Sep 214 min read

Plantain: the power to dig deep

Updated: Nov 11

Plantain is, in my opinion, the greatest secret hiding in plain sight. This humble plant, including species like ribwort plantain and broadleaf plantain, thrives in well-trodden areas. It tends to grow in areas that are well trodden. It may not be dazzlingly beautiful, but it has the most amazing nutritional properties and medicinal uses, and is nothing short of a power plant!

Plantain (Plantago spp) Ribwort and Broadleaf: Plant profile

In this blog, I will cover:

Identification of Plantain
Folklore relating to plantain
Medicinal uses of plantain
Foraging plantain

Plantain Identification

There are several species of wild plantain, but this article focuses on greater plantain (Plantago major) and ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata). These species can be used interchangeably for both foraging and medicinal purposes. They grow in a rosette pattern, and both have distinct ribs on the underside of the leaves—a key identification feature for any forager.

It spreads in well trodden areas, with its seeds (pictured below) sticking to the soles of shoes -- and is a great example of a plant that benefits from human presence! In the US it was sometimes known as "white man's foot" because it travelled with the Europeans westwards.

Plantain is a fascinating example of a plant that has benefited from human presence. Its ability to grow in compacted soil makes it ideal for paths and lawns, where it withstands mowing and survives being trodden underfoot.

Folklore of Plantain

Plantain has a rich history in folklore. I was facinated to find out that it was recorded as one of the nine sacred herbs in a charm in the Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga in the 10th Century (along with mugwort, chamomile and netttle among others!)! The old english name for broadleaf plantain was wegbrāde, or waybread/waybroad, which came from the fact that it grew along the road (or way) and was ...well, broad.[1] The poem says:

And you, Waybread, mother of plantsopen to the east, mighty within,carts ran over you, ladies rode over you,brides cried over you, bulls snorted over you,you withstood them all and you were crushed,so may you withstand the poison and infectionand the evil that travels round the land.- Lacnunga,10th Century

It's really interesting that the poem references plantain's tendency to grow on well trodden paths - saying that withstanding such pressure is why it is so successful at fighting poison and infection. In fact, it has long roots which help it counter compaction, breaking up the soil that has been trodden on and protecting it from future erosion. The roots also help the plant acumulate large quantities of minerals which make it very nutritious (see section on foraging below!) ! [2]

So, the plant's folklore ties directly to its deep root system, which helps it accumulate minerals, making it not just medicinal but also highly nutritious. These qualities have made plantain a key herb in both ancient and modern herbal practices.

Medicinal Uses of Plantain

Plantain's medicinal uses are where it really comes into its power. 17th Century Herbalist Nicholas Culpeper said in his infamous Complete Herbal, that "all of the plantains are good wound herbs to heal fresh or old wounds, or sores, either inward outward".

Modern herbalists describe plantain as having antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties, making it an excellent remedy for skin irritations, coughs, and UTIs. It's a great remedy for hayfever, UTIs, and has an expectorant action for coughs and chest infections (see the Handmade Apothecary for more herbal medicine ideas).

Despite dock's popularity for being a good cure for nettle stings, plantain is the one you really want to reach for. Personally, I am a fan of using it for a makeshift poultice when I'm out and about - you can literally just chew a bit up and put it on a wound. It really does help!

The wonderful Seed Sistas say that has the ability to support emotional and physical boundaries, being membrane toning and a herb of Saturn which was the boundary of space, the limit of what could be seen with the naked eye before the telescope was invented.[4] I thought this was especially interesting given its resistance to being trodden on - there's a definite theme here!

Foraging plantain

Easy to identify, plantain is a great place to start if you want to forage. As it's so widespread and easy to identify. Remember to use a foraging guide for identification and also look up foraging laws in your country - I cover this in my blog on how to start foraging).

Peculiarly, it has a rather mushroomy taste, not something you'd necessarily expect from a green plant growing in the grass! I personally chop up the leaves and add it to cooked greens. I have seen recommendations online for using it as a substitute for mushroom in a risotto - I've not tried that yet but it's on my list!

The seeds can also be harvested and make a great addition to porridge etc (along with my favourite, nettle seeds!). The seeds can be laxative if consumed in large quantities though, so beware!

It's high in vitamins A, B, C and K, as well as fat, protein, and calcium too. [3]

It's also worth mentioning that its conservation status is 'common' so while you should as always be mindful not to over harvest from any one location, it's a good plant to forage as there are no conservation concerns (see conservation status on Wildlife Trust website).

Concluding thoughts on plantain...

I hope that this plantain plant profile has left you with an appreciation for this amazing plant's medicinal properties and its rich historical and folklore connections. It his an incredibly powerful nutritional plant which seems to live by the motto, "can't keep me down!". Maybe give it a thought next time you're walking down a well-trodden path, and even stop to pick a few leaves!

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