Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major) ~ LuminEarth's How to Identify Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Broadleaf Plantain grows from a short, tough rootstock or rhizome, which has a large number of long, straight, yellowish roots, is a basal, rosette of large, broadly oval, dark green, leaves. The 4 to 10 inch long smooth, thick, strong and fibrous leaves have 3 to 7 or more ribbed veins, abruptly contracting into a long, petiole (leaf stalk) which is reddish at the base. The leaf margin of Broadleaf Plantain is entire, or unevenly toothed. The flower stalks, are erect, long, slender, densely-flowered spikes. Each tiny flower is brownish and bell-shaped with four stamens and purple anthers. Flowers bloom most of the summer. The fruit is a two-celled capsule and containing four to sixteen seeds. Gather young edible Broadleaf Plantain leaves in spring. Gather Plantain after flower spike forms, dry for later herb use. The young leaves of the Broadleaf Plantain plant are edible as a raw salad or cooked as spinach. Broadleaf Plantain contains Acubin which is reported to be a powerful anti-toxin. The leaves and the seed are medicinal used as an antibacterial, antidote, astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antitussive, cardiac, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, haemostatic, laxative, ophthalmic, poultice, refrigerant, and vermifuge. Medical evidence exists to confirm uses as an alternative medicine for asthma, emphysema, bladder problems, bronchitis, fever, hypertension, rheumatism and blood sugar control.

For the most current and detailed information on this plant, please visit our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants at http://www.luminearth.com/luminearthsguide/ .

Disclaimer: The statements in these videos are for educational purposes only and have not been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The remedies discussed herein are not meant to treat or cure any type of disease. The user understands that the above information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist. Make sure you can positively identify a plant before ingesting it. Some plants are poisonous, and misidentification could possibly result in serious illness or death.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Wild Edibles
• Wild Medicinals
• Foraging
• Survival
• Wildcrafting
• Herbology
• Herbal
• Plantain

[LuminEarth]

Hi! Thanks for writing! I agree with you on the deforestation! As to the other question, Broadleaf Plantain (pharmaceutical name Semen plantaginis), from what I have learned, has been used to aid the prostate and urinary process, but not specifically semen production.

[SithSereyPheap1]

This is why we all should help to protect the rain forest.No more illegal deforestation around the world,especially in Cambodia...

[SithSereyPheap1]

I heard that the seeds of this plant promotes the production of semen...is it true ?