{"id":2014,"date":"2022-03-10T19:36:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T18:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturallybalanced.devversion.pl\/?p=2014"},"modified":"2023-04-03T20:41:45","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T18:41:45","slug":"broadleaf-plantain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/naturallybalanced.devversion.pl\/en\/broadleaf-plantain\/","title":{"rendered":"Broadleaf plantain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Date of the last update: 10.03.2022<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadleaf plantain is a common plant \u2013 an easily available and useful one. It is advisable to use scissors to forage it, as its fibrous leaf nerves make harvesting difficult. Owing to plantain\u2019s distinctive features it difficult to confuse with other plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Description of the plant<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Habitat<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Edible parts<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Importance in popular culture<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Use in the kitchen<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Recipe for oxidised plantain infusion<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You can read this article in 4 minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Description of the plant<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There are several plantain species. In addition to the common (Broadleaf) plantain, those best known and most commonly used for consumption and medicinal purposes include Narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), the hoary plantain (Plantago media), the sand plantain (Plantago afra) and the psyllium plantain (Plantago ovata).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe white man\u2019s foot\u201d \u2013 this is how Native Americans called plantain when it was brought to their continent from Europe. Plantain seeds have the property that they release mucilage when moistened and stick to people\u2019s shoes and animals\u2019 hooves and paws. (Szymanderska, 2001, p. 30). It can also be called the \u201cqueen of roadsides\u201d, because it is most easily found on trodden spots, in pavement cracks and wherever the ground is heavily compacted.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Plantain major (broadleaf), Family: Plantaginaceae <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    The oldest herbariums in the world mention plantain as an all-important useful plant. It is used both as a herb and in cooking, while its beneficial properties to the skin make it useful on hikes and camping trips. Rubbed leaves can be applied to the skin after insect bites, cuts, on bruises and swellings. There are also other ways to use plantain. With its big leaves and soothing properties, plantain was used to pad footwear to prevent foot sores and fatigue (Szary, 2015, p. 76). It is worth keeping it in mind on long hikes along trails, where you can find this synanthropic plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plantain is a perennial rosette-forming herb with a short vertical rhizome. The taproot dies off early and is replaced by a bundle of adventitious roots. Leaves are set in a rosette on winged petioles, are hairless or sparsely short haired. The leaf blade is broad and oval, with 5-9 arched veins, and has entire or wavy and double-serrate edges. Flower stems are upright, slightly longer than the leaves, stiff, erect, rounded, smooth or finely furrowed, short haired. The flowers are small, greenish-brown with purple stamens, produced in a dense spike 10-20 cm long on top of the stem, 4 bent back lobes with brown midribs and long white stamens. The fruit is an egg-shaped bag. There are 4-12 Seeds in the bag (Sudnik-W\u00f3jcicka, 2011, p. 136).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Habitat<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A very common species growing in the temperate zone, on both clay and humus soils in lowlands and mountains. In Poland it can be found on roadsides, pastures, water banks, in ditches and on meadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Edible parts<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n