Plantain, A Story

We have plantain growing all over our yard. I’m a new, not yet budding herbalist, and I have yet to use it. I have been lying in wait for someone in my household to get a bug bite so that I could try crunching up a leaf and making a spit poultice. I have been intrigued, and a little grossed out, by the concept. I guess the idea of applying my spit to a wound is hard to digest in such a disinfectant-happy culture. 

Today, my four year old got stung by “a long black bug with wings and antennae– that’s how you know it’s an insect! But, I didn’t know it had a stinger.” I could see the puncture, and his finger was already starting to swell. I choose a beautiful leaf and chewed away. The taste was bitter, but not unpleasant. I took out a green glob to put on my son’s finger, and he was horrified and hid his hand behind his back. I insisted it would help and obediently he allowed me to secure my green blob over his sting with an alligator bandaid. After a few minutes, he said that it didn’t hurt anymore. After an hour or so, he took off the bandaid, and declared it better. That evening, as I put him to bed, we noticed that there was no mark at all on his finger. In fact, we couldn’t even figure out which one it had been. He said, “Mama, you’re a genius. You solved the problem.”

Post is by Intermediate student, Emily Sawka. 

The Intermediate Herbal Course is intended for students with some herbal training, whether that be workshops, the Introductory Herbal Course or self study. We’ll be reviewing some basic concepts in the first unit to set the foundation for the rest of the course. This program will include intermediate topics such as safety and side effects; discussions about theory and energetics; in-depth coverage of physiology; and guidance for herbal formulation. We will introduce many theories and works of some of today’s most revered herbalists. We’ll study many different ways herbalism has been practiced over the centuries and how in recent years we have begun to reclaim these traditions. This is a 10 unit, online course.