common plantain, dooryard plantain, broad-leaved plantain, greater plantain, round-leafed plantain, way bread, devil's shoestring, bird seed, snakeweed, and white man's foot; Plantago media L., known as hoary plantain; and Plantago lanceolata L., also known as English plantain, lance-leaf plantain, buckhorn, chimney-sweeps, headsman, ribgrass, ribwort, ripplegrass, hen plant, snake plantain, fire weed, and soldier's herb.
Plantain was used formerly for the treatment of various haemmhorages, for instance, post partum haemmhorage, and for bronchitis, catarrh and coughs.
The order Plantaginacea contains more than 200 species . In the Scottish Highlands the plant is claled "Slan-lus", or plant-of-healing.
Pliny believed it cured madness in dogs, and dog-bite.Dr. Robinson (New Family Herbal) discovered a main remedy for rattlesnake bite in plantain. In the old days they used juice of plantain with salt for snake and dog bite, rubbing it immediately into the wound.
(leaf) mucilage: apentacyclic triterpine, oleanic acid, a glycoside, aucubin(rhinanthin) emulsin, invertin, potassium salts (to5%),citirc acid.
(seed )Oil (to 22%), a trisaccharide, plantenose,aucubin, choline, organic acids.
Psyllium (Plantago psyllium): oil, mucilage (to 10%) comprising xylose, arabinose, galactose, galacturonic acid.
Common Plantain:
vulnerary,
diuretic, expectorant, astringent, bacteriostatic**, poultice or
ointment for exterior wounds, ulcers and bites.Gargle and eyewash
in treating blepharitis* and conjunctivitis. Stimulates
epithelization.
(Leaf) internally for diarrhoea,
(seed) for
constipation. Homeopathic use, pot herb.
Psyllium:
emollient, bulk laxative, soothing eye lotion, salads, industrial process in dressing muslin, cosmetics, like face masks.
Psyllium used for constipation may cause bloating.
Dilantin, derived from Plantain, and given as an anti-convulsant, will cause premature tooth decay.
** bacteriostatic : (bak-te"re-o-stat'ik) arresting the growth or multiplication of bacteria;also an agent that so acts.
* blepharitis : inflammation of the eyelids( the word blepharo is a Greek word element meaning eyelid or eyelash)
Definitions are from the Encyclopaedia of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health Miller and Keane Third Edition W.B.Saunders Co.
Plantain names are from The Gale Encyclopaedia of Natural Medicine (WWW)
Plantain History is rich and individually defined for several species of Plantain in A Modern Herbal ,by Mrs Grieves Tiger Books International
Plantain Constituents : The Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Herbalism, Malcolm Stuart ,Orbis Publishing Limited
PS: I use the references because there is so much more in each book than is possible in a brief page like this. They are well worth researching.
copyright Sue Risk Northdays Image 2004 - 2015