Today’s societies view so many valuable plants as pesky weeds and Plantain is at the top of the list.

I’m not talking about Plantains, the cousin of the banana, I’m talking about the herbaceous plant that can be found all over the world in backyards, meadows, lawns and commonly along any roadside.

The Plantain family or Plantago Major as it’s known scientifically, contains more than 200 species.

It’s abundance in nature offers us a seemingly endless supply of a profoundly nutritious and healing plant.

Internally, taken as a tea, syrup or tincture, Plantain is used for coughs and bronchitis.

Externally, bruise the leaves and rub them on rashes such as poison ivy. Also bruised leaves can be made into a poultice by applying them directly to bites and stings. Place the bruised leaves over the affected area and leave on until they dry. Reapply with freshly bruised leaves if necessary – but most often one application is all that’s needed for relief.

Nutritionally – Plantain is rich in iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. It is a relative to Spinach so it can be eaten much in the same way. Harvest leaves (young leaves are best, older leaves tend to be tough) wash, cook and serve as you would spinach.

A note of caution – do not wild-craft (harvest from nature) plants for food or internal use which have been sprayed with chemicals. Roadside plants can also contain the remnants of gas and motor oil. It is best to wild-craft in from the road way and to gather from areas that are free of chemical sprays.

Natural healing first and foremost requires that you take responsibility for your own health and that of your child. If you are uncomfortable, uncertain or don’t want the responsibility, please consult with a holistic practitioner for support and guidance.

This information is from Christine Agro’s book “The Conscious Mom’s Guide(TM) to Natural Healing and First Aid for Kids”  The book is due out in 2012/2013.

Want more natural healing tips? Join The Conscious Mom’s Guide for free and then join the Natural Healing and First Aid group. Christine will be adding more tips and how-to videos as time goes on. By signing up you’ll also be the first to know when Christine’s book “The Conscious Mom’s Guide: Natural Healing and First Aid for Kids” is available.

© 2012 Christine Agro

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Christine Agro is a Clairvoyant, Naturopath, Master Herbalist, Conscious Mom and Author of 50 Ways to Live Life Consciously as well as of The Conscious Living Wisdom Cards (Special Moms’ Edition). Christine is founder of The Conscious Mom’s Guide , a membership site where she helps support you on your own journey of living life consciously and on your journey of being a Conscious parent. You can also join Christine on Facebook. To contact Christine, invite her to speak or to schedule an appointment with her please email her.