Plantain

Botanical Name:Plantago major.

Other Common Names: Greater or common plantain, broadleaf plantain, rippleseed plantain, wagbread, white man’s foot, plantain majeur (French), groblad (Swedish), Wegerich (German), græðisúra (Icelandic), piharatamo (Finnish).

Family Plantaginaceae

TCM Name: Che Qian Zi (Translates as “Before the Cart Seeds.”)

Also Known As: Plantain Seed, Plantago Seed, Semen Plantaginis

Meridians: Bladder, Kidney, Lung, Liver

Key TCM Actions & Medicinal Uses: Drains Damp/Promotes Urination/Regulates Water/Clears Heat: edema, lin syndromes due to Damp Heat in the Lower Jiao, diarrhea, dysentery, difficulty or urgency with urination, dribbling. Stops Diarrhea: the seeds move water from the bladder promoting urination and solidifying the stools. Clears the Eyes: eye problems due to Liver Heat or Liver Yang rising, dry eyes, cataracts, red painful swollen eyes, sensitivity to light. Clears Lung Heat/Dissolves Phelgm/Stops Cough: expels thick, copious, yellow sputum, phlegm in the lungs, stops cough.

Habitat: Plantain is originally native…