Plantain (Plantago major) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Plantago major
Family: Plantaginaceae
Part used: Leaf, Seed
Taste: Bland, Salty
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Moist

On moisture, Culpeper (1653) and Salmon (1710) read it as dry. The app keeps moist, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally safe

While breastfeeding

Excellent safety; compatible with breastfeeding.

For children

One of the safest herbs; safe for all ages

Cautions

Psyllium (P. ovata seed) has separate cautions — different application

General contraindications

Generally considered safe

Stewardship

Plantain (Plantago major / lanceolata) is globally abundant; 'white man's footprint' in native American history. Stewardship: the plant that follows human disturbance is always available — a parable of common grace.

In the traditional record

Plantain (Plantago major / lanceolata) — referenced in the Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga (c. 10th c.) as "Wegbrade," one of the nine sacred herbs of the Nine Herbs Charm: "Mother of herbs, open from the east, mighty within"; documented by Dioscorides and Pliny, and called "white man's footprint" by indigenous North American peoples for its spread alongside European settlement.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.