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Common Name: Hoary Plantain

General Information

Plantago media is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.10 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern Europe, including Britain, to temperate Asia.

Habitat

Fields, meadows and lawns[]. A common weed of lawns and cultivated land, especially on dry or calcareous soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.10 m
Pollinators	Wind, Flies, Beetles, bees
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[].
Grows well in the spring meadow[].
An important food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterflies[].
The flowers are sweetly scented[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[]. The very young leaves have a fairly mild flavour but with a slight bitterness[]. Used in salads before they become tough[].
The inflorescence is sweet and is sucked by children[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves, flowering stems and roots are somewhat astringent, deobstruent, depurative, diuretic, expectorant, haemostatic, refrigerant and vulnerary[, ]. They are applied externally to skin inflammations, malignant ulcers, cuts etc[, ]. A mouthwash made from the leaves helps to relieve toothache and a distilled water is a good eyewash[].
The seeds are demulcent and laxative[, ].
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[].

Other Uses

The leaves are a cure for blight on fruit trees[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. 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.