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P. lanceola
Today we’re talking about a very common and safe herb to forage. Many of you are probably familiar with this plant and have seen the distinct seed heads in the summers as a kid, but you may not know that it is a good medicinal herb!
As a disclaimer, I only have photos of Plantago lanceolata and not Plantago major. This is only because I mainly find the former in my area, and apparently never take photos of the latter when I do see it!
Plant Profile:
Scientific Names: Plantago lanceolata, Plantago major, Plantago rugelii
Preferred Habitat: Any disturbed soil, grassy areas, and meadows.
Edible Parts: Leaves, seeds (large quantities of seeds can drop blood pressure)
Distribution: All over Asia and Europe, nearly every state in the US.
Harvest Season: Spring to early winter.
Key Identifiers: For most plantains, the easiest way to identify them is by their unique “flowering heads” (seed stalks?). P. lanceolata has seed stalks with long stems and a tiny flowering seed head at the top, the other two species have shorter stems with a very long seed head. Once you see them, you’ll recognize them every time! All species have distinct stringy veins that run up the leaves and stems.
Toxic Look-Alikes: None in the US. The few plants that bear a passing resemblance to plantain are all non-toxic.
Nutrition:
You know the drill here. Not enough research to give specific nutrient amounts, but once again, here are some of the health benefits:
Anti-inflammatory (especially when used topically)
Increases wound healing
Aids gut health
Contains many of the same nutrients as spinach or kale
Eases itching
High in antioxidants and vitamins
Stops minor bleeding
Diuretic
Demulcent
Increases liver health
Anti-parasitic
Not too bad for a mundane garden weed!
In case you hadn’t figured it out, plantain is NOT related at all to the banana-like fruit of the same name.
The only reason I can find through research is that Plantago species have similar deep veins to the actual plantain fruit tree leaves, but I’m not entirely convinced.
Either way, this is an entirely different plant with completely different uses!
If you want to eat plantain, I recommend using it as you would with other leafy greens like kale. I have seen people make them into chips or throw them in soups and stir fries. If you do this, remember that the ones picked later in the year tend to be more fibrous and tough!
You can also make a plantain tea, a plantain salve/balm, toss them into hummus, make a tincture, pickle the leaves, eat the seeds when green, or anything else you’d do with other leafy greens.
A massive patch of narrowleaf plantain I found a few years back
I feel like now is a good time to tell a funny story about plantain:
When I was about 15, I lived in a smaller town and my cousins, and siblings, and I would regularly walk to the gas station if we were having a sleepover that night. This particular night we were hanging out on the back deck and were getting bit up by mosquitos.
We already knew that plantain was good for mosquito bites, so we decided at 11pm to go looking for some in the dark along the side of the road and we brought a plastic bag to carry it all in.
Needless to say, the local police officer on duty had to stop us and ask why a handful of young kids were walking around late at night with a bag of green leaves by the railroad tracks. Only when we started trying to explain ourselves out loud did we understand why that looked suspicious!
Yeah…not a good look for us. My mother laughed when we told her what happened, but she had to be embarrassed on our behalf too!
This plant still holds a special place in my heart for that memory. As you forage, you will form these kinds of special attachments to wild plants and that’s a treasure that is always well-worth it.
An old botanical drawing of P. lanceolata (left) and P. major (right)
While you can theoretically buy seeds for plantain online, I would generally advise against it since it is so plentiful and, in some areas, invasive.
This is one plant I feel comfortable saying you really can’t over-harvest (at least in North America).
As far as I’m aware, there are no improved cultivars of this plant. If you don’t feel like gathering it from the wild or you don’t have any growing anywhere near you, then below is a link to seeds for this excellent potherb:
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