Plantain leaves - Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Plantain leaves have been used to treat health problems like the cold, fever, and flu since the 1500s. It can kill bacteria, stop inflammation, and clean wounds. The plantain leaf extract is full of tannins, aucubin, which is an iridoid glycoside, and mucilage. It is also known to be an expectorant and an anti-irritant. When taken internally, a tea or tincture made from the leaves is said to help with indigestion, heartburn, and ulcers. Plantain has been used to treat bites from bugs and snakes, as well as rashes and cuts. It is also full of vitamins and minerals that are good for your body, especially your skin and hair.

About Plantain leaves:

The plantain leaf (Plantago major) is a green, weedy plant that grows in North America, Europe, and Asia. It is not to be confused with the fruit of the same name that looks like a banana. Since ancient times, people all over the world have used the plantain leaf to treat health problems. The ancient Lacnunga, which is a collection of Anglo-Saxon medical texts, talks about this plant as one of nine sacred herbs. During the 1500s and 1600s, Europeans used it to treat everything from dog bites and boils to fevers and the flu.[1] The main parts of plantain are iridoid glycosides (especially aucubin), mucilage, and tannins. Together, they may calm irritation, kill harmful organisms, and help you cough up mucus.

Benefits of plantain leaves for skin:

If you use plantain leaf as part of your daily or weekly skin care routine, your skin will look and feel better.

1. Plantain leaves can help ease the pain of a sunburn from the beach or pool. Crushing the leaves and putting cool water on them helps get the juice out. Then, use your hands or a brush to put it on the affected area. The burn will feel better as soon as the anti-inflammatory properties start to work.

2 – Heals Insect Bites: When an insect bites us, it makes our skin itch. And the leaves of plantain have anti-irritant properties that can help heal it. So, ants, flies, bees, or wasps won't sting or itch as much. So, the skin will move faster and in the right way.

3: It helps wounds heal faster because the plantain leaf has antibacterial properties from the allantoin in it. So, when the leaves are placed on wounds, they kill both germs and bacteria. In this way, making new skin cells speeds up the healing process.

Allantoin is a type of urea hydantoin that can be found in URINE and on PLANTS. It is used in skin care products. Allantoin is a glyoxylic acid diureride that has the chemical formula C4H6N4O3. It is also called glyoxyldiureide or 5-ureidohydantoin. It is made when uric acid is broken down by oxygen.

4 – Lessens the effects of scarring: Remember when you were younger and fell off your bike and got a cut, bruise, or boo-boo? And the scar is still there even though it's been decades? Scars are less likely to happen if you eat plantain leaves. The plantain leaf's antimicrobial properties help the skin regenerate, which helps the skin heal properly after a wound.

The plantain leaf has a cooling effect, so it can be used to treat acne. So, using products with plantain leaves that are put on the skin helps reduce inflammation. So, the chances of getting acne go down. Also, it speeds up the healing process and helps healthy skin cells grow back faster.

Benefits of plantain leaves for body:

Putting plantain leaves on your skin or eating them has a number of health benefits.

6: Indigestion, Heartburn, and Ulcers: Making tea or tincture from the leaves is said to help with indigestion, heartburn, and ulcers.

7: Plantain leaves are a natural diuretic that, when eaten, are thought to make people urinate more often. This makes it possible for the kidneys and bladders to get rid of toxins.

8–Helps with Hard Periods: As an antispasmodic, it relieves painful cramps and slows down heavy bleeding.

Benefits of plantain leaves for hair:

Even though it tastes great, it's great for our hair.

9 – Eases scalp infections: Products with antiseptic and antimicrobial properties help get rid of scalp infections like dandruff, dry scalp, psoriasis, and many others. The inflammation in the scalp that leads to these scalp infections is lessened by these properties. So, the scalp can work well by making oil to coat the new hair growth with the moisture and protein it needs. So, it will help hair grow.

10: Hair: You can use the leaf as a hair rinse to get rid of product buildup, dirt, or extra oil. As well as giving the hair shaft the protein and moisture it needs to stay long. You can either boil the leaves or crush them and mix them with cool water. Adding more things, like apple cider vinegar and essential oils, will make it work better. Also, the leaf will make the smell of the apple cider vinegar less strong.