REPAIR damaged skin with this ancient ‘conqueror’s leaf’
When your skin is IRRITATED… maybe from spending a little too much time out in the garden… you’ll do almost ANYTHING to soothe it.
Cosmetic companies will try to sell you expensive lotions and potions…
But you don’t have to spend a lot of money to heal your WOUNDED skin.
Because there’s a totally NATURAL way to support a healthy inflammatory response to cuts, burns, bites, and more.
It’s a cooling herb that can reduce redness and swelling… and even keep pain at bay.
Legend has it that even Alexander the Great was a fan of it!
So, if you’re ready to CONQUER whatever may ail your skin, here’s a weapon you may want to keep on hand.
A sacred weed
You may THINK you know all about plantain, if you’ve eaten the banana-like vegetable often served as part of Latin American cuisine…
But there’s ANOTHER plant called “plantain” – one that’s COMPLETELY unrelated to your fried plantain dishes or plantain chips.
THIS type of plantain plant I’m sharing with you today (scientific name Plantago) actually originated in Europe and Asia… where it’s been HERALDED for its tremendous healing powers.
Evidence as to the existence of plantain dates back 4,000 years to the “Stone Age”…
And ancient texts reveal that the Anglo-Saxons considered plantain on of their “9 sacred herbs.”
Plantain is STILL used everywhere from Germany to Persia.
Traditionally, its leaves have been used to treat everything from snakebites to bug bites and stings… as well as a variety of rashes, skin ulcers/sores, superficial burns, and boils.
Shakespeare himself recommended it for “broken skin”…
And it’s even effective in drawing out splinters buried deep under the skin’s surface!
But in THIS country, most folks who find it underfoot consider it a weed.
Here’s why they’re WRONG…
In a 2011 animal study, plantain extract helped heal third-degree burns… with NO signs of infection… and ZERO toxic side effects.
And in a 2018 study on animals, plantain extract helped trigger BETTER skin regrowth… including the formation of NEW blood vessels… than placebo (which, in this case, was plain ol’ Vaseline).
Plantain appears to get its healing powers from 3 major components…
- allantoin, a wound-healing chemical first isolated in the year 1800 and since used in cosmetics and other skin balms for its ability to stimulate tissue regeneration and keep scarring at bay
- aucubin an antimicrobial compound first discovered in the spotted laurel plant (Aucuba japonica) in 1905, and
- mucilage, a moisturizing, plant-based, slimy substance that alleviates discomfort.
Plantain’s vitamin K content helps promote clotting – which means the herb can also help beat back bleeding.
While plantain leaves are edible, you’ll want to use them topically rather than consuming them for skin issues.
You can soak the leaves in hot water and apply them directly on the injury… or wrap your wounded skin in dressing that’s been soaked in plantain tea (which fortunately you can buy, ready for steeping).
Fortunately, this isn’t just a “home cure”… and you can find plantain at your local health food store or online as a liquid extract or tincture.
Look also for plantain-based creams, balms, and salves – some of which might combine this “healing leaf” with other wound healers, like calendula.
The two main medicinal types you’ll find are greater plantain (Plantago major) and narrowleaf plantain a.k.a. ribwort (Plantago lanceolate). Some herbal medicine experts consider them interchangeable.
To a weedy warrior against wounds,
Melissa Young
