...Then, he ripped off a a piece of that leaf, stuck it in his mouth, chewed it up and put the green glob on my sting.
How many times have I told that story?! My co-worker knew the medicinal properties of plantain and there I was sort of stunned, looking at the "weed" I'd seen a thousand times in a moment of awe. And it truly worked! The pain from the bee sting was instantly gone.
This plantain is not the banana-like, tropical fruit. It's the other plantain, with a rosette of dark green leaves and a slender flower spike shooting up out of its center. Used topically, plantain has strong healing medicine. It localizes or draws out the poison of an insect bite instantly.
Plantain has been successful over the millennia, spreading around the globe at the feet of mankind, ready and waiting to heal wounds, stings and to soothe dry skin. Medicinal plants like plantain have a way of sneaking into people's backyards. Sometimes it has to fight to be noticed through cracks in sidewalks or by sprouting up in hedgerows at property lines. If it's lucky it won't be killed by toxic chemicals and will grow all over a front lawn. And on rare occasions, plantain is a welcome resident in a prized flower bed of perennials. Who needs hostas when broadleaf plantain is just as pretty!? My lovely plantain is that welcome resident, front and center, snuggled between the wild mint and the black-eyed susans in our rain garden by the road.
Plantain has established itself all over my front lawn. I had a chance to witness her lovely, waxen leaves popping up throughout the clover, grasses and violets this spring when we participated in "No Mow May." It's incredible how many medicinal and edible plants grace you with their presence if you don't douse your yard with chemicals and fertilizers. Traditional turf grass is the scam of the century. It costs a lot of money to maintain, it's often drenched in chemicals and fertilizers that run off with the rain and pollute rivers and lakes. Toxic algae blooms may result...fish kills, etc.
Our lawns have so much to offer if we would just say "no" to lawn companies who try to sell us packages of poison and fertilizer treatments each season. Let's embrace the plant medicine available to us and all around us. Let's reconnect to our property and see it in a healing light.
Now, on with it! Rather than smearing globs of masticated plantain leaves on the stings in your life, I'd like to share a winning bee sting salve recipe that you can use or give away as little gifts. The ingredients are simple and you can make it in your own kitchen!
Plantain Infused Oil
Materials:
fresh plantain
lavender flowers (optional)
16 ounce glass jar
equal parts grapeseed oil and olive oil
(I have also used apricot kernel or
coconut oil for infusions. Use what you like.)
harvest basket
scissors
sharp chopping knife
Step 1: Grab your harvest basket and scissors and head outside. Snip a few leaves off of a healthy-looking rosette of plantain. Be mindful to cut only a few leaves off of each plant and not to strip a plant completely bare. Estimate how many leaves you will need to fill that 16 oz jar.
Step 2: Use your sharp knife to chop the leaves up into smaller pieces. This will activate the medicine inside the leaves. (some people like to dry herbs first because there is a slight chance of mold developing using fresh herbs. I have never had mold issues of any kind using fresh herbs.)
Step 3: Fill your jar up with the chopped leaves and pour in equal parts grapeseed and olive oil. If you have some lavender on hand, add a few teaspoons of that to the mix. Be sure that the plant material is completely covered with oil. Muddle the leaves with a spoon or chopstick to further activate the the medicinal oils.
Step 4: Screw on the top and set the jar in a sunny window for ONE MONTH. This is a solar infusion.
Make the Salve
Materials:
1 and 1/4 c. plantain infused oil
1/3 c. organic beeswax pellets
glass and metal measuring cups
lavender essential oil
cheesecloth
heavy bottom pot
small whisk
2 oz. glass or metal jars (makes 6 or 7)
Step 1: Open your jars and set them up in a secure location. I like to put them on a little tea tray on the counter.
Step 2: Lay out cheesecloth in a large bowl and pour all contents of your jar into the cloth. Gather it up in your hands and squeeze out every last drop of medicinal oil into the bowl.
Step 3: Add 1/3 c. beeswax pellets to the pot on the stove. Set the heat to the absolute lowest setting. Use your whisk and help the beeswax along until it's completely liquified. Never cook beeswax on high heat or it will kill the medicinal properties.
Step 4: Add 1 and 1/4 c. plantain infused oil. Beeswax will temporarily go solid. Whisk gently until everything is liquid again. Then, add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Whisk again.
Step 5: Turn off the heat, grab your pot with some oven mitts and pour the liquid mixture into a glass measuring cup with a spout. QUICKLY fill your 2 oz. jars one by one. Allow them to completely cool before screwing on the lids.
Voila! You did it!
*Your plantain salve is number one for bug bites, but note that it will also help with dandruff & eczema, sunburn, scar tissue, dry skin or as a lip balm and a make up remover. Plantain is a total powerhouse!
Tips:
Identify Plantain
First: When foraging for medicine plants or any kind of food, be absolutely sure that you are gathering from a place that has not been sprayed with chemicals. Second: Don't use a plant unless you are 100% sure that it's the correct plant. The leaves of broadleaf plantain are smooth with veins. It can grow up to about 6-inches long and 4-inches wide. The leaves are fibrous and tough. The leaves of narrow leaf plantain are more dry and hairy and may reach 6 to 8-inches in length. They are lance-shaped and pointed. Look for long flower stalks on both in mid to late summer.
Narrow Leaf Plantain Broad Leaf Plantain
Eat It
The long flowers are covered with small white blossoms that are edible! Health food stores label the seeds of those flowers "psyllium husks" and they're a great source of fiber. Plantain leaves are more tender when they first come up in the spring. They tend to get tough and stringy later on in the season. Enjoy their earthy, lemony flavor raw in salads or stir fries. You can also make tea with plantain. Hang a few leaves up to dry, then store in a jar for the cold months ahead. When you're ready, steep the leaves in hot water and add some local honey.
Resources:
Rose, Lisa M. Midwest Foraging. Timber Press, Portland, OR. 2015.
Geniusz, Mary Siisip. Plants Have So Much To Give Us, All We Have To Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN. 2015.
Sally Wenczel is an author of children’s books and has published hundreds of articles. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Albion College in 2002, she started writing for publications and organizations such as Plumas County History Museum, Garden Design Magazine, Traverse City Business News, Ferndale Friends, The Chaldean News, SFGate.com, EHow.com and Answerbag.com. She has worked in education gardens as a teacher and program director in the Detroit area. Wenczel has also been a state licensed massage therapist for 15 years and has studied natural healing therapies, although she is not a certified naturopath or doctor, therefore let it be known that any medicinal content in this blog is not coming from a professional doctor in the field of medicine and persons reading and putting the advice to practice shall do so at their own risk. This blog contains Wenczel’s own opinions as well as thoroughly researched information. The content is accurate, yet there may be some mistakes, misspellings, errors and omissions.