Ribwort Plantain Health Benefits

We have two kinds of plantain locally, one the broader, rounder leafed kind, and the longer narrower leafed, "lancinate", I believe the form is called. Both are used similarly. The leader of our community garden was stung by a bee and I chewed up a broad leaf, to break the cell walls and get at the juice and applied it to his bite. He probably thought I was batty, but it relieved his pain.

Recently I had some gum pain, and did not wish to see a dentist, as I had been told eventually I would need a root canal. Well, after what I have learned about root canals, that is not likely! So I chewed up some lancinate plantain, and kept it in my cheek next to the gums overnight for a few days. It always felt better in the morning, and eventually, no pain at all.

I'd love to add a remedy my grandmother used on me, using Ribwort Plantain plant (leaves). As a child I used to suffer from ulcers on my bottom, they were big, red and full of liquid, I had problems sitting on a chair. Our GP couldn't give any good advice except to squeeze them out which hurt a lot. My grandmother picked some leaves of this plant that grew in front of our building. She'd pick fresh leaves every day, wash them, dry them and then bat them a bit to release the juices from it. Then she's place the leaf over the ulcer and fix it with a tape and underwear. After several days, they got much smaller and didn't hurt as much. I can't remember for sure, but I think they were gone within 7-10 days.

Plantain is also excellent for bee stings, just crush the leaf up by rolling it between your fingers (traditionally it was suggested to crush it by chewing it a little mixing it with saliva to apply as compress) so that it's damp and wet, you'll definitely notice when you've bruised it enough, then rub over the bee sting or mosquito bite. Very effective and works quickly.

When I was visiting Lancaster, Penn a man there told me the Amish harvest plantain by the bushels to make compresses and other applications to be used for tendonitis, arthritis; I had a sprained knee at the time and I did rub the plantain leaf on my left knee as many times a day as I thought to, probably 3, 4 or 5 times ....within a couple weeks I was completely out of my knee brace. People will think you're nuts as I have had many people snicker at me as I'm constantly picking plantain and rubbing it on either a bug bite or tennis elbow area.

For many years I have been using a weed which can be found anywhere in your back yard, or in fields -to heal sores, cuts, and small wounds. It's called ribwort plaintain, snakeweed or soldiers weed. I used it in Germany, my home country. Years ago, when I moved to the states, an old Indian pointed it out to me as the number one healing plant. 2 weeks ago I adopted a dog who had been spending 3 month in a clinic to heal him of his life threatening injuries. His owner had left him 7 days hanging in a barb wire fence, and then decided to shoot him. A neighbor rescued him, but by that time he already had gangrene. Anyway, Casper, the white shepherd, came via airplane from WI to ME. I was shocked when I saw the wound on his belly. The size of 2 hands, still totally raw, but with 3 skincrafts the size of a quarter in it. From day one, I picked ribwort leafs and made a compress every night for Casper. Very hard to do because it is on his belly, and I have to use ace bandages to keep it in place. My vet who really is not much into natural remedies, is now convinced that this plant is what's healing the wound very fast. Within 2 weeks it closed from the 2-hand-size to 1/3rd the size! She said yesterday to me: I wish we could put these leafes into his brain to cure him of being terrified of people. There is quite a bit on info on the internet; check it out- it will help you or your pet. Of course I use only leafs from my back yard which I know have not been sprayed with any poison.