Plantain

[Marya Dabrowski]

Has anyone ever used plantain?  We have it all over our yard.  I may try to make a salve and spray for mosquito bites, since we have those all over our yard, also. 

[jen51]

We have it growing all over the yard as well. I printed off a salve recipe for it some time ago but have never got around to making it, but hope to before the fall. This summer I'm going to try it as a poultice first, just in case it doesn't work well for us. Then we won't have to waste our time and ingredients for the salve.

Besides it growing wild, we planted a patch of it in the yard to feed our meat rabbits. They love it!

[RitaMarita]

At first I thought that you meant the fruit... Until I read Jen's post...  

I have seen the weed before, but never actually knew its name until now!  

[RitaMarita]

May 29, 2016 23:07:12 GMT -5 Marya Dabrowski said:

Has anyone ever used plantain?  We have it all over our yard.  I may try to make a salve and spray for mosquito bites, since we have those all over our yard, also. 

So...  Does it actually help with mosquitos?  It would be amazing if it did!

[Deleted]

May 31, 2016 6:18:17 GMT -5 RitaMarita said:

At first I thought that you meant the fruit... Until I read Jen's post...  

I have seen the weed before, but never actually knew its name until now!  

That's what I thought, that they meant the fruit.

[mundacormeum]

Yeah, I was going to tell her to fry them

[Voxxkowalski]

May 31, 2016 12:34:30 GMT -5 mundacormeum said:

Yeah, I was going to tell her to fry them

lol me 2.

[Marya Dabrowski]

May 31, 2016 15:34:27 GMT -5 Voxxkowalski said:

May 31, 2016 12:34:30 GMT -5 mundacormeum said:

Yeah, I was going to tell her to fry them

lol me 2.

I'll try, maybe tomorrow. No promises. 

[RitaMarita]

May 31, 2016 12:34:30 GMT -5 mundacormeum said:

Yeah, I was going to tell her to fry them

Lots of laughter...

Me too! 

Until I read that they were all over her yard, and plantains grow on trees like bananas...  

If anyone wants to know more...  Here is a link about them:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major

Attachments:

[Marya Dabrowski]

I read this article last night on Yahoo about an Amish Dad who used plantain to help his burned son. 


qz.com/695101/the-amish-understand-a-crucial-element-of-modern-medicine-that-most-americans-dont/?utm_source=YPL&yptr=yahoo

Keim and his wife treated their son at home. Initially, they applied a salve of herbs and wrapped the wounds with gauze, but the gauze sunk into the boy’s flesh. They needed a dressing that wouldn’t stick.
In his book Comfort for the Burned and Wounded Keim writes, “I thought of how God created the Earth. I honestly felt He kept the poor in mind while Earth was being created.” He tried to think of things in nature that might help a poor person treat burns. Hitting upon waxy plantain leaves, he gathered a hatful from a nearby field, scalded them so they would be pliable, and used them to wrap his son’s wounds with a layer of herbal salve. Within five days, new skin covered the boy’s body. He had survived.

So I've chewed it and rubbed it a couple times on bug bites but that doesn't seem to be doing anything. I'm going to boil some leaves and try to make the spray.

[RitaMarita]

Jun 1, 2016 21:48:14 GMT -5 Marya Dabrowski said:

I read this article last night on Yahoo about an Amish Dad who used plantain to help his burned son. 


qz.com/695101/the-amish-understand-a-crucial-element-of-modern-medicine-that-most-americans-dont/?utm_source=YPL&yptr=yahoo

Keim and his wife treated their son at home. Initially, they applied a salve of herbs and wrapped the wounds with gauze, but the gauze sunk into the boy’s flesh. They needed a dressing that wouldn’t stick.
In his book Comfort for the Burned and Wounded Keim writes, “I thought of how God created the Earth. I honestly felt He kept the poor in mind while Earth was being created.” He tried to think of things in nature that might help a poor person treat burns. Hitting upon waxy plantain leaves, he gathered a hatful from a nearby field, scalded them so they would be pliable, and used them to wrap his son’s wounds with a layer of herbal salve. Within five days, new skin covered the boy’s body. He had survived.

So I've chewed it and rubbed it a couple times on bug bites but that doesn't seem to be doing anything. I'm going to boil some leaves and try to make the spray.

That is an amazing story!!!!  

It is sad to think that modern medicine really leaves out telling us about what plants can be helpful to us that are in our areas...

I used to want to become an herbal nurse, but it fell through...

[Voxxkowalski]

How do we know the amish story is true...the amish are good self promoters (which goes against what you would think)

[Marya Dabrowski]

Jun 2, 2016 8:20:19 GMT -5 Voxxkowalski said:

How do we know the amish story is true...the amish are good self promoters (which goes against what you would think)

You have a good point; the Amish in our area are very shady.  In this case I would give him the benefit of the doubt for the simple reason that the more I learn about the weeds in my yard, the more I am realizing what a Caring, Providing Father we have.  For example, I now eat purslane, a weed in gardens, because purslane contains more omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant.

I also eat Lamb's Quarters, which is also known as "wild spinach" because it grows all over my garden as a weed but is delicious and nutritious.

10 years ago I didn't know anything about these weeds.

[jen51]

Purslane and lambs quarter are wonderful! I don't like lambs quarter when it gets big though. Did you know that you can eat plantain as well? It's good in salads, but you should definately get them when they're young. They get pretty bitter when the leaves get bigger. Same with dandelion leaves- excellent in a salad when young. The delicate little violets that pop up in spring are edible too (the flower) and they make such a pretty addition to the dinner plate! Guests love it.
I have a couple wild edible field guides that I access quite frequently. If you're interested in this kind of thing, I think you'd really enjoy a field guide!

[Marya Dabrowski]

Jun 3, 2016 7:16:00 GMT -5 jen51 said:

Purslane and lambs quarter are wonderful! I don't like lambs quarter when it gets big though. Did you know that you can eat plantain as well? It's good in salads, but you should definately get them when they're young. They get pretty bitter when the leaves get bigger. Same with dandelion leaves- excellent in a salad when young. The delicate little violets that pop up in spring are edible too (the flower) and they make such a pretty addition to the dinner plate! Guests love it.
I have a couple wild edible field guides that I access quite frequently. If you're interested in this kind of thing, I think you'd really enjoy a field guide!

Ah, a kindred spirit!!!  I ate nettles for the first time this year; they were delicious!  Next year I envision pots of separate plants on the deck to stay clean (no grass clippings from the mower) and isolated.  I want to find a book about edible plants but I am going to look to find one that includes wild mushrooms, as they have many micornutrients that we are lacking in our diets.