelling, and quell itching, internally and externally, in both acute and chronic conditions. Plantain has remarkable restorative and pain relieving powers on the skin and all mucus surfaces: mouth, throat, lungs, sinuses, stomach, intestines, kidneys and bladder."

The more I learn about plantain, the more I love this plant.
You can also eat the leaves, they are great in spring salads, or as a pot herb as they get older.  You can even season and dry them the same way you would make kale chips!

Plantain is also really good for teeth and gum health - it is an excellent tonic for pulling out infection and toning gums.  An infusion of plantain can be used as a gargle as well as placing wadded up leaves on the infection site and biting down to draw out infection.
Which brings me in part to why I wanted to talk about plantain today.  Since I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday, I decided to make an infusion of dried plantain to use as a rinse to help the healing.
I went out earlier in the week and collected a bunch of leaves and dried them.  The night before my surgery I placed the dried leaves in a quart mason and jar and filled it with boiling water, let it steep over night and then strained it in the morning.  Infusions are only good for about 36 hours, but I used it multiple times to help my mouth.

I've taken great care in icing my face, drinking plenty of fluids and I've been on an almost liquid diet as well, but I've had next to no pain (I've required no pain killers save for the day of my surgery) and the swelling has not been to bad (I think the swelling is due in part to the removal of a piece of my jaw bone in order to have access to my wisdom tooth....) so I would say the plantain rinse is doing it's job!

Have you found any plantain in your yard?