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Plantain

Common Plantain, English Plantain,Wide Leaf Plantain, Narrow Leaf Plantain

Plantago major, Plantago lanceolata

Type: Perennial

Parts: Leaves, seeds

For: The leaves are edible in salads or cooked. The seeds can be used for flour or cereal like those of lambsquarters. Plantain is more commonly known for it’s medicinal uses. Culpepper said that “all plantains are good wound herbs to heal fresh or old wounds or sores, either inward or outward.” Plantains are rich in many nutrients and are collectively regarded as one of the finest remedies for problems of the skin. There have been reported some miraculous results in the treatment of poison ivy and poison oak dermatitis. The poison of fresh stings is extracted rapidly (often within an hour) by the use of a plantain poultice. Useful to stop bleeding, and is an excellent poultice for wounds, burns, and skin irritations. The seeds of plantain can be used like that of it’s relative psyllium for colon cleansing fiber.