Plantain, the healing weed

What a beautiful month June is! It s one of my favorite months when all the beautiful new growth of trees and plants are in full swing. Usually by this time I have all my gardens in and can watch them grow each day as I sip my morning coffee on the back porch and listen to all the birds busy with their lives, raising new young, and making a lovely noise while doing so.

This is also the time of year my assistant and I start our wild crafting in earnest. Last week Bill found a beautiful, fresh patch of plantain and brought home an armload for me, so I started a new batch of plantain-infused oil for future use in my healing salves.

Plantain (Plantago) is considered a weed by most people and it does grow just about anywhere it can get a toe hold. It is almost as prevalent as dandelions.

This plant has basal rosette and thick-stemmed, ribbed, oval leaves, which are rich in mucilage, tannins and salicylic acid, and hasten the healing of wounds, burns and bruises.

Plantain is a relative of psyllium, and the seeds are boiled and used to cure inflammation and the wounds of burn patients. Crushed leaves also were used with distilled juice as a soothing, cooling and healing tonic. In Colonial times, the leaf poultice and the leaves were used as an infusion and a decoction to help coagulate blood.

Healing Salve with Plantain

Plantain is one of Mother Nature s wonderful healing herbs I use in my Healing Salve and Jewelweed Salve formulas. You ll find the Healing Salve under Body Care Products  on my website. It has wonderful pain-relieving/anti-itching properties and speeds the healing of cuts, burns, bruises, rashes and insect bites. This is a must-have item for summer!

Hope you are all enjoying the wonderful outdoor sights and sounds this Summer, and I will be back with another newsletter next month

 Judi Lambert
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Farmer’s Markets

April thru November
Saturdays, 9am – 1 pm
Crocker Park Farmers Market
(at Crocker Park – just south of Detroit Rd. at Crocker Rd., Westlake, OH)
June thru October
Sundays, 10am – 2 pm
Kamms Corners Farmers Market (behind Walgreen’s on Lorain Rd, just east of Rocky River Drive)

Special Events

Saturday July 23rd, 6-11pm &
Sunday July 24th, 1-6pm
Burning River Fest 2011
Historic Coast Guard Station at Whiskey Island – The Eco-Village at Wendy Park

Check my website for more events and updates.

Thank you for supporting your local farmers and businesses and I’ll see you at the outdoor markets this season! And bring a friend if you can. Your support encourages more local farmers and even better markets. Peace! – Judi