I have recently stumbled upon a most amazing discovery growing right in my very own front yard (and back yard, and side yard, and everyone else's yards, too...).

It's called Plantain.

   Although many people nowadays have not so much as heard of it, for centuries this plant has been used to cure a number of ailments. Being used as a "panacea" (medicinal for everything) in some cultures, one American Indian name for the plant translates to "life medicine." A story is told of an African slave in North Carolina during the colonial era who was granted freedom and a handsom reward for teaching the assembly how to use Plantain to remedy the bites of rattlesnakes. Ancients used this plant to heal the bites of "mad dogs, snakes, and venomous creatures." The most common remedy this plant is used for in modern times is for Poison Ivy. Plantain stops itching and/or bleeding, reduces inflammation, kills infection, and draws out poisons.

Mercy with two large and very round Plantain leaves!

   I have wanted to post about this plant for a while now, but I wanted to be able to share about it from my own experience... problem was- I didn't have my own experience! I had heard stories of people using Plantain to cure hornet stings, snake bites, etc., and even recently was talking with my chiropractor about this amazing plant, and he told me that his daughter had, just that weekend, helped her younger cousin get relief from itching mosquito bites. Everything I heard and read told me that it really worked... but I still wanted to know for myself. I didn't really want to go out and get myself stung by something on purpose, but seeing that I rarely every get stung- how else would I know??
   Thankfully, the next evening, while standing near the campfire talking with a friend, I relized that I had just been stung by something on my arm. Since it was dark I couldn't see my arm very well, but I could feel a welt and it hurt to rub my hand over it. "Ah ha!" I thought "This is my chance!" Securing a flashlight from another friend I walked across the dark yard bending low towards the ground. "What are you doing?" my brother asked. "Looking for Plantain!" I responded. Just as I had suspected, it didn't take me long to find a large rounded Plantain leaf which I promptly popped into my mouth and began chewing. When I was certain that it was all ground up, I spit the leaf right onto the stinging welt on my arm. (I am sorry if this sounds gross, but I had been told that this is how you do it). I blew on it and then left it to do it's work. About five or ten minutes later I remembered it was there and brushed it off. To my complete amazement, I couldn't find where I'd been stung! It didn't even itch!

Helping me doctor up some mosquito bites.

I am now really hooked on this plant. Finally, I am convinced.

You've probably seen this plant more than once before. It is very common, and in some places I have seen it really take over people's yards.
This species is called Plantago Major, or Greater Plantain (it has many other common names as well), and it is the most commonly recognized.

   "The chemical analysis of Plantago Major reveals the remarkable glycoside Aucubin. Acubin has been reported in the Journal Of Toxicology as a powerful anti-toxin. There are many more highly effective constituents in this plant including Ascorbic-acid, Apigenin, Baicalein, Benzoic-acid, Chlorogenic-acid, Citric-acid, Ferulic-acid, Oleanolic-acid, Salicylic-acid, and Ursolic-acid. The leaves and the seed are medicinal used as an antibacterial, antidote, astringent, antiinflammatory, antiseptic, antitussive, cardiac, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, haemostatic, laxative, ophthalmic, poultice, refrigerant, and vermifuge. Medical evidence exists to confirm uses as an alternative medicine for asthma, emphysema, bladder problems, bronchitis, fever, hypertension, rheumatism and blood sugar control. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of a wide range of complaints including diarrhea, dysentery, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, coughs, asthma and hay fever. It also causes a natural aversion to tobacco and is currently being used in stop-smoking preparations."

   
   The veins on the underside are characteristic to this plant. There can be as many as 4 to 9 conspicuous veins. Plantain leaves are different than other leaves, in that the veins all are parallel to each other, going the same direction, and diverging in the wider part of the leaf. The veins are large and raised.

Here is a picture of what both the back and the front looks like.
   

This next species of Plantain is very similar to Plantago Major, but the leaves are thinner, a little tougher, and... well... I've heard they're not as easy to chew. :-)

This is Plantago Lanceolata, or Ribwort Plantain:

  Plantain is a potent coagulant. What is a coagulant? The dictionary defines it as "a substance that produces or aids coagulation". To coagulate is "to change from a fluid into a thickened mass; curdle; congeal"... or as in Biology (of blood) "to form a clot". I found in my research that the fact that Plantain is a coagulant can be tested easily by taking some water-based paint, making some plantain tea and mixing the two together. The paint particles will immediately permanently separate from the water. Because of this unique quality, plantain was used as a wound dressing on the battlefield (it was also called "Soldier's Herb"  which referred to this use). Due to these properties, people who take blood thinners or those prone to blood clots should never use Plantain internally.

Plantain is both edible and medicinal. It is very rich in vitamin B1 and riboflavin.

(here is a picture of a Plantain flower spear, but without the small, purplish petals)

   I am constantly in awe of my God when I look around and see all the wonderful mysterious things He has created, each with some specific and practical purpose... and to think- there are still so many even more amazing things He has created that are, as of now, still yet to be discovered.

Can someone please tell me, after what we've just discovered about this plant, why Americans spend millions of dollars every year in effort to erradicate it?

Plantain is a gift from God in a weed's disguise.
How many other common "weeds" are growing right outside our doors that we don't really know the whole truth about? If only we knew...

Oh, and did I tell you about Dandelions? Well, maybe next time.

"Thank you, God, for Plantain!"