Health Benefits
Not to be confused with the banana-like fruit of the same name, the plantain leaf is a common sight in parks and cities. You have definitely seen this amazing little herb before, but did you know that it is one of the favorite herbs to treat skin issues?
Although it is mostly famous for it’s skin healing benefits, plantain has a lot to offer:
Skin and insect bites
Helps quit smoking
Respiratory health
Heart health
Urogenital health
Nerve Damage Remedy
Oral health
Nutrition Booster
Energy Booster
Antiviral properties and Liver health
Cancer Prevention
Wide-reaching Health Tonic
Skin and insect bites
Plantain is most famous for its skin healing qualities. It has been used by herbalists for centuries for speeding up the healing of wounds, inflamed skin or dermatitis, and insect bites. It is approved by the German Commission E as topical use for skin inflammations.
If the mosquitoes have bitten you or you’ve been stung by a bee or hornet, apply a poultice of plantain leaves to the area to relieve the stinging sensation and pain or clean the skin with a cotton ball dipped in plantain tea.
An infusion or strong tea of plantain leaf sprayed on a sunburn will cool the burn and relieve the pain. This will also help soothe rashes and reactions from Poison Ivy, Oak or Sumac. To make an even stronger remedy, steep plantain leaf in apple cider vinegar for a few weeks and then strain. The infused vinegar will sooth itching, burning and pain on the skin very quickly.
Helps quit smoking
Plantain seems to create a natural aversion to cigarettes, thereby making it easier to leave them behind. It can be used in various forms: tea, extract or spray. For a tea, simply drink it before you reach for a cigarette. Many people find that this eliminates the craving or that they don’t want to smoke a whole cigarette.
Respiratory health
Not only does plantain reduce cravings for cigarettes, but it is also used by natural health practitioners to reduce congestion, asthma, laryngitis, lung irritation and inflammation. Plantain has demonstrated its abilities to heal upper-respiratory conditions as well as chronic bronchitis.
Plantain helps to reduce mucus secretion in the airways, which makes it helpful in treating colds, catarrh, sinusitis, lung and bronchial allergic conditions such as hay fever and asthma. As the herb also has antiseptic properties it can be used as a remedy for a sore throat, tonsillitis and coughs.
Heart health
This amazing herb is beneficial for the general health of blood flow and heart. It helps with blood poisoning, regulation of cholesterol and diabetes, and has a stimulating effect on the blood flow, as well as helping the lymph system work properly and heals all problems related to lymph nodes.
Urogenital health
Plantain is also often prescribed for relieving menstrual related issues likeuterus warts and uterus ulcers, but it’s also beneficial for very heavy, irregular or prolonged periods, or a shorter cycle than 21 days.
Due to the diuretic effect of plantain, it is also advised for urinary retention, blood in urine, and bladder and kidney pain.
Nerve Damage Remedy
Because the herb contains the powerful nerve healing substance known as aucubin, it heals damaged or injured nerves. For this purpose, it can be used both internally and topically.
Oral health
Due to its allantoin and apigenin content, plantain extract is a potent natural anti-inflammatory. It is also advised for toothache, earache, bad breath, oral lesions, mouth sores, nose bleeds, loose teeth, gingivitis, and tonsillitis by gargling the tea infusion.
Nutrition Booster
Plantain is packed with nutrients, including beta carotene, calcium, vitamins C and K, and many compounds essential for our health.
Beta carotene boosts eyesight and helps fight cancer, calcium builds strong bones and is essential to a healthy nervous system, vitamin C helps to fight cancer and reduces the effects of stress, and vitamin K is necessary for blood and blood-vessel health.
Energy Booster
The substance baicalein is naturally found in plantain and it helps repair the mitochondria (the cells’ energy centers). Healthy mitochondria are integral to a healthy body and high levels of energy.
Antiviral properties and Liver health
Liver health is very important for the balanced functioning of our body, as it processes and eliminates all of the toxins that we accumulate in our everyday lives. If it gets clogged, the toxins soon start to build up in all of our organs, making the perfect environment for the development of illnesses. Plantain is the perfect helper to keep your liver happy and healthy.
The natural compound known as oleanolic acid has both antiviral and liver-protecting qualities, which may be helpful in the prevention or treatment of hepatitis.
Cancer Prevention
Research found that an extract of plantain strongly suppressed the growth of human cancer cells, suggesting that this herb could play an important role in addressing cancer naturally and in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The scientists also believe that plantain may help prevent the damage to DNA normally caused by cancer cells.
Wide-reaching Health Tonic
Plantain has been used to relieve toothaches, ulcers, digestive complaints, gout and kidney infections.