Common
Plantain, also known as Broad-leaved Plantain, Dooryard Plantain, Greater
Plantain,
Round-leaved Plantain, Way Bread, and White Man's Foot, is a perennial
plant that is, appropriately enough, common in waste places, lawns, dooryards,
and roadsides all over North America (except the extreme north) and
Europe. Its leaves are broadly ovate, entire or toothed, and characterized by a
thick, channeled footstalk. The flower stalks grow from 6 to 18 inches high and
are tipped with long, slender, spikes of greenish-white flowers whose color is
again overshadowed by brownish sepals and bracts. Flowering time is from May to
October.
Plantain seed contains mucilage in its outer epidermis, and swells when it gets wet. This property makes these seeds a natural candidate for the control of cholesterol levels. Along these lines, Plantain has been shown by scientists in Italy, Russia and other countries to reduce the intestinal absorption of lipids and cholesterol. The consensus of opinion today is that the Plantain seeds and leaves act by reducing the intestinal absorption of bile acids. Cholesterol levels may also be lowered in persons that use this herb as an appetite suppressant.
Plantain has been historically used as an astringent, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, and hemostatic. Common Plantain can be used the same way as lance-leaf Plantain. In addition, the juice or infusion can be taken for bladder problems and for gastrointestinal ulcers. A decoction can also be used externally for various skin problems, including ringworm, and also as a douche for leucorrhea. Chewing on the rootstock will give temporary relief from toothache. Finally, Common Plantain is sometimes recommended to increase virility (this use was probably suggested by the suggestive flower spike).
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