Plain ol’ plantain
Everybody’s seen plantain, but it goes unnoticed. I’ve seen it in public spaces east coast, west coast, but hardly ever does anyone plant it. It probably originated in Eurasia and spread itself from wild neglected spaces to everywhere else. It has followed us into parks and yards, and it grows where I park my car and along the path to my garden. Some Native American folks called it “white man’s footprint.”
The genus Plantago is comprised of maybe 200 species, and humans have been eating it and using it medicinally for millennia. Plus, it is free. Early European settlers brought it to this continent way back when because Plantago has a history.
Dioscorides, Greek dude whose De materia medica was the primary medicinal plant resource for almost two millennia, was sort of the Elgin Baylor of pharmacology. He was swell as a bell about using Plantago parts medicinally for a litany of complaints because knowledge then was not restricted like now, and he had learned from the texts of Traditional Persian Scholars about the benefits Plantago species provide. If you read all the applications of broadleaf plantain for human complaints ascribed to by Persian physicians in the day, you’d want Plantago major to run for governor.
But first, there are three Plantago species to consider. Plantago ovata resembles narrowleaf plantain, or Plantago lanceolata. Olata grows primarily in sandy soil such as in Texas and the Southwest and is also called Indian Winterwheat. From olata seeds pharmaceutical folks produce psyllium which is popular as a digestive aid to relieve constipation.
According to Herbs for Your Health by Steven Foster, the seeds and seed husks of Plantago ovata swell significantly which “stimulates and lubricates the bowels, encouraging the movement of wastes through the colon.” Foster goes on to add, “… psyllium produces a modest but significant reduction in cholesterol levels.”
Narrowleaf (ribwort) plantain grows all over the country plus coastal regions of Canada, so do they owe us a tariff, or do we owe them? Reports claim a poultice of its juices helps to stop bleeding and facilitates repair of damaged skin. Cool! Legends inform us that infusions of lanceolata root was used as a remedy for snakebite, and I would not report this except I read it on the internet. Do not try this at home except if you live in a laboratory and all the staff were trained before the current administration took office.
Plantago major is also called broadleaf plantain for good reason. The leaves – they broad like a pickleball paddle. Foraging birds like to visit its seed spikes, and that is one way it spreads it seeds, plus wind and other critters help out.
Let’s assume a graduate student had the assignment of determining the average number of seeds in a Plantago lanceolate flower, and she hired a struggling freshman in need of a job to meticulously count seeds in at least two dozen plantain seed heads. Lucky for history that the freshman was as focused as a finch, and the world now knows plantago seedheads contain 15,000-20,000 seeds! Count ‘em yourself. No wonder they spread everywhere.
And the good news is the seeds might remain viable for 50 years! Who figured that out? And why? Seeds might drop during your last day of eighth grade but not sprout until you have three grandkids! Nature has a way.
There are otherwise happy people who consider plantain invasive in their yards. Stop fussing. There are vitamins and calcium in those leaves, plus roots can be gathered and grated to make poultices which soothe skin irritations. Harvest young leaves and use them as potherbs with lentils and barley, for example, or simply add them to salads. Gently sauté the seedheads in olive oil and garlic. Dehydrate leaves to add later to rice dishes, but use plantain leaves in moderation.
Science has confirmed these ever-present plants we mow and walk over have healing qualities, they’re nutritious, and they plant themselves for us. They deserve respect.