Growing and Caring for Plantain (Plantago Lancelota)

[sstolzenburgStudent]

I recently harvested a season’s growth of Narrow Leaf Plantain. Much to my disappointment, much of it was unusable. If you consider Narrow Leaf Plantain, the leaves grow upward, they often fold at the base or have a twist that produces a pocket. They also have a significant amount of tall growing seed pods that shed chaff and seeds onto the leaves. In my case, the seeds and chaff fell into the folds of the leaves, decomposed, and left the harvest unusable.

Next season, I plan to cut off the seed pods as soon as they spring up in order to keep the leaves clean and prevent this contamination.

Having no experience with Broad Leaf Plantain, I cannot compare this problem to it’s application, but I can say that my neglect of the plant in terms of keeping it clean was the reason that rendered my harvest unusable. I have learned that keeping the leaves clean is a very important principle in maintaining the health of leaf herbs.

I hope this makes your experience more favorable.

Steve

[IdahoHerbalist]

When I harvest the narrow leaf variety (which is what grows best on my place) I cut about 2 or three inches above the ground. This gets rid of most of the debris. Also, the plant is perennial so this preserves the crown. I then sort through and trim as needed. Rarely is a whole leaf beyond having to be totally tossed.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

The broad leaf strain produces more medicine and more seed.

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[sstolzenburgStudentTopic Author]

As it turned out, here in sunny (drought stricken) California, after I cut the whole plant down to the crown, it only took about 10 days for the plantain to all grow back, and I have had two more cuttings of clean new leaves since I cut (and lost) the first harvest. :yahoo:

I am drying it now, but I am still not sure what I am going to do with it. Hobo spiders don’t live here, and the black widows are too shy to worry about. :thumb:

I am curious Patrick, about your statement that the broad-leaf makes better medicine. I have James Green’s book, and he doesn’t even mention the broad leaf. I can get broad-leaf just as easy as the narrow where I live, but I have been to lazy to go down to the park and dig up one (of course I would wait at least a season before harvesting anything from a sprayed plant). Where can one get any information on plant potency? I have never found anything on the subject. :blob:

[IdahoHerbalist]

Each plant has MANY uses, research them. I used to live in that place. I know there at skeeters there! :scared:

Also, it is your privilege to help others with your knowlede and resources.

[Fey]

I’ve used an infusion of narrow leaf plantain as a wash for the eyes to get rid of someone’s conjunctivitis. Every August it would return with the two weeks of blustery southerly winds we get here. Plantain clears it up very fast but she hasn’t had it for about 5 years now.

I also add it to an infusion of couch grass rhizomes for urinary tract infections for the same person and that’s a very fast working remedy. The fresh juice is also brilliant for stinging nettle stings; I use it all the time.

You’ve got to wonder at some of the herbs like plantain and dandelion that grow practically over the whole earth. I think herbs that grow everywhere haven’t had their potential fully realised.

[IdahoHerbalist]

sstolzenburg wrote: I am curious Patrick, about your statement that the broad-leaf makes better medicine.

MORE medicine, not better. More as in voluminous rather than potency. Although that would depend on the growing conditions. I have narrow leaf that far outgrows my broad leaf since it likes the drier climate of my property and we only live a couple of miles from each other. Even the broad leaf that grows down by my pond stays pretty small for me.

While that is my experience, your conditions will govern your plants’ growth habits.

[Dorothea]

I love that skinny Plantain. The flowers are delicious to eat. Our whole hillside was blinking it’s delicate white flowers at us all summer long; it was just beautiful. I made half a gallon of salve out of it. It took care of weird rashes, odd allergy reactions, wasp and mosquito stings, cuts and scrapes. I passed it out to our neighbors and they all turned herbalists. My favorite of all the herbs.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Dorothea wrote: I love that skinny Plantain. The flowers are delicious to eat. Our whole hillside was blinking it’s delicate white flowers at us all summer long; it was just beautiful. I made half a gallon of salve out of it. It took care of weird rashes, odd allergy reactions, wasp and mosquito stings, cuts and scrapes. I passed it out to our neighbors and they all turned herbalists. My favorite of all the herbs.

Jim McDonald calls plantain the great “ambassador herb”. It introduces a lot of folks to botanical medicine. 🙂

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kendra Oberzan

[Lady Solidago]

So far as I know, we only have Narrow Leaf Plantain here in Central Florida, verified by my Florida Native Plant Society friends that I sometimes hike with… though I did procure some broadleaf from the North and grew it here for awhile. The Narrow Leaf Plantain is great in the field, chew up a leaf and put it on red ant bites and scorpion stings (we hike in flip-flops, lol) :thumb:

I appreciate that plantain is a medicine we can find most anywhere.

~Jeni

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

sstolzenburg wrote:

I am curious Patrick, about your statement that the broad-leaf makes better medicine. I have James Green’s book, and he doesn’t even mention the broad leaf. I can get broad-leaf just as easy as the narrow where I live, but I have been to lazy to go down to the park and dig up one (of course I would wait at least a season before harvesting anything from a sprayed plant). Where can one get any information on plant potency? I have never found anything on the subject. :blob:

It doesn’t make better medicine. It just makes more medicine. The leaves are bigger. 🙂

Medicinally the two species are identical in my opinion.

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

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