I had bought English plantain from Marys Heirloom seeds and sowed it as a medicinal herb and all I can say is wow!

While many may consider this a weed, it is really a treasure in the garden that should not be eliminated and it should be next to dandelions one of the reason not to use weedkiller in your grass, or at least in a good section of your grass. This medicinal herb is as valuable as a dandelion!

This herb or weed as many call it, is found in disturbed area from mid-Canada to Florida, you can find it anywhere between the cracks in a sidewalk to your lawn really. It is so easy to grow. I guess that it why it has a nickname called a lawn weed.

You can make tea from the leaves to treat coughs and bronchitis, and the tea can also help with diarrhea, peptic ulcers, and bloody urine or UTI. 

As a poultice, this herb will aid in wound healing. You can use this herb for sores, burns, blisters. Swelling, insect bites and insect stings. It has a drawing function so it will draw out poison and irritation.

The seeds of any plantain may lower cholesterol, and they were at one point used for malaria and epilepsy. The seeds can induce diarrhea too

Plantain has antimicrobial properties though some people can be sensitive to this herb at which point they may experience dermatitis.

My husband was in the pool and was bitten by a brown recluse. The area welted up bigtime and was painful. I am growing this english plantain which is quite potent, chewed it to release the juices (it is not tasty!) I applied this poultice to the bite. There was a half inch welt when I applied the poultice and 20 minutes later there was a tiny red pin dot – the swelling was down, the pain had subsided, and the next day all that was visible was a tiny whitehead which we opened to pull out the remainder of whatever poison had been injected with the bite. Brown recluse can potentially cause necrotizing tissue where the poison that is injected is like a predigesting thing that tenderizes and digests meat so to see this as a result is totally amazing. If you are anaphylactic, rely on your epi pen in addition to the plantain for stings like bee stings, though if you just have an annoying bite, this herb is very valuable in the garden for your stings and bites. Bonus, my chickens like it too! You can use broadleaf plantain and narrow leaf plantain as well.. they all have the same properties.

When I think of this weed the thought one mans junk is another mans treasure comes to mind. Definitely reserve a spot for this weedy herb in your garden!

Next time you are out in nature, in a pasture, field, meadow, grassy knoll, or wherever grass will take root, look for this fantastic gift of nature!

Let me advise you that I am not a medical professional but rather someone that seeks out the powers of medicinal herbs over conventional medicine due to personal allergies.

This information is for informational purposes only, and should not be considered as medical advice as am not a doctor and before trying to utilize this as a treatment I recommend that you please check with a certified medical professional who is specialized in herbal medicine since it could potentially interact with other medicines and conditions, with that said, overall, this is a great herb to grow in your lawn or anywhere you have a space really!