Plantain grows in most lawns and has been used for stings, bites and wounds in Europe, China and Native American traditions. Wade T. Smith, APRN, FNP-BC, explains what it contains and shows the simple way to use it on a sting.
Video Transcript
There’s a plant that is mostly considered to be a weed in your lawn. This plant happens to be medicine, and it happens to be food. In Europe, it was used for insect bites and stings, and for various types of respiratory issues. The Chinese used it for urinary tract issues and insect bites. Herbalists from the old times had this in their apothecary as part of their medicine.
This is plantain. It contains something called allantoin, which helps against wound infection and helps draw out infection. It also contains something called aucubin, which is an antimicrobial. Native Americans also used it for stings, bites and other types of wounds. It can also be made into a tincture, an oil or a salve and applied.
If you’re out and you get stung, there’s a simple thing to do. Get a piece of plantain and crush it. You might even want to chew on it. Put it on the sting. It’ll take away the sting and the swelling. Medicine that’s always been here.
