Plantain recipes

Greater plantain (Plantago major) on left, Ribwort plantain (Plantago lancelota) on right

Plantain is an old favourite amongst herbalists, with Nicholas Culpepper in the Seventeenth-Century stating: ‘…plantains are singularly good wound herbs, to heal fresh or old wounds, or sores, either inward or outward’. Its Gaelic name ‘San-Lus’ means ‘all heal’. It is a powerful detoxicant, used to treat snakebites, It has been observed in both India and North America that toads and frogs eat the leaves after spider bites. Next time you get a bee, wasp, cleg or even nettle bites, scrunch up a plantain leaf and apply it. You will feel immediate relief.

Gut soothing decoction

• Fresh plantain leaves (around 3-4 leaves)

• Grated ginger (around 1cm of ginger or more to taste)

• Store bought chamomile tea (loose leaf ideally, but you can take the tea out of the teabags too) – 3-4 teabags worth or 1 heaping teaspoon

• 3 cups of water

1. Place all the ingredients into a pot

2. Slowly bring to a simmer, then leave to simmer for 15 minutes

3. Sieve and drink warm (keep in fridge, then for every ½ cup of decoction, add ½ cup hot water to warm up)

4. Will help calm all digestive upsets

Plantain, chickweed and Dock insect bite balm

• A good handful each of:

• Plantain leaves

• Chickweed leaves (and flowers)

• Dock leaves

• Cup jojoba oil (220g)

• Bees wax pellet (20g)

1. Chop the leaves finely

2. Place 1 cup (around 220g) jojoba oil and all the herbs into a bowl, which is then placed in a Bain Marie (for great instructions to do this, go here)

3.  Once the herbs have soaked in the warming oil for 15 minutes, sieve out the herbs

4. Place the oil back on the Bain Marie, and now place 20 grams of bees wax pellets, and let that melt in

5. Add about 10 drops of any essential oils that you might want to use – eucalyptus and/or peppermint would be nice and soothing

6. Mix well, and pour into a sterilised jar, let it set and it is ready to use

7. It would be handy to make into lots of small containers or jars for easy carrying

8. At the first sign of a bug bite, lather on the bite site for immediate relief

Plantain, chickweed and nettle rash cream

Similar recipe to above, but with Nettle instead of Dock, turns it into a lovely rash remedy

• A good handful each of:

• Plantain leaves

• Chickweed leaves (and flowers)

• Nettle leaves

• Cup jojoba oil (220g)

• Bees wax pellet (20g)

1. Chop the leaves finely

2. Place 1 cup (around 220g) jojoba oil and all the herbs into a bowl, which is then placed in a Bain Marie (see above for instructions)

3. Once the herbs have soaked in the warming oil for 15 minutes, sieve out the herbs

4. Place the oil back on the bain marie, and now place 20 grams of bees wax pellets, and let that melt in

5. Add about 10 drops of any essential oils that you might want to use – lavender would be nice and soothing addition – don't use if you are intolerant to essential oils as will make a beautiful soothing cream with or without

6. Mix well, and pour into a sterilised jar, let it set and it is ready to use

7. It would be handy to make into lots of small containers or jars for easy carrying