Plantain Herb: The Most Valuable Wild Plant in Your Garden

Last Updated on April 23, 2025

Ask any herbalist, and you’ll likely find that they call out plantain leaf as an indispensable part of their herbal apothecary. This unassuming wild plant (some would dismiss it as a ‘weed’) has SO many benefits worth knowing. Best of all, plantain herb probably growing in your yard right now.

Find out why this commonplace plant should be the MVP (Most Valuable Plant!) of your home remedy toolkit!

What Is Plantain Herb?

Fist, let’s address confusion caused by its name: We’re talking about the common garden weed plantain, not the banana-like fruit you’ll sometimes find in grocery stores.

In the genus Plantago, Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) and narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata) are common, widespread wild plants that are believed to have brought to North America by European settlers, which is why it was known by Native Americans as “white man’s footstep.” It’s now naturalized here.

(Plantain the fruit, on the other hand, is in the genus Musa along with botanical cousin banana. Plantain fruit grows only in hot climates, while Plantagos are hardy to zone 3.)

Broadleaf plantain thrives in compacted soil, so you’ll often find it taking over areas where nothing else will grow. Rather than view that area as a nuisance in need of weeding, once you understand what a valuable plant it is, you’ll be thrilled to see a plantain patch thriving anywhere you find it.

I remember pulling it up decades ago, but now when I find plantain herb growing in my garden, I’m thrilled. I never have enough, so I actually plant the seeds in open areas when they ripen at the end of the season.

Plantain Herb Uses to Know

Why is the herb plantain so beloved by herbalists?

This common, easy-to-find wild plant does so much! Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar ranks plantain right after dandelion as the “most common and most useful weed,” and recommends it for liver and kidney support, among many other uses.

Below are some of this versatile plant’s many wonderful uses.

1. Cough Remedy and Lung Support

One of the best herbs for cough, plantain leaf contains ample mucilage, making it excellent for soothing irritated tissues in the throat and lungs. It’s one of many home remedies for coughs to keep on hand for cold and flu season.

Rosalee de la Forêt also recommends plantain for helping lungs recover after fine particle inhalation, such as wildfire smoke.

2. Soothing the Digestive Tract

The lining of our digestive system also benefits from plantain’s ability to soothe, and numerous herbalists call out plantain as helpful for addressing intestinal permeability and other digestive complaints.

3. Remedy for Stings, Bites, Itching and Sunburns

Plantain shines at soothing irritated tissues externally as well, so it’s also an excellent natural sunburn remedy and remedy for itchy bug bites and poison ivy.

Plus it’s a cooling herb, so it helps the body manage heat both internally and externally.

Because it grows everywhere, plantain herb is fantastic to know about for outdoor first aid situations. Next time you’re hiking and get stung or bitten, look around for some plantain to chew up and place on the bite. It’s Gladstar’s top choice for poultices, and she calls it a “poultice herb supreme.”

4. Wound Healing and Gum Care

Matthew Alfs calls out plantain’s astringent qualities and notes its historical use for sores and ulcers as well as inflammation in the gums or mouth and wound healing.

5. Drawing Out Infection, Toxins, and Splinters

One of its properties is drawing out substances from the skin, whether that’s insect venom, infection, or even small objects like splinters or thorns. Alfs devoted several paragraphs to the wonders of plantain for “drawing.” You can use chopped or chewed-up fresh leaves — called a ‘spit poultice,’ great if you’re in the middle of nowhere and need first aid right away.

If you don’t have access to fresh plantain, having the salve on hand is really helpful. I had a really stubborn splinter under my skin this winter, and putting plantain salve on a bandaid and leaving it a couple of days made getting it out a snap when nothing else had helped to dislodge it.

Scientific Studies of Plantain

In addition to centuries of use as folk medicine, plantain has some scientific studies that help us understand why cultures all over the world have turned to it for so many purposes.

Several studies have found that plantain contains antioxidant compounds and has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Plantain has been extensively studied for wound healing. Its antimicrobial and analgesic properties have been found especially useful in the treatment of burn victims.

Because plantain has antifungal properties, and may help with fungal issues like dandruff and athlete’s foot.

Plantain is just one of many wild medicinal plants you probably have growing in your yard, like creeping charlie, yarrow, and wild violets. Once you learn about these valuable wild medicinals, you’ll never think of them as unwelcome weeds again!

If you love learning about medicinal uses for common plants like plantain, check out the many excellent courses you can take through the Herbal Academy, which offers introductory through advanced herbalism courses, as well as numerous courses on specific topics, including foraging, botanical skin care, and lots more. Click the link below to check out their offerings!

Edible Uses for Plantain Leaf

While plantain is considered one of many edible weeds, I generally think as an edible wild plant it’s pretty lackluster, and its medicinal uses are so stellar, I save my plantain for the herbal apothecary rather than kitchen uses.

Sam Thayer agrees, writing of plantain: “While edible, it usually disappoints. The leaves are stringy and have an odd, mediocre flavor.” Other foraging guides suggest trying younger plantain leaves raw in salads or cooked in casseroles or omelets. They add some fiber and nutrition to whatever you’re making. (Nutrition info here.)

Some foragers enjoy the younger flower stalks sautéed and eaten like asparagus. Thayer recommends roasting them over a campfire for 30 seconds, but he notes they’re “insubstantial, and mostly roughage.”

Mature plantain seeds can be used like flax seeds, ground and added to hot cereal and smoothies, or sprinkled whole on oatmeal or salads. Certain types of plantain are grown commercially for their seeds, a rich source of psyllium, the primary ingredient in the fiber supplement Metamucil. (So maybe don’t go overboard on plantain seeds.)

But if you want to try plantain as a wild green, Edible Wild Food has some recipes using plantain to try. After experimenting with making chips from plantain leaves, I greatly prefer kale for my no-fail baked kale chips, but you can make her plantain chip recipe and decide for yourself.

Check out the numerous wild greens tastier than plantain to seek out this season.

Foraging Plantain Herb

Ready to seek out some plantain leaves? Be sure to follow some fundamental rules of safe foraging:

1. Positive identification: Always use a quality field identification guide to make certain you’ve got the right plant by checking multiple features. Ingesting a toxic lookalike rather than an edible plant can send you to the hospital or even kill you. When in doubt, don’t eat it.
2. Avoid areas treated with chemicals or with a history of industrial use. Leaves can take up heavy metals and contaminants in the soil, and you don’t want to consume those!
3. Sustainable foraging: Take only what you will use, and leave plenty for wildlife and plant regeneration. A good guideline is to take ten percent of what you find, except in cases of invasives like garlic mustard. In such cases, pulling it all up helps the ecosystem. Plantain is considered invasive in some areas.
4. Mind the laws around wild plant foraging: Many public lands will have regulations about foraging. Be sure to check local guidelines and always get permission before you forage on private property.

–> Always consult a trustworthy foraging guide. The best guide I’ve ever found is Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants.

Where to Find Plantain

Plantain grows all over the world (check map), and it’s likely you have some growing in your yard, along neighborhood sidewalks, or in a nearby park. Since it thrives in compacted soils, you’ll often find it growing where nothing else will.

Remember there are different species of plantain, so you may find broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), or a species native to North America, Plantago rugelii. Plantago rugelii is the species I find most in my area.

You’ll spot the basal rosettes plantain plants grow in starting when the ground warms in spring. They’ll grow larger as the season progresses, and eventually will send up their telltale flower stalks.

I advise collecting leaves earlier in the season when they start to appear, as bugs seem to greatly enjoy nibbling these plants, and foraging plantain later in the season may mean only finding really bug-eaten leaves.

Harvesting & Preserving Plantain Leaves

The best time to gather plantain leaves (or any herbs) is late morning, after the dew has dried.

It’s easiest to tear off plantain leaves, but you can use a scissors if you prefer.

Because plantain leaves tend to rest on the ground, it’s likely your leaves will be pretty dirty. Submerge them in a bowl of water to remove dirt or bugs, rinse well, then run them through a salad spinner to remove excess moisture.

Allow cleaned plantain leaves to dry on a screen or clean towel for a few days before storing or infusing in oil.

If you want to tincture the plantain leaves, you can use fresh leaves that you allow to dry briefly on a towel or screen, or use fully dried leaves. Some herbalists prefer using fresher leaves for tinctures. Find out more about how to make a tincture here.

If you’re using fresh leaves to make a poultice or tea, simply rinse, chop, and use.

I highly recommend a collapsible drying screen. I love that it has tons of space for laying out the many different herbs I gather each season but folds up into a small circle that I can tuck away out of season.

I’ve used it to dry huge quantities of foraged Canadian wood nettle, plantain, linden flowers, goldenrod, elderflowers, birch leaves, and so much more.

How to Use Plantain Herb

External Uses for Plantain Leaf

You can use the fresh leaves to make poultices, or steep in boiled water to make an infusion that can be applied directly to the skin using a compress or sprayed on with a spray bottle.

You can steep dried leaves in oil and use it to make a salve, which is fantastic to keep on hand for sunburn and bug bites. Check out this recipe for plantain salve from Grow Forage Cook Ferment if you’d like to try making your own.

Find a tutorial on making salve from fresh plantain leaves this helpful post from the Herbal Academy.

If you don’t want to make your own, you can order some here.

Plantain leaves can also be infused in vinegar to use as a hair rinse for itchy scalp conditions or to relieve itchy bug bites.

Plantain tincture can also be used externally for bites, stings, and minor cuts.

Internal Uses for Plantain Leaf

Internally, fresh plantain leaves can be eaten as food, chewed, or brewed in tea to help soothe tissues of the mouth or digestive tract. I’ve heard many herbalists recommend chewing the leaves regularly to support gum health and digestion.

I highly recommend drying some leaves for winter use, to make soothing teas and homemade cough syrups. Plantain tincture is also great to keep around for bites and soothing oral issues.

Save this info on identifying & using plantain herb for later!

Photo credits in pin:  Изображения пользователя Ольга Ионина, Mykola Lunov