Plantago lanceolate 'Ribwort Plantain'

[Ex. Somerset, England]

Plantaginaceae: rosette-forming herb with leathery ribbed leaves sprouting from the base of the plant, growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). Stubby brown flower heads with whitish anthers are borne on plain unbranched and leafless stalks. Flower stalks are produced throughout the summer. Found in all but the most acid grassland from tall meadow communities to grazed pasture, lawns, sea cliffs and sand dunes. Native to Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, northern and central Asia.

USES:

The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. They are rather bitter and very tedious to prepare, the fibrous strands are best removed prior to eating. The very young leaves are somewhat better and are less fibrous. The seed can also be cooked. Used like sago. The seed can be ground into a powder and added to flours when making bread, cakes or whatever.

Ribwort plantain is a safe and effective treatment for bleeding, it quickly staunches blood flow and encourages the repair of damaged tissue. The leaves contain mucilage, tannin and silic acid. An extract of them has antibacterial properties. They have a bitter flavour and are astringent, demulcent, mildly expectorant, haemostatic and ophthalmic. Internally, they are used in the treatment of a wide range of complaints including diarrhoea, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhage, haemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, asthma and hay fever. They are used externally in treating skin inflammations, malignant ulcers, cuts, stings. The heated leaves are used as a wet dressing for wounds, swellings. The root is a remedy for the bite of rattlesnakes, it is used in equal portions with Marrubium vulgare. The seeds are used in the treatment of parasitic worms. Plantain seeds contain up to 30% mucilage which swells up in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes. Sometimes the seed husks are used without the seeds. A distilled water made from the plant makes an excellent eye lotion.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Sow seeds in spring in a cold frame or greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. A sowing can be made outdoors in situ in mid to late spring if you have enough seeds.

HARVESTED: 2020

APPROX. 300+ SEEDS