WILD FOODIES' HOME PAGE
PLANT PROFILE LIST
NAME: Narrowleaf Plantain
LATIN NAME / FAMILY: Plantago Lanceolata / Plantaginaceae
OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Ribwort, English Plantain, and Lamb's Tongue
CONDITIONS: sun / well-drained soil
PARTS:
EDIBLE
TASTE
RAW/COOK
SEASON
All
Shoots
Leaves
mushroom
RAW/COOK
Spring-Fall
Buds/Flowers
mushroom
RAW/COOK
Spring-Summer
Fruits
Roots
Seeds
mushroom
RAW/COOK Spring-Summer
Nuts
Pods
Stalk
Bark
PORTION: small
COMMENT/CAUTION: Tastes like mushrooms. Eat young leafs and green seed heads (raw or cooked). Dry leaves and crumble for year-around use or to cook more easily. Old leafs do not break down easily, even after extensive boiling.
CAUTION: For those on blood thinners, it is a coagulant.
NUTRITION / MEDICINAL: https://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2015/07/wonderfully-wild-plantain.html // Antibacterial; Antidote; Astringent; Demulcent; Expectorant; Haemostatic; Laxative; Ophthalmic; Poultice. (1) It is a blood coagulant, useful for abrasions outside and inside of the body, but not to use internally for those who need blood thinners.
LOOK-A-LIKES: Broadleaf Plantain http://www.wildfoodies.org/Plantain,Broadleaf.htm
POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES:
OTHER USES: Bandaid, fiber, can be used in baths, but too much can be drying to the skin. Put leaf the size of a quarter in blender with water, then sieve out the greens. Hair will be easier to control and feel fuller.
SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):
https://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Plantago+lanceolata
http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/plantin.html (good photos)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Plantago_lanceolata (lots of photos)
https://thenorthwestforager.com/2015/05/08/narrowleaf-plantain-cooking-with-forage (recipes)
http://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/edible-weeds-flowers/all-about-plantain (recipes)
https://nittygrittylife.com/plantain-herbal-drawing-salve (salve)