20/07/2023
Not long to go now until the plantain is transformed into a healing salve. The muslin cloth and beeswax are at the ready!
This plant was first brought to my attention when I was following some turkey vultures with my camera in the pacific northwest. A native guy offered me onto his family reservation to get a better view of the birds. It was he who told me about the healing properties of this amazing little plant. So great for soothing stings, scrapes, scratches and insect bites; more so than dock leaves, which we are generally told to use. His method was to use the plantain as a spit poultice (an on the go method), but this oil-infused method allows us the luxury of having a stash of salve on-hand. The leaves were handpicked, left to dry out naturally, and will then be infused in olive oil for about eight weeks, before being filtered and mixed with beeswax. There is a much quicker process by way of boiling the leaves, however, I have no idea if that weakens the potency at all. I’ll be sure to try it out though 🌱
