Plantain is one of the most common herbs that can be found that is growing in North America and it can be seen growing out of the cracks of sidewalks and roads, gardens, waste ground and places where there is little sun. There is an old saying that plants grow where they are needed most. This plant is greatly needed in the urban societies we live in today because we suffer from many illnesses where this plant can offer a lot of help.

Plantain is found all over the world, and is one of the most abundant and accessible medical herbs.

For millennia, poultices of plantain leaves have been applied to wounds, sores, and stings to promote healing. The active constituents are the anti-microbial compound aucubin, the cell-growth promoter allantoin, a large amount of soothing mucilage,flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives, and alcohols in the wax on the leaf surface. The root of plantain was also traditionally used to treat wounds, as well as to treat fever and respiratory infections.^[19]

A tea of plantain leaves can be ingested to treat diarrhea or dysentery. Due to the high vitamin and mineral content, plantain tea simultaneously replenishes the nutrients lost as a result of diarrhea.Adding fresh plantainseeds or flower heads to a tea will act as an effective lubricating and bulking laxative and soothe raw, sore throats

When ingested, the aucubin in plantain leaves leads to increased uric acid excretion from the kidneys, and may be useful in treating gout. This weed can be used for medical purposes.

1. Wound healer: This weed can be used to heal wounds. Chewed or pounded into a paste it can be applied to a wound to stop bleeding. This weed has soothing and cooling effects. It can heal wounds, cuts, and scratches. It can also be used as an anti-venomous herb because of its blood cleansing effects.
2. Healthy digestion: This weed aids in digestion because of its antibiotics. The leaves and the seeds of this plant helps in reducing inflammation and helps repair the gut lining. Seeds of the plantain weed are useful for cleaning the digestive tract, which acts like to psyllium husk in absorbing toxins and creating firmer stools.
3. Congestion and respiratory problems: Plantain weed is high in mineral silica it makes for an expectorant, which means that it clears up congestion and mucus. Plantain helps treat coughs, colds, and various other respiratory ailments.
4. Blood diseases: Plantain is effective in treating almost all blood diseases, many glandular diseases, mercury poisoning, diarrheal conditions, female disorders, and injuries, bites and rashes on the skin.
5. Hemorrhoids: Plantain has astringent properties which make it effective wound-healer which makes it great for hemorrhoids. It can be applied to hemorrhoids to stop the flow of blood, so it is useful for treating cystitis that is accompanied by bleeding.
6. Toothaches: The plantain root can be made into a powder and used for toothaches. If you don’t have the powder, you can just dig up a root and chew the root for relief. Plantain is an anthelmintic and can be taken as a tea and it can kill worms internally.