Broadleaf plantain

Botanical Name: Plantago major

Some other names: Snakeweed, Waybread, Indian wheat, Soldiers woundwort, white man’s footprint

How to Grow It

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a tough perennial that forms a low rosette of broad green leaves with tall, skinny seed spikes that rise up through the growing season. Often written off as just a lawn weed, it’s actually a handy edible and medicinal plant that earns its space once you get to know it.

Native to Europe and Asia, broadleaf plantain has spread across the world and now grows wild in temperate regions almost everywhere. It thrives in compacted soils, roadsides, and damp ground, happily surviving in places where more delicate plants give up.

It tolerates full sun to part shade, and while it loves moisture and will grow lushly in boggy spots, its deep taprootsmean it can also ride out dry spells (the leaves just get a bit tougher). In cold climates, it usually dies back in winter but re-sprouts in spring.

Plantain is mostly propagated by seed – the seed spikes turn brown and dry when ready to harvest – but be warned, once it seeds, it self‑sows readily and can be hard to contain. I like to keep a few clumps going and snip off the seed spikes before they drop to avoid an invasion. It also grows well in pots and responds nicely to a little fertiliser now and then.

Herbal & Nutrient Value

For a so‑called “weed,” broadleaf plantain is surprisingly nutritious. The leaves are high in vitamin C (great for immunity) and calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), with decent levels of vitamin A, several B vitamins, iron, and magnesium too.

Herbally, plantain has been revered for centuries. The fresh leaves and juice have been used to soothe insect bites, cuts, and scrapes (even earning it names like “soldier’s woundwort”), and it’s also known as a digestive tonic in traditional medicine, said to calm and support the whole digestive tract. Modern studies back some of this up, showing anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds in the leaves.

Traditional & Home Remedies

Wound poultice: Chew fresh leaves or mash, apply to insect bites, cuts, or stings.
Plantain tea: Steep handful of leaves in hot water for cough and sore throat.
Syrup: Leaves simmered with honey for cough/bronchial irritation.
Seed laxative: Dried seeds soaked in water and taken for gentle relief.
Skin salve: Infuse leaves in oil, mix with beeswax—used for rashes, eczema.

Using It in the Kitchen

Broadleaf plantain is edible, though not the tastiest of greens – best mixed with other greens I think. Young, tender leaves are good raw in salads – mild and slightly grassy. Older leaves get chewy and a little sharp, so they’re best cooked.

Strip and wash the leaves, then chop and toss them into soups, stews, casseroles, omelettes, stir-fries or quiches – anywhere you’d use a tougher green. Cooking softens them up nicely and tames any bitterness.

I like to add them to my smoothies for gut health.

Simple Recipe ideas:
– Wild Green Salad – mix young plantain leaves with lettuce, cucumber, and a vinaigrette.
– Plantain & Potato Soup – simmer chopped leaves with onion, potato, and stock for a hearty soup.
– Rustic Omelette – sauté chopped plantain leaves with onion, then fold into eggs.
– Garlic Stir-Fry Greens – fry mature plantain leaves with garlic and soy until tender.
– Healing Green Tea – steep a few fresh leaves in hot water for 5 minutes as a soothing herbal tea.

Other Uses

Broadleaf plantain isn’t just a food plant – it’s a first-aid plant. The fresh leaves can be crushed into a quick poultice for bites, stings, and scratches, and Indigenous and folk traditions all over the world have leaned on it for this purpose.

Why it’s a survival plant:

Hardy, self-seeding, shade- and moisture-loving, and rich in nutrition. You don’t even need to plant it half the time – it’s probably already growing nearby. All you have to do is learn to recognise it, use it, and let it become an ally instead of just another “weed.”