Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) has been used in various dosage forms for centuries to relieve dry coughs due to its expectorant effect. The leaves of the herb, which occurs in many locations, can also enrich various recipes with interesting flavor nuances.

Consume the leaves of the buckhorn raw or cooked

All parts of the plantain plant are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked. Even the roots are not poisonous, but are rarely used in kitchen recipes. The young and tender leaves of the buckhorn are not only a healthy feed for rabbits and horses, but also a beneficial enrichment for the human diet. Picked directly from the meadow and eaten raw, the leaves have a rather bitter taste. But you can easily cut them into smaller pieces with scissors and use them as herbs in the following recipes:

  • for delicious plantain omelettes
  • in a mixed salad
  • to round off the taste of cream cheese and herbal quark

Plantain buds as a snack and spice

For consumption, it is best to harvest the plantain buds shortly before flowering, when the white-yellow stamens have not yet formed around the buds. Raw, these buds have a slightly nutty flavor. They can also be gently roasted in oil and used to add a mushroom-like flavor to various dishes. If you just cut off the buds, you can sometimes see multiple regrowths of fresh flower buds in the same location during a growing season.

Making your own cough medicine from buckhorn

Ribwort plantain is not only edible, but rather has a variety of positive effects on different areas of the human body such as the digestive tract and respiratory tract. However, the most well-known use of the expectorant effect of plantain to combat dry coughs and colds has been for generations. You can easily make your own cough syrup from plantain if you boil and thicken 1 kilogram of washed and chopped plantain leaves together with 1 liter of water, 1 kilogram of sugar and 500 grams of honey. After filling into boiled jars, you should store this cough syrup in a cool place, otherwise it will only keep for a few weeks.

tips and tricks

Although the plantain itself is not poisonous, the application of certain fertilizers or pesticides to other people's property can often not be ruled out. It is therefore better to harvest the plantain in your own garden or in locations with proven harmlessness.

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Category:

Herbs