Plantain poultice for bug bites

The Cultivating Wellness column explores natural health through food and herbal healing. You can expect to find recipes that support full-body health from the inside out.

Spring has fast-forwarded to summer, and with summer comes bugs.

Itchy, sting-y, irritating and endless, bug season is everyone’s favourite summer villain.

While we often can’t prevent bugs “bugging” us, luckily, nature provides a few solutions growing right in our backyards. The plant I’d like to introduce you to is broadleaf plantain.

Broadleaf plantain is quite common across Canada. It generally prefers the edges of lawns and driveways. It’s one of those plants that loves to be trampled on, so look for it where there’s been a lot of foot traffic.

Plantain is a wonderfully versatile herb that is traditionally famous for its use on skin irritations, burns, bites and stings in a “spit poultice.” Yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like! While spit isn’t mandatory, it does help to activate the plant’s enzymes to cause the desired action. Plantain leaves are chewed into mush and then placed on the point of irritation to offer a soothing, antibacterial poultice that helps draw out irritants.

There is evidence of plantain also being effective in its pulling power to draw out infection, in specific contexts. While it isn’t a match for medical antibacterial, it can offer both external and internal antimicrobial benefits. It’s often found in recipes that aid in stomach bugs, urinary tract infections and upper respiratory infections. Again, though, proper medical assessment and treatment should always be a part of the plan.

A safe way to experiment with this plant is to take a young plantain leaf, wash it, mash it with a bit of liquid or chew it and use it as a first-line defence for those bugged-out bites! In my experience, it’s quite effective.

In cases of wasp or bee stings, where a stinger remains implanted in the skin, the same poultice can help draw the stinger out. Cover the skin with the poultice for an hour or so and replace throughout the day as necessary.

Fresh or harvested and dried for future use, plantain can be used in teas to support gastrointestinal inflammation or mild urinary tract inflammation/infection. Simply chop fresh or add 1-2 tbsp. of dried plant material to boiling water, let steep for 20-30 minutes, and drink up to three cups per day. It has a slightly bitter flavour, so it blends well with other plants, such as mint, nettle, dandelion or any other herb depending on your desired benefit. Many people also infuse the plant into salves and oils for topical use.

As always, when wild harvesting plants, make sure to harvest plants that have not been exposed to chemicals, such as herbicides, or which are near potential exposure to exhaust, oils, machinery leaks, etc. It’s always good to check plantain leaves for caterpillar larvae as well, as some moths and butterflies prefer plantain leaves to deposit their eggs. Double-check with your pharmacist whether there are any interactions with your prescribed medication since plantain can interfere with drug metabolism in some cases.

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