the ever growing infusion

my gathering basket

 I keep telling myself that it would be totally okay to start posting again, my posts don't necessarily have to be all herbal.  At any rate here I am.  I hope you forgive me.  

stellaria media - chickweed

Our week began with conjunctivitis.  It was painful and gross.  My middle one R had it the week before.  That's when the infusion began.  It started with chickweed and violet leaf.  I read a lovely article written by Susun Weed all about chickweed.  She writes, "Chickweed's ability to break cells open helps it get rid of bacterial infections when applied as a poultice."  Stellaria media is really the best thing I could ever come up with for pinkeye.  Violet, well she just wanted in that infusion, so she came along too.  I used several different applications for us all.  A hot compress, eye cup and eye dropper, depending on who it was I was applying it to.

chickweed, violet leaf and plantain

 A few nights later, in bed that I found that middle son R, four, has a nasty looking scratch on his foot.  The night of the scratch I sent him down to my mother to have his wound cleaned and bandaged.  She washed it and applied Sovereign Silver gel, my new favorite.  The next day I began soaking his foot three times a day. I added yarrow, red clover and plantain to our infusion.

Achillea millefolium - yarrow

 My first son I who is seven, yesterday about 4:30 began to complain of pain in his ear.  Well, we were planning to head to Chipotle at 4:30.  We were waiting for their father to come and pick us up, he didn't get there until 5:30.  By the time we were sitting down with our dinner it must have been 6:30 and Isaac was in too much pain to eat.  We ate outside because I knew being inside would be too overwhelming.  The rest of us crammed down our food while I sat in the car doing some bunny mazes.  When we got home immediately I boiled some water for a hot compress.  I had him lay down on a sleeping bag.  Into his ear I put several drops of olive oil infused with garlic and mullien.  I folded up a hot wet wash cloth into a dish cloth and put it over his ear while he watched a little TV.  It wasn't until we laid down in bed that I found the pain was mostly in his lymphs under and behind his ears.  

Galium verum - Lady’s Bedstraw 

So this morning I went out with my basket to gather the herbs for our ever growing infusion.  That's when she appeared to me.  Our Lady's Bedstraw.  I was gathering chickweed from the same spot I have been all week and there she was. Our Lady's Bedstraw is best know as a lymph mover, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to find her.  

violet leaf, lesser and greater plantain, dandelion

 I didn't put our lady's bedstraw in R's infusion.  His has chickweed, plantain, dandelion, violet leaf, yarrow and red clover.  Red clover is he only herb I didn't wildcraft from my own yard.  In I's I put chickweed, plantain, dandelion, violet leaf and our lady's bedstraw.  

one for you and one for me

                 This is how our infusion grew from two herbs to many.  They just kept jumping in the basket! 

foot bath to be

Virtual herb walk: Plantain

(This is the first in a series I plan to write all about the wonderfully healthful, helpful and nutritious herbs in your own backyard.)                   

Plantain

Plantain is a common lawn “weed” almost as common as dandelion.  However, you may never have noticed it!  Plantain is squat green plant, with long petioles The leaves are usually either the broad or the lesser or lance variety.  In the center there are the flower stalks, with either flowers growing up the whole stalk or brown compact seed heads. I've seen plantain growing just about everywhere.  In national parks, zoos, playgrounds, out the car window, my own yard, et cetera.  In fact there is a tale that Native Americans called plantain, “white mans footprint.”  Whether that is true I am not sure.  

Now that you know where to find plantain, here's the why.  Plantain has wonderful properties.  The foremost being that it is drawing.  If you find yourself or your child with a bees sting or sting from nettles get yourself some plantain!  Have a splinter?  Plantain!  Find a leaf and either chew it up and apply the chewed herb directly to the skin, this is called a “spit poultice.”  Mosquito bite?  Plantain yo self!  You can either use gauze; wrap it around the affected area.  Or use a band aid.  Change your leaf every few hours until the splinter or stinger is out.  You will see the splinter and be amazed. 

Plantain also has healing properties.  It’s known to heal the same skin it’s just removed the sting from.  I’ve heard of it healing sprained ankles, diaper rash and eczema outbreaks.  I use plantain in my all purpose greenaide salve.  You can even use an infusion as a hot compress on your eyes for conjunctivitis or a sty. 

Now that you know how to find it and how amazing it is, here are simple ways to prepare the herb.  So you can use it all year long and when you are away from home.  The two best ways I can think of are to create and infused oil and then either use that oil to create a salve or use the oil directly. 

To create an infused oil of plantain you need only to harvest enough leaves to mostly fill a jar of your choosing.  The leaves must be dry so it’s best to do this later in the day when the sun has had a chance to evaporate any moisture.  You can chop the plantain if you like, crush it, or leave it whole, then pour over olive oil.  In a little while check to make sure the oil is still covering the herb, then cap your jar, label it, and put it away in the cupboard.  You must wait at least 6 weeks to use this oil.  Strain the oil using a fine mesh strainer or you can use cheese cloth in a larger colander. Store it in your cupboard.  Do not be stingy with your oil, there will be more plantain.  You can do a quickie version by putting the herb and oil into a double boiler and gently heating for a few hours.  You will notice the oil turns greenish.  Be careful not to overheat and scorch your oil or herbs. 

Now you have a very useful oil to apply to wounds, sore spots, stings and splinters.

If you want to make a salve, just add a few shavings of beeswax to the oil after it’s been heated. 

I also keep some dried plantain in the herb cabinet to make last minute poultices.  You can harvest the leaves and dry them on a cookie sheet in the sun.  It doesn’t take long to dry plantain. 

Cicly Mary Barker

I hope I’ve encouraged you to give plantain a try or at least to look for it next time you are outside.  It really is a wonderful herb.