• Home
  • About Off The Grid
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
No Result
View All Result
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
No Result
View All Result
Off The Grid News
Home Natural Health

Plantain: The Ugly Little Edible ‘Weed’ That Heals And Soothes

by Tricia Drevets
in Natural Health
Print Print
Plantain: The Ugly Little Edible ‘Weed’ That Heals And Soothes

Image source: healingearthfarm.blogspot.com

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on TruthEmail Article

If you do not chemically treat your yard, chances are very good that you have some plantain growing there. Plantain – not to be confused with the banana-like fruit of the same name – is a common weed found throughout North America.

Native Americans have called plantain “Whiteman’s Foot” because it seems to spring up everywhere. Although many consider plantain to be a noxious weed, it has been used for centuries by many cultures throughout the world, with the Saxons calling it one of their nine sacred herbs.

You can recognize plantain as a low, short plant with wide and round leaves that have parallel veins. There are many photos and videos online to help you identify plantain. What you may not know is that it is a very useful plant. In fact, it contains anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. So, instead of yanking out these common weeds in frustration, you can learn to cultivate them for all kinds of purposes.

Here are some common uses for plantain:

Plantain Leaves In a salad

Plantain leaves are completely edible, and they taste a little like spinach. Plantain is high in vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, iron, beta-carotene and calcium and is milder tasting when the leaves are small. Harvest young leaves for best taste. You can eat them raw in salads or sautéed with some olive oil and garlic.

As a tea

Dry, crush and then steep plantain leaves in steaming water to make a nourishing tea. Plantain tea is known to help to alleviate heartburn and indigestion in addition to it being an excellent source of iron and vitamins.

Plantain tea also soothes sore throats and coughs due to colds and flu. It helps clear phlegm from the lungs and nasal passages. You also can gargle with plantain tea to help heal and prevent mouth sores.

Image source: motherearthliving.com
Plantain

As a poultice

Plantain is a handy and effective way to ease the pain of insect bites and stings as well as boils, rashes, cuts and scrapes. The weed works as a “drawing herb,” meaning it can pull out toxins and foreign substances from the body. To make a poultice, crush up some leaves or chew them. Then apply them to the affected area. You can cover the poultice with a Band-Aid to hold the poultice in place. Many people experience instant pain relief.

The Hidden Secrets Of Making Herbal Medicines…Right At Your Fingertips!

In bathwater

Adding dried plantain to your bathwater can be soothing and relaxing. Its anti-inflammatory properties can be especially helpful to a mother recuperating from childbirth or to someone who has overexerted himself or herself with work or exercise.

If you would like to use plantain year-round, your best bet is to make a salve. Here is a recipe: Place one pound of fresh cut-up plantain leaves in a large non-metallic pan. Add one cup of olive oil or raw coconut oil. Put the lid on the pot and cook on low until all the leaves are soft and mushy and the oil looks green.

Then strain the mixture while the oil is still warm and store it in an airtight container. Add a drop or two of essential oil after the mixture has cooled, if you wish. You can use the salve on bug bites, skin conditions, burns and wounds. You also can use it as a moisturizer cream.

And here is a recipe for plantain tea: Bring two cups of water to a boil and then add two tablespoons of cut-up, fresh plantain leaves. Cover and steep for five minutes. You can add honey as a sweetener if desired. Sip the tea throughout the day to help fight congestion and other symptoms of cold and flu.

When you cultivate any weeds, it is important that you make sure they have not been treated with any chemicals. Plantain is generally considered a safe herb, but it is a good idea to consult your doctor before using it if you are pregnant or if you have any kind of medical condition.

Harness The Power Of Nature’s Most Remarkable Healer: Vinegar

ShareTweetShareSend

Related Posts

Understanding Urinary Tract Infections, Their History, and How to Prevent Them

Understanding Urinary Tract Infections, Their History, and How to Prevent Them

by Bill Heid

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. While modern medicine...

Plant Terpenes: Nature’s Aromatic Medicine with Profound Health Benefits

Plant Terpenes: Nature’s Aromatic Medicine with Profound Health Benefits

by Bill Heid

Terpenes are the natural compounds responsible for the aromatic diversity of plants. From the sharp scent of pine trees to...

Wormwood: Ancient Herb, Modern Remedy — Exploring Its Anti-Parasitic Potential

Wormwood: Ancient Herb, Modern Remedy — Exploring Its Anti-Parasitic Potential

by Bill Heid

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a silvery-green perennial herb with a storied past and a growing reputation in modern herbal medicine....

Next Post
5 Off-Grid Reasons Everyone Should Be Growing Aloe Vera

5 Off-Grid Reasons Everyone Should Be Growing Aloe Vera

Please login to join discussion

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

inbloom

Privacy Wins: Colorado Parents Defeat inBloom Student Data Mining Program

The Metaphysics of Education

The Metaphysics of Education

Growing Heirloom Apples: From Romantic Notion To Outright Obsession

Growing Heirloom Apples: From Romantic Notion To Outright Obsession

TRENDING STORIES

  • bubonic plague

    Is Another Bubonic Plague Pandemic On The Horizon?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Waco Fertilizer Plant Explosion & A Look Back On The “Waco Massacre”

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Make Yourself 3 Times More Likely To Survive A Heart Attack

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • AI Surveillance Of Shoppers: Walmart’s Newest Tool To Grab Your Data

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Apocalyptic’ Microchip Implants Are Here – And Being Inserted Into People’s Hands

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Subscribe to our Insider Newsletter

Huge discounts on off-the-grid gear and life saving supplements.






‘Off The Grid News’ is an independent, weekly email newsletter and website that is crammed full of practical information on living and surviving off the grid. Advice you’ll never hear from the mainstream media.

  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Extreme Survival
  • Survival Gardening
  • Off-Grid Foods
  • Worldview
  • Natural Health
  • Survival Hunting
  • Privacy
  • Financial
  • Current Events
  • Self Defense
  • Home Defense
  • Pain-Free Living
  • Miscellaneous
  • Off Grid Videos

© Copyright 2025 Off The Grid News.  All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
  • Videos

© Copyright 2025 Off The Grid News.  All Rights Reserved.