February 2026

The Way Of Tea

• Week 1: Tea Thyme: How To Choose Herbs, Blend, and Prepare Medicinal Herbal Tea.
• Week 2: Plantain – An Humble Herb With Magic Powers
• Week 3: Lemon Balm – A Remedy For Mind & Spirit
• Week 4: Linden – Softening The Edges

If you step into your garden, you will probably find some Plantain among the grass and weeds. Plantain is a humble plant that grows as a weed in grass and between the cracks of concrete. Its flowers are green and nondescript, attracting no attention. However, plantain is a very strong and resilient plant that is a good ally to humans, both as food and as medicine.

Plantain – An Humble Plant With Magic Powers

Description

There are hundreds of species of plantain, but the two best-known to Western herbalists are Plantago lanceolata (known as lance-leaf, ribwort, or narrow-leaf plantain) and Plantago major (known as greater, common, or broad-leaf plantain).  I use whichever species is closest at hand, and have always had excellent results. Both Plantago major and lanceolata feature a rosette of smooth-edged, green leaves ribbed with long, parallel veins that are especially prominent on the leaf’s underside. In late spring or summer, the plant develops one or more tall, narrow flower stalks. Plantago lanceolata has long, narrow leaves, and each stalk is topped with a single small, dense seed cluster that blooms in the summer.  Plantago major’s leaves are rounded ovals, and the stalks of its flowers bear seeds along almost their entire length. Plantain leaves may be smooth or hairy, depending on the variety.

Growing Plantain

Plantain grows everywhere in my garden. I harvest it in areas that are out of the way and places we do not mow. 

History and lore

Plantain grows across wide swaths of Europe and Asia and has an ancient tradition of medicinal use in these regions. In feudal Russia, when travel was a rare and dangerous endeavor, serfs regarded this readily available food and medicine as God’s gift to travelers. While journeying, they sewed plantain seeds and recited prayers in order to bring good luck. 

Plantain even appears, under the name “Wegbrade,” or Waybread, in the Lacgunga, a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon herbal anthology. Plantain is one of the herbs called for in the Lacgunga’s Nine Herb Charm, a herbal preparation and accompanying spell designed to protect against the wind-born toxins that Anglo-Saxons held responsible for the spread of disease.

“And, you, Waybrede, mother of herbs,

open to the east, mighty within;

Over you carts rolled, over you queens rode,

Over you brides cried out, over you bulls snorted.

All you withstood then, and were crushed;

So you withstand poison and contagion.

and the loathsome one who travels through the land.”

Energetic Architecture

Ruling planet

Plantain is associated with Venus, the Planet of the feminine quality,arts, harmony, and love. It is the psychological function of forming relationships and attraction, or what you are drawn to. One of the Venus qualities in Plantain is its drawing power. It gravitates to it. 

As a diuretic, plantain has an affinity for the kidneys, ruled by Venus. 

The smooth leaves have parallel veins and have cooling and moistening qualities that are associated with Venus.

However, plantain also treats conditions associated with Mars, heat, and inflammation. Mars and Venus are opposite each other. They balance each other. 

Elemental Rule

Plantain is associated with the water element because it works on the mucus membrane. The leaves themselves are juicy and act to cool, moisten, and soothe hot, irritated tissue.

Alchemical Principle

Plantain relates to the Sal principle because of its high mineral content. It is a drawing plant with an astringent effect that condenses or pulls together substances and tissue.  

Taste

Mildly bitter, some astringency,  sweet/mucilaginous, 

The combination of astringent and mucilage in the same plant is very rare and is a unique property of plantain. 

Energetics

Plantain is cooling, and both drying and moistening (because it is both astringent and demulcent). It has a toning effect, so its drying effect is not  necessarily more fluids leaving the body. The demulcent action will increase the secretion of the mucus membranes. 

For tissue that is hot, inflamed, irritated, dry, cracked, and bleeding. That’s where Plantain will shine. It will cool down the heat, moisten the tissue, and the astringency will stop the bleeding. 

Tissue states 

heat/excitation, dry/atrophy.

Plantain is beneficial for tissues that are hot, inflamed, irritated, dry, cracked, or bleeding. That’s where Plantain will shine. It will cool down the heat, moisten the tissue, and the astringency will stop the bleeding. 

damp/stagnation

However, plantain may benefit people with damp, stagnant tissue states, including cases of pus, abscesses, and dental infections. Because of its astringency, it helps tighten relaxed tissue such as diarrhea and hemorrhoids.

Actions

Foundational actions are associated with the energetic pattern and can be experienced viscerally in the body.

Plantain’s foundational action is a demulcent. 

Primary actions relate to organs, systems, or tissues.

Plantain’s primary actions are:

• Expectorant (increases productive cough and elimination of mucus from airways)
• Styptic (stop bleeding) 
• Diuretic (increase kidney output)
• Expectorant (increases productive cough and elimination of mucus from airways)

Secondary actions imply an end result without specifying energetics or the system affected.

Plantain is:

• Vulnerary (wound healing)
• Inflammation-modulating specifically to the digestive system. 
• Antiseptic and mild alternative (not so much systemically but more its ability to clear local pus and infection).

Organ affinity

• Skin. 
• Mucous membranes in the kidneys, digestive tract, and lungs. 
• Teeth, gums, and mouth. 

Pharmacology

• Iridoid glycosides – Two types of Iridoid glycosides are present in plantain, Aucubin and Catalpol. Iridoid glycosides are bitter and have a cooling effect. The Iridoid glycosides are denatured at high heat. To maintain the integrity of the compound, if you are planning to make a Plantain infusion, I would suggest using warm, not boiling, water. 
• Tannins – water-soluble compounds that are astringent.
• Polysaccharides – water-soluble compounds that are responsible for the demulcent properties of plantain. The polysaccharides in plantain might also contribute to an immune response if the immune system marks them as antigens. 
• Alkaloids – one of which is called Plantagonine
• Flavonoids – cooling, anti-inflammatory, and tend to protect the body from oxidative damage. 

“The plant loses its medicinal activity by drying. All its preparations should be made from the freshly gathered roots and tops. Water or alcohol extracts the plant’s virtues. The leaves contain chlorophyll, resin, wax, albumin, pectin, citric and oxalic acids (Th. Koller, N. Jahrb. f. Pharm., 1868, p. 139). Upon incineration, they leave 12.8 per cent ash. Sugar is present, while alkaloids and glucosides are absent (D. Rosenbaum, Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1886, p. 418). The root, according to Strawinsky (ibid., 1898, p. 189), contains starch, wax, fatty matter, dextrose, saccharose, mucilage, traces of tannin, but no alkaloid or glucoside. The ash was 24.7 per cent, moisture 6.9 per cent.”

~ King’s American Dispensatory

Clinical Pattern

“The remedy is of value in the internal treatment of all diseases of the blood. Scrofula, syphilis, specific or non-specific glandular disease, and mercurial poisoning. It is used in ulcerations of the mucous membrane due to deprived conditions. It may be given in diarrhea, dysentery, the diarrhea of consumption, cholera infantum, and where there are long standing hemorrhoids. It is also given in female disorders, attended with fluent discharges, and in hematuria, also in dysuria and some forms of passive hemorrhage. It would thus seem to possess marked astringent properties, as well as those of an alterative character. The older physicians ascribe an active influence to it in the cure of the bites of venomous serpents, spiders, and poisonous insects. A simple but important influence is that it is exercised in tooth-ache. The juice on a piece of cotton applied to a tooth cavity, or to the sensitive pulp, has immediately controlled intractable cases of toothache. It seems to exercise a sedative influence upon pain in the nerves of the face, and relieves many cases of earache and tic douloureux. In the nocturnal incontinence of urine, in young children, accompanied with a large flow of colorless urine, this agent has produced curative results in many cases”

~Ellingwood

Wound healing

The most common use of Plantain is as a topical remedy in first aid situations. It is used this way because it has good vulnerary, astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and demulcent properties, as well as drawing properties. Use Plantain for cuts, scrapes, burns, lacerations, puncture wounds, bites, and stings. Also, it is administered locally for bites from poisonous snakes and spiders. It will draw the toxins and prevent them from spreading in the entire system. You can use Plantain in:

• A liniment – make a strong tea, soak a piece of cotton, and wrap the wound. 
• A poultice- collect the fresh leaves, chew them, and lay them on the afflicted area. 
• Mixed with medicated clay. Clay, like plantain, has drawing properties. Moisten the Plantain clay with some water (you may also use Plantain tea or tincture instead of water) to make a thick paste, and apply it in a thick layer (½ – 1 inch) over the afflicted area.

Urinary tract

Plantain is a very effective diuretic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and demulcent, a combination that works well for flushing the urinary tract in cases of U.T. infections with a pattern of heat and irritation. 

When UTI is associated with cloudy, bloody urine, plantain can be combined with Yarrow and Shepherd’s Purse. In cases of urinary tract irritation, such as interstitial cystitis or kidney stones, plantain can be used with other urinary tract demulcents, such as corn silk or couch grass. In the presence of a urinary tract infection, plantain can be used with echinacea and uva ursi.

Lungs

Plantain can be used for a dry cough. Herbalist Matthew Woods gives a specific indication: it feels like a splinter stuck in the throat or chest, causing sharp pain that triggers the cough reflex. As a cooling demulcent with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory action, plantain affects the mucus membranes of the lungs in cases of infection. It is especially beneficial for lingering infections, where the drawing properties of plantain and its expectorant action can help remove sticky, old mucus that is stuck to the tissue. 

As a cooling soothing expectorant, plantain will benefit people with a hot, dry, irritated cough. Use alongside herbs such as mullein, pleurisy, and coltsfoot.

Digestive tract

In leaky gut

Plantain can be used for leaky gut syndrome. Herbalist Paul Bergner calls the digestive tract from the mouth to the colon “our inner skin”. It is an epithelial membrane very similar to the skin. Basically,  what is in the digestive tract is considered to be outside of the body. Compounds are considered to be part of the body only when they cross the single-cell barrier of the epithelium. 

Therefore, it makes sense that the topical remedies we use to heal the skin are also used to heal the gut lining. When gut permeability is compromised (aka leaky gut), undigested food and pathogens can leak into the bloodstream, causing inflammation. The symptoms can manifest as eczema, autoimmune conditions, migraines, brain fog, depression, fatigue, diarrhea, or fibromyalgia. 

Plantain’s vulnerary and astringent action will tonify the leaky gut, repair, and restore the integrity of the gut walls. The demulcent action of Plantain will soothe the irritation associated with the chronic inflammation. For plantain to extend its cooling, sedating effect on the gut tissue, it needs to come into direct contact with the gut (much as we use it topically on the skin). 

The gut surface area is very large; therefore, a tincture will be difficult to spread and cover the entire surface. Most herbs that are made into tinctures are absorbed in the mucosal membrane of the mouth and in the stomach. They don’t really get a chance to reach the intestinal tract. The best way to prepare Plantain for the gut is either in an infusion or as an herbal powder. 

Other digestive imbalances

Plantain can benefit other digestive imbalances, including ulcers in the stomach, colitis, hemorrhoids (topical and internal), gut infections, and gut inflammation such as diverticulitis. 

Plantain is beneficial for teeth and gums. Aphthous ulcers are thought to be caused by acid reflux or by excessive heat rising from the stomach, which can create ulcers in the mouth. The bitter effect cools and draws down the heat. Use for canker sores, receding gums, and tooth infection.  Plantain has a slightly numbing effect on the nerves in the mouth. You can use strong tea as a mouthwash. Chew Plantain into a pulp and apply it to the afflicted area.   

In cases of leaky gut and gut inflammation, plantain will combine well with calendula, chamomile, licorice, and marshmallow. 

Liver

Aucubin, a type of iridoid glycoside found in plantain, has been shown to protect the liver against oxidative damage, exhibit anti-inflammatory and laxative properties, and possess diuretic and antiseptic properties. 

Studies suggest that a daily plantain supplement can improve serum ALT, AST, and TG levels in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

In an animal study that examined the effects of soluble and insoluble fiber from plantain leaf flour on the livers and kidneys of rats with diabetes, it was found to reduce liver fat in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alleviate renal inflammation, and improve insulin resistance. 

Preparation and dosage

Internal

The tincture  of the fresh leaves of plantain will bring out the moistening effect. 

Fresh leaf tincture (1:2, 95%A). Dry leaf tincture 

Tincture dry brings out a more astringent effect.

Dosage: 2-5 ml (0.5-1 tsp) 3-4 times daily. 

Use the tincture mostly for respiratory and urinary tract conditions. The tea is the most effective preparation for the digestive tract, but it will also benefit the urinary tract. 

Infuse fresh plantain leaves in warm water (not boiling). Dried leaves should be prepared in a cold infusion. A cold infusion will extract more of the polysaccharides and have a stronger demulcent effect. 

Topical 

Liniment – An infusion of plantain can be used to wash a wound, as a compress, or as a liniment.

Poultice – pumping the fresh leaves to a pulp and applying this to the afflicted area. Spit poultice is the chewing of the plantain leaves and applying them to sting bites or wounds. 

Mixed with medicated clay – Mix dried powdered plantain with the clay, add a little water or plantain infusion to create a paste. Apply twice a day. Cover the area with a cotton cloth soaked in Plantain infusion, and add a layer of clean cloth around it.

Powdered plantain is a good preparation to have handy to use topically or internally for repairing and restoring gut health. 

Succus of Plantain will be made by running the leaves in a juicer. To preserve the succus, add 25% A or tincture. You can also freeze the succus in ice cube trays.  Dosage: 1 Tbsp 3 times daily. 

Safety

Generally, plantain is a safe herb.

As with all plants, start with small amounts and adjust the dosage. 

Be cautious in cold, damp conditions, especially in the lungs and the U.T. tract.

No major interaction with other herbs. 

Potential antagonist with Warfarin (an anticoagulant used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots) because it contains vitamin K that was shown to antagonize Warfarin. There was no study that shows this, but it has more theoretical potential. 

Recipes for remedies

How you ingest your tea is just as important as the herbs you use. Tea drinking is a whole body sensual experience. It is an opportunity to practice mindfulness. Sit with your tea and listen with your whole body to the scent, taste, and feelings that arise when you sip.