Plantain
Commonly found growing in lawns and disturbed areas, once you learn to identify this herbaceous perennial, you will likely start noticing it everywhere.
There are about 200 species in the Plantago genus. The three most common varieties found in the US are broadleaf plantain (P. major), Rugel’s plantain (P. rugelii), and ribwort plantain (P. lanceolata).
All of these are known by many additional common names, and all are used in herbal medicine.
Broadleaf plantain is a compact perennial flowering herb that has low growing, egg-shaped, waxy green leaves with prominent veins. It’s also known as birdseed, broadleaf plantain, healing blade, and hen plant.
Said to have been brought to what is now the US by the Puritans, some Native Americans called it “white man’s footprint.” Foliage can grow to about six inches long and four inches wide.
In late summer, it produces a green, leafless stalk that rises above the leaves, with long, spiky clusters of tiny, densely packed greenish-brown flowers with purple stamens.
Named for 19th century German botanist Ferdinand Ignatius Xavier Rugel, Rugel’s plantain looks similar to broadleaf, and the two are often confused.
Its wide, viened leaves are slightly lighter green and have less of a waxy feel to them. The base of the petioles where leaves attach to stems may also be purple or reddish, and it produces densely packed spiky clusters of off-white flowers.
It’s also known as American, blackseed, or pale plantain.
Ribwort or English plantain is much taller, with thin, lance-shaped leaf blades that are rarely more than an inch in breadth. In fact, it’s sometimes called narrowleaf plantain, as well as ribleaf, buckthorn, or lamb’s tongue.
The leafless flower stalks can be more than two feet long with pointed, dense flower spikes. Flowers are brownish green, with long white stamens.
All of these species grow readily in disturbed, compacted soils, including rocky and sandy terrain, and can be found in abundance all over the place, particularly in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9.
As such, this plant plays an important ecological role in revitalizing disturbed and compacted soil.
As plantain spreads to cover an area (and it will spread, thanks to the many thousands of seeds that it produces each season), the fibrous roots break up hard, compressed soils, simultaneously preventing erosion by holding the earth in place.
While many think of it as a weed these days, plantain has not always been regarded as such, and it has in fact been used in food and medicine for thousands of years.
Cultivation and History
Both broadleaf and ribwort plantain are native to Europe and Asia, and Rugel’s originated in North America. But these species and many others can be found growing all over the world.
A highly accessible and abundant healing herb, plantain has been used in herbal medicine for a very long time.
Around 327 BC, Alexander the Great was said to have noted the culinary and medicinal use of plantain while in India, and brought the plant back with him to Europe.
The Lacnunga (or “Remedies” in English), an Anglo-Saxon collection of medical texts from the 10th century CE, included plantain as one of nine sacred herbs used in combination as a cure for poisoning and infection.
Even Shakespeare mentioned it in several of his plays.
“Your plantain leaf is excellent for that… for your broken shin,” Romeo says to Benvolio. As Shakespere references, this herbal remedy has long been used as a salve for scrapes and minor injuries.
But Romeo also dishes out the same medicine Benvolio has given him with his mockery, insinuating that Benvolio has offered little help for his love-sickness.
Medicinal Use
Referred to by herbalists as a vulnerary herb, this plant is perhaps best known as a remedy that may help to heal wounds.
It contains slippery mucilage that is soothing and healing to the skin, and is often applied topically to treat all kinds of minor wounds, including insect stings and bites, allergic rashes such as those from poison ivy and stinging nettle, hives, burns, cuts, and abrasions.
It is also prepared as a poultice to draw out splinters or glass.
To make a poultice, crush or blend the herb into a paste and apply it to the affected area. Wrap the mixture with gauze or a bandage to keep it in place.
Leaving it on for anywhere from 10 minutes to overnight is recommended, reapplying the mixture every few hours if needed.
As this herb is soothing and anti-inflammatory, it is also sometimes taken internally to alleviate gut inflammation and respiratory problems, such as chronic bronchitis, irritable coughs, and sinusitis.
This plant is edible, nutritious, and safe for use by children and even animals.
Propagation
Cultivating this plant takes very little effort. This prevalent garden weed is going to grow under the right conditions, whether you want it to or not.
You can easily forage for plantain. But if you want to try to cultivate a patch, just find a spot in the garden that suits you. Pretty much anywhere is fine. This perennial will grow in full sun or part shade, in virtually any soil type.
It may be grown from seed or transplants.
From Seed
Direct sow seeds in the spring. The seeds are tiny, and plants produce many of them. Broadcast them over your selected area, and barely cover them with soil. Keep the soil moist until they sprout.
To increase germination rates, you can cold stratify seeds before planting by placing them in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
Seeds are spread by the wind, and this plant will self sow readily. If you already have a few plants growing around the garden, either collect the seed yourself after flowering, or allow plants to self-sow around your garden to grow next season.
Transplanting
If you find some growing wild, you can dig them up and transplant elsewhere to encourage spreading wherever you like.
This plant is easy to transplant since it has shallow, fibrous roots, plus a stronger taproot. You can encourage a patch to grow wherever you want it to by moving a few plants to the area.
Be careful to keep the taproot and as many of the more fibrous roots intact as you can when you dig, and plant them to the same depth at which they were growing elsewhere. Water well, and watch ‘em grow.
How to Grow
You should keep the soil moist until seeds start to sprout, but once the plants are established, required maintenance is minimal.
There really isn’t much that needs to be done to keep them going, and they will happily grow and spread! All you have to do is wait until it is time to harvest.
Plantain can survive mowing or trampling in high-traffic areas of the yard, it can be planted in clay soil, and it can even help to keep the soil in place in areas prone to erosion.
But if you plan to pick the tender young leaves to add to your salads, or you wish to use them to make tea or other herbal medicines, it’s best to dedicate a more protected spot in your garden to growing this plant for edible use.
Growing Tips
Seeds grow best when given a period of exposure to low temperatures prior to sprouting. Taking the time to cold stratify your collected seeds before planting will increase germination rates.
To keep the herb from spreading to other parts of the garden where it is less desirable, you may want to grow it in an entirely separate area. If the herb does start to creep into parts of your yard where it isn’t wanted, just dig the whole plant up and either harvest it, or move it to your designated garden bed.
You can also plant it in compacted soil that you wish to improve for future crops, or areas in danger of erosion.