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Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major)

When people first hear about our local plantain, they often ask if it’s related to the banana-like plantain that grows in tropical climates. Sorry, but the answer is no! However, it is a useful edible and medicinal plant with a wide distribution. In fact, it probably grows right outside your door!

Habitat and Distribution

Broadleaf plantain is a weedy non-native plant, growing in yards, gardens, fields, open forests, and along roadsides, sidewalks, and trails. It enjoys full sun, but can be found in partially shaded areas, too. Its grows in all fifty US states and all provinces in Canada, except Nunavut.

Identification

Broadleaf plantain is a small perennial herb, reaching height of 4 to 16 inches. Leaves form a basal rosette and can reach lengths of 11 inches, including the petiole, or leaf stem. The leaf shape is oval or rounded, and has five main veins that run parallel. Young leaves can be sparsely hairy, but at maturity leaves become hairless and leathery.

Flowers are small and inconspicuous, growing in a pencil-sized spike atop the flower stalk. The stamens (pollen-bearing filaments) extend past the flower petals and are purple-tipped. The petals themselves are triangular, papery, and light brown, and grow in fours. There are typically several flower stalks to one plant.

When the flowers go to seed they leave a pencil-sized spike of fruits, which are egg-shaped and about 1/8 inch long. They are green to start, and turn brown and papery with maturity, eventually expelling small, brown seeds.

Similar Species

Many species of Plantago grow across the US and Canada, and as far as I know, they are all used similarly. The most common ones (and the ones I am familiar with) are narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and blackseed plantain (Plantago rugelii). Both species can be used interchangeably with broadleaf plantain, though I find that the leaves of narrowleaf plantain get tougher faster.

As the name implies, narrowleaf plantain can be distinguished by its narrow leaves, which are typically 3/4 inch across, in comparison to broadleaf plantain’s 3 inch wide leaves. The flowers and fruit of narrowleaf plantain grow in a short cluster about 1/2 to 1 inch long, whereas those of broadleaf plantain are up to 10 inches long. Narrowleaf plantain can be found in all fifty US states, and in Canada from Quebec west to British Columbia.

Blackseed plantain is native to the eastern and central US and looks very similar to broadleaf plantain. The two can be distinguished by blackseed plantain’s purplish petioles (those of broadleaf are green), its slender fruits (versus the egg-shaped ones of broadleaf), and — as the name implies — its black seeds (those of broadleaf are brown.)

Harvest and Preparation

For edible purposes, harvest plantain leaves in the spring, while they are small, young, bright green, and tender. In my experience, plantain leaves become stringy and bitter quite quickly, so there’s only a short window in which they are palatable. For this reason, they are not one of my favorite greens. However, if you’re able to harvest them at their prime, they taste somewhat like mushrooms, which is pretty cool.

Plantain leaves can be eaten raw in a salad or sandwich, or steamed or sautéed as a cooked green. You can also make plantain “chips,” in which you oil and bake the leaves to make a crispy, chip-like product similar to kale chips. This is a good option later in the season, as the crisping process mitigates any stringiness from the leaves.

The seeds of plantain are edible as well. Harvest after they turn brown and papery in the fall. At this point they are quite easy to remove from the stem. You can winnow out the husk from the seed if desired, but it’s not necessary. As a relative of psyllium (Plantago ovata), the husk can be used as a fiber supplement and laxative. Add it to granola, hot cereal, quick breads, or anywhere else you’d like some fibery goodness.

Medicinal Purposes

Plantain is perhaps better known for its medicinal qualities than its culinary ones. In addition to the use of the seed husk as a bulk-forming laxative, the leaves are used for cuts, rashes, insect bites, and other skin irritations. For this purpose, the leaves can be harvested at any time of year (as long as they aren’t withered with age.) If you’re in the field when you get stung/scraped/cut, you can make a poultice by mashing up the plantain leaf with a bit of water, and applying it directly to the affected area. Some people make “spit poultices” by chewing up the herb and applying it, but keep in mind that your mouth contains bacteria, which are better kept out of your wound. If you don’t have water on you and you’re in a pinch, a spit poultice will do, but it’s not the ideal method.

The leaves have mucilaginous, astringent, and antiseptic properties, which soothe the wound, pull the tissues together, and help clear out bacteria. Plantain is also known for its ability to draw out poisons, and has been used to treat bee stings, spider bites, and snake bites. I once took an herbal first-aid class in which the instructor described using it to treat the bite of a brown recluse, a poisonous spider whose venom can cause serious injury or death. However, this was out in the wilderness, and she was trained in the medical field; this is definitely not something you try at home! I include it here mainly as an interesting anecdote.

Taken internally as a tea, it soothes sore or tickly throats and relieves coughing. As an expectorant, it helps clear mucus from the chest. It can also help clear stomach and bowel infections, and when drank cold eases the pain of urinary tract infections. Plantain tea is also useful against diarrhea and excessive menstrual bleeding.

Infusion

Plantain leaves should be prepared as an infusion, in which they steep in hot water, rather than a decoction, in which tough or woody materials are boiled. To make an infusion, start with the fresh or dried plant material. Fresh material requires greater quantities, because it contains the weight and volume of water, which has been evaporated out of the dry. For a quart jar’s worth of tea, you will need approximately one cup dried plant material or three cups fresh.

Bring a quart of water to simmer in a saucepan. Make sure it is not boiling! Boiling water will destroy delicate compounds. You want it just at the point where a few bubbles are rising and steam is escaping, which should be about 180 degrees. Place the fresh or dried plant material in a quart jar, and pour in the hot water. Place a lid on the jar. This will help prevent volatile compounds from escaping. Steep for 15 minutes to a half hour. Longer steeping won’t hurt anything, so if you forget about it, that’s ok! Strain out the plant matter and drink warm or cold. The tea will keep in the fridge for 48 hours. The standard dose is one cup, drank three times daily. However, keep in mind that the strength and dosage vary depending on the person and condition being treated!

I Want Your Feedback!

Maybe you’ll never love eating plantain, but hopefully you’ll appreciate it for its medicinal properties! Or maybe it will become your next favorite food and you’ll think I’m ridiculous for rating it poorly. I hope so! If you make something delicious from it, please let me know in the comments below.

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