Plantain
The plantain we're talking about here has absolutely nothing in common,
apart from the name, with the member of the banana family
so enjoyed in Caribbean, Indian and African cooking.
This plantain, or ribwort as it is also known,
is a leafy, green perennial that can be found throughout the UK,
even in winter but it tends to be harvested
in the spring and early summer before it flowers.
The leaves grow in rosettes, that is in a circle, close to the ground
and there are two main types of plantain in this country
one type has long thin spear-like leaves
hence its Latin name of lanceolata or lance-like
the other type has large, round, saucer-shaped leaves
and has the Latin name Plantago major.
Either type can be used medicinally
so don't worry if you've only got one of the two.
When you look at the leaves, you realise how descriptive the name 'ribwort'
- the veins on the underside of the leaves are very prominent,
you can feel them like ribs sticking out,
and they run parallel to each other along the entire length of the leaf.
Like the daisy and elder leaf, plantain can make a great first aid plaster.
It is anti-inflammatory and cooling
and many people find it more effective against nettle sting
than the famed dock leaf.
Plantain also makes a great hayfever remedy
as it contains anti-histamine compounds.
To make a plantain bandaid, simply crush the leaf
and then wrap it around the affected area.
To help ease some of the symptoms of hayfever
like itchy eyes and runny nose
drink 2-3 cups of plantain tea a day.
To make one cup of plantain tea, collect a handful of plantain leaves,
wash them well, tear them up into small pieces and place in a teapot.
Add boiling water, let the leaves infuse for 5-10 minutes,
strain and then drink.
You can also drink this cold
so you could make a big pot of this in the morning
and drink it throughout the day,
adding lemon juice for taste but also to help improve liver function
which you always need to do to treat hayfever
beyond just the symptoms.
A lovely spring tonic tea could be
to combine the flowers and leaves of daisy, dandelion, plantain,
nettles and cleavers (but not elder leaves - they are too smelly!)