NOT a Weed: STOP Killing This Shockingly Useful Plant

I had an old Italian neighbor friend who’s yard was nothing but ‘weeds’. She schooled me so I wouldn’t harm them, explaining that ALL of her plants were edible and medicinal plants brought here by immigrants (often at great cost). She was 96 years of age and in better shape than me

I was a wrangler on a Resort and horses always were getting weird wounds... one day I said to my boss dont call a ver just yet I have a natural remedy! I gathered many plantain plants an ground them well and added warm bran mash then applying to the swelling wrapping well and a in several hours a huge splinter was retrieved from that dressing! My boss was truly amazed at that !!

Aloha. I live in Hawaii and I got bit by something. At first I didn't know what it was. There were 2 marks. Some people said it was a spider bite and some people said it was a centipede. I found out as few days later it was a centipede. I used essential oils initially that were helping but not doing the trick totally. I noticed it was hot and becoming red. I literally had a dream about plantain and told a friend who was studying Hawaiian medicine. She got me some from her friend's yard since her friend did not spray and told me to chew it and put it on top of the bite and wrap it in saran wrap. I laid there for an hour and I could feel the poison leaving the site. I did it a few more times and it did its job. I am so grateful for plantain. It grows on our campus at school and I always point it out to my 2nd graders when we are walking on campus. Mahalo for the video and sharing the many uses!

I have both narrow and broadleaf plantain. I dug some up from a pasture and intentionally moved them to my yard. Same with Mullien, lambs quarters, and purslane! My friends think I’m a little off. 😂

Growing up in Europe, my grandmama taught me to use this plant for scrapes, small wounds and mosquito bites. It always worked. Since that time, I always have had a respect for it, even in the USA. Same respect, as for dandelions, which are the best cleanser for our liver! I never used chemicals on my lawn and chemical spraying services guys make fun of me, seeing yellow flowers in my front yard. How little they know!

A weed is a plant we haven't found a use for...yet.

Great video. Along a similar subject, I had a rep from an exterminator come to my home two nights ago trying to offer me their services. I kindly told him I wasn't interested, and he asked if we use someone else, or take care of it ourselves. I told him no, that we believe that everything has a purpose, and that as long as the insects aren't hurting us or causing destruction to our property, we preferred to leave them alone.

As a child, we picked it and made salad with clover heads. Please make another video with more uses. Thank you 😊

My grandmother taught me that by folding the leaf a little, you can make a cup to drink water from the spring.

Yes. We need to Educate ourselves on all the so called weeds. That are not Weeds.

At 77YO, I prefer eating weeds to weeding my garden (LOL). Thank you. Very useful info.

WEED : any plant that is growing where you dont want it... roses are weeds when they grow in a vegetable garden

I have plantain growing profusely on my property. I always liked it. As a kid, we would snip off the tall shoots, fold the stem around itself and pull the stem through the fold. This would pop the seed head off like a little gun. Much less ominous than the realistic toy guns of today. I also just like walking through it. For the past few years, I have been leaving a large portion of my back yard basically unmowed - only mowing once in the spring, and the second and final time in late fall. The result is a beautiful plot of tall grasses and "weeds" that move with the breeze, attract insects and wildlife, and annoy my chemically addicted neighbors. It's a win, win, win. So glad to read about all the other benefits of plantain that I was not aware of. Really enjoy your site. Thanks.

Narrow leaf plantain does pretty much the same things and my courtyard is full of it. I recommend a video on Lambs Quarters. It’s another amazing plant!

Learning about these plants may help people to stop spraying herbicides where their children play.

Plantain seed can be used like flax seed as an egg substitute.

I have both broad and narrow leaf in my medicinal garden and leave it to grow in some areas anyway. My store cupboard is filled every year with teas, tinctures and ointments and I never need to go near a doctor. I was taught how to select and make all those things as a child growing up in the Highlands of Scotland. Plantain is called Slan Lus there - the healing plant.

To heal broken bones you make a poultice of comfrey.

Good job, I do have plantain growing in abundance and I knew it had bleed stop properties and was edible. I was not aware of it's many other properties and I'm flabbergasted to learn this. More uses, more wild edibles and medicinals, yes please and thank you.

Upon discovering the insect apocalypse back after college in 2011 I vowed to never treat my yard with chemicals and to learn my land. All these years later and I’m still learning, thank you.